On the Origin of Dynamically Cold Rings around the Milky Way

Abstract

We present a scenario for the production of dynamically cold rings around the Milky Way via a high-eccentricity, flyby encounter. These initial conditions are more cosmologically motivated than those considered in previous works. We find that the encounters we examine generically produce a series of nearly dynamically cold ringlike features on low-eccentricity orbits that persist over timescales of ~2-4 Gyr via the tidal response of the primary galaxy to the close passage of the satellite. Moreover, they are both qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the distribution, kinematics, and stellar population of the Monoceros Ring. Therefore, we find that a high-eccentricity flyby by a satellite galaxy represents a cosmologically appealing scenario for forming kinematically distinct ringlike features around the Milky Way.