Formation of young boxy/peanut bulges in ringed barred galaxies

¹ Université de Lyon, 69000 Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, 69622 Villeurbanne, France; Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon, Observatoire de Lyon, 9 avenue Charles André, 69561 Saint-Genis Laval Cedex, France; CNRS, UMR 5574; École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France e-mail: herve.wozniak@obs.univ-lyon1.fr
² IATE, CONICET, OAC, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Laprida 854, X5000BGR, Córdoba, Argentina
³ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina

Received: 3 September 2008
Accepted: 15 October 2008

Abstract

Aims. We investigate whether the formation mechanism of boxy and peanut-shaped (B/PS) bulges could depend on the gas content of the galaxy.

Methods. We have performed N-body simulations with and without a gaseous component. In the second case star formation/feedback recipes have also been implemented to create new stellar populations.

Results. As in many previous studies, in our N-body collisionless simulation, the B/PS is due to the classical break in the z mirror symmetry lasting roughly 200 Myr. When a gaseous component and star formation recipes are added to the simulation, the bulge-growing mechanism is quite different. The young stellar population that is born in the thin gaseous disc rapidly populates vertical resonant orbits triggered by the combined effects of the linear horizontal and vertical ILRs. This leads to a B/PS bulge mainly made of stellar material younger than the surrounding population. 
The non-linear analysis of the orbital structure shows that the main orbit family responsible for the B/PS is not the same in the two cases. The 2:2:1 orbits prevail in the collisionless simulation whereas additional asymmetrical families contribute to the B/PS if a dissipative component is present and can form new stars. We found that 2:3:1 and 2:5:1 orbits trap a significant fraction of the mass.
A flat ringed discy stellar component also appears simultaneously with the thickening of the young population. It is due to the star formation in a nuclear gaseous disc located in the central kpc, inside the ILR, and accumulated there by the torques exerted by the large-scale bar. Remarkably, it remains flat throughout the simulation although it develops a nuclear bar, leading to a double-barred galaxy.

Conclusions. We predict that two populations of B/PS bulges could exist and even coexist in the same galaxy.