Trimodal structure of Hercules stream explained by originating from bar resonances

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gaia Data Release 2 revealed detailed structures of nearby stars in phase space. These include the Hercules stream, whose origin is still debated. Most of the previous numerical studies conjectured that the observed structures originate from orbits in resonance with the bar, based on static potential models for the Milky Way. We, in contrast, approach the problem via a self-consistent, dynamic, and morphologically well-resolved model, namely a full N-body simulation of the Milky Way. Our simulation comprises about 5.1 billion particles in the galactic stellar bulge, bar, disc, and dark-matter halo and is evolved to 10 Gyr. Our model’s disc component is composed of 200 million particles, and its simulation snapshots are stored every 10 Myr, enabling us to resolve and classify resonant orbits of representative samples of stars. After choosing the Sun’s position in the simulation, we compare the distribution of stars in its neighbourhood with Gaia’s astrometric data, thereby establishing the role of identified resonantly trapped stars in the formation of Hercules-like structures. From our orbital spectral-analysis, we identify multiple, especially higher order resonances. Our results suggest that the Hercules stream is dominated by the 4:1 and 5:1 outer Lindblad and corotation resonances. In total, this yields a trimodal structure of the Hercules stream. From the relation between resonances and ridges in phase space, our model favoured a slow pattern speed of the Milky-Way bar (40–45 $\mathrm{km \, s^{-1} \, kpc^{-1}}$).