Dynamics of Disks and Warps

Understand

This chapter reviews theoretical work on the stellar dynamics of galaxy disks.

• All the known collective global instabilities are identified, and their mechanisms described in terms of local wave mechanics.
• A detailed discussion of warps and other bending waves is also given.
• The structure of bars in galaxies, and their effect on galaxy evolution, is now reasonably well understood, but there is still no convincing explanation for their origin and frequency.