Building the Peanut: Simulations and Observations of Peanut-shaped Structures and Ansae in Face-on Disk Galaxies

Abstract

Abstract Peanut/x-shaped features observed in a significant fraction of disk galaxies are thought to have formed from vertically buckled bars. Despite being three-dimensional structures, they are preferentially detected in near edge-on projection. Only a few galaxies are found to have displayed such structures when their disks are relatively face-on—suggesting that either they are generally weak in face-on projection or many may be hidden by the light of their galaxy’s face-on disk. Here, we report on three (collisionless) simulated galaxies displaying peanut-shaped structures when their disks are seen both face-on and edge-on—resembling a three-dimensional peanut or dumbbell. Furthermore, these structures are accompanied by ansae and an outer ring at the end of the bar—as seen in real galaxies such as IC 5240. The same set of quantitative parameters used to measure peanut structures in real galaxies has been determined for the simulated galaxies, and a broad agreement is found. In addition, the peanut length grows in tandem with the bar, and is a maximum at half the length of the bar. Beyond the cutoff of these peanut structures, toward the end of the bar, we discover a new positive/negative feature in the B 6 radial profile associated with the isophotes of the ansae/ring. Our simulated, self-gravitating, three-dimensional peanut structures display cylindrical rotation even in the near-face-on disk projection. In addition, we report on a kinematic pinch in the velocity map along the bar minor axis, matching that seen in the surface density map.