Invited review at IAU Symposium 220, eds. S. Ryder, D.J. Pisano, M. Walker & K.C. Freeman, 2003.
astro-ph/0312155

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Abstract. Isolated barred galaxies evolve by redistributing their internal angular momentum, which is emitted mainly at the inner disc resonances and absorbed mainly at the resonances in the outer disc and the halo. This causes the bar to grow stronger and its pattern speed to decrease with time. A massive, responsive halo enhances this process. I show correlations and trends between the angular momentum absorbed by the halo and the bar strength, pattern speed and morphology. It is thus possible to explain why some disc galaxies are strongly barred, while others have no bar, or only a short bar or an oval. In some cases, a bar is found also in the halo component. This "halo bar" is triaxial, but more prolate-like, is shorter than the disc bar and rotates with roughly the same pattern speed. I finally discuss whether bars can modify the density cusps found in cosmological CDM simulations of dark matter haloes.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

ANGULAR MOMENTUM EXCHANGE. ANALYTICAL RESULTS

ANGULAR MOMENTUM EXCHANGE. SIMULATION RESULTS

WHY IS THERE SUCH A WIDE VARIETY OF BAR STRENGTHS IN OBSERVED GALAXIES, AND WHY ARE SOME GALAXIES NON-BARRED ?

A BAR IN THE HALO

DO BARS FLATTEN OR STEEPEN CENTRAL HALO CUSPS?

REFERENCES