The System of the Milky Way, LMC and SMC

Abstract

A simple sticky-particle numerical model has been developed in order to check whether extended structures of gas created due to the dynamical evolution of the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds system can be explained as remnants of a tidal interaction. Influence of dissipative nature of gaseous medium has been taken into account. The most remarkable features are: the Magellanic Stream, the common H I envelope surrounding both the LMC and SMC and the bridge extended between the Clouds. In contrast to previous works of Murai and Fujimoto (1980), Gardiner et al. (1994) and Heller and Rohlfs (1994) no presumptions were done on the actual galactocentric velocities of the Magellanic Clouds. The mean values of the LMC and SMC velocity vectors obtained from the Hipparcos proper motion measurements (Kroupa and Bastian, 1997) were used in order to verify whether they allow to reproduce the observed H I distribution. Numerical simulations showed that tidal forces are really significant for the evolution of extended structures such as the Magellanic Stream but this approach becomes unsufficient for the internal regions of galaxies where self-gravity and dissipative properties of the gas cannot be neglected. More precise proper motion measurements are urgently needed.