Modelling our galaxy

Pulsar motions in our Galaxy

Pulsar motions in our Galaxy from their birth until 2 Gyr are studied statistically via Monte-Carlo simulation of 2 × 10 pulsars with the best available representation of the Galactic potential. We find that the distribution of height above the Galactic plane for pulsars with characteristic ages less than about 8 Myr could be well fitted by a Gaussian function. For older pulsars, an extra expon...

Mass Distribution in Our Galaxy

This article summarizes recent work on the luminosity and mass distribution of the Galactic bulge and disk, and on the mass of the Milky Way’s dark halo. A new luminosity model consistent with the COBE NIR data and the apparent magnitude distributions of bulge clump giant stars has bulge/bar length of ' 3.5 kpc, axis ratios of 1:(0.3-0.4):0.3, and short disk scale-length (' 2.1 kpc). Gas-dynami...

Measuring our Universe from Galaxy Redshift Surveys

Galaxy redshift surveys have achieved significant progress over the last couple of decades. Those surveys tell us in the most straightforward way what our local Universe looks like. While the galaxy distribution traces the bright side of the Universe, detailed quantitative analyses of the data have even revealed the dark side of the Universe dominated by non-baryonic dark matter as well as more...

The interstellar environment of our galaxy

This article reviews the current knowledge and understanding of the interstellar medium of our galaxy. The author first presents each of the three basic constituents—ordinary matter, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields—of the interstellar medium, with emphasis on their physical and chemical properties as inferred from a broad range of observations. The interaction of these interstellar constituent...

The Story of Galaxy Formation in Our