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Article Contents

ABSTRACT

1.PRELIMINARY REMARKS

2.HISTORICAL CONTEXT

2.1.Discovery of peculiarities

2.2.A controversial scenario

2.3.Tidal origin

2.4.Forty years of numerical simulations

3.THEORY OF THE TIDAL TAIL FORMATION IN INTERACTING GALAXIES

3.1.Gravitational potential and tidal tensor

3.2.Compressive tides

3.3.Formation of tidal tails and bridges

3.4.Gas dynamics

3.5.Influence of the internal and orbital parameters

3.5.1.Spin-orbit coupling

3.5.2.Mass ratio

3.5.3.Impact parameter

3.5.4.Dark matter halo

3.6.Rings, ripples, shells and warps

3.7.Differences with tides at other scales

4.MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF TIDAL TAILS

4.1.Where the mass is: atomic hydrogen in tidal tails

4.2.When components are missing: HI without optical counterparts; stellar tails without gas

4.3.Sparse components: molecular clouds, dust and heavy elements

5.STRUCTURE FORMATION IN TIDAL TAILS

5.1.Star formation

5.2.Star cluster formation

5.3.Formation of Tidal Dwarf Galaxies

6.TIDAL STRUCTURES AS PROBES OF GALAXY EVOLUTION

6.1.Determining the merger rate evolution with tidal tails

6.2.Determining the mass assembly history of galaxies with tidal tails

6.3.Constraining the distribution of dark matter with tidal tails

7.CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES