| Issue |
EAS Publications Series
Volume 67-68, 2014
The Milky Way Unravelled by Gaia: GREAT Science from the Gaia Data Releases
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|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 41 - 48 | |
| Section | The Physics and Science Promise of Gaia | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/eas/1567006 | |
| Published online | 17 July 2015 | |
N.A. Walton, F. Figueras, L. Balaguer-Núñez and C. Soubiran (eds)
EAS Publications Series, 67–68 (2014) 41-48
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...
1 Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK
2 Kavli Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing, China
The Gaia dataset will require a huge leap forward in terms of modelling of the Milky Way. Two problems are highlighted here. First, models of the Galactic Bar remain primitive as compared to the Galactic Disk and Stellar Halo. Although Schwarzschild and N-body methods are useful, the future belongs to Made-to-Measure (M2M) models which have significant advantages in terms of storage and flexibility. Second, the Milky Way potential will need much better representation than hitherto. Most models still use very simple building blocks (Miyamoto-Nagai disks or Hernquist bulges) and these will not be fit for purpose in the Gaia Era. Expansions in terms of basis functions offer the possibility of incorporating cosmological information as priors, as well as mych greater adaptability.
© EAS, EDP Sciences, 2015