Making action-angle disc models for Gaia

¹ Lund Observatory, Lund University, Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics, Box 43, 22100 Lund, Sweden
² Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, UK

Abstract

I describe dynamical modelling of the Milky Way using action-angle coordinates. I explain what action-angle coordinates are, and what progress has been made in the past few years to ensuring they can be used in reasonably realistic Galactic potentials. I then describe recent modelling efforts, and progress they have made in constraining the potential of the Milky Way and the local dark matter density.