Lopsidedness in minor mergers
1 : The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
Spiral galaxies often exhibit low-order non-axisymmetries such as lopsidedness in their light distribution. Using numerical simulations of minor mergers, we show that such a non-axisymmetric pattern (rotating?) can naturally arise in the outer stellar disk. In this talk, I plan to discuss the dynamics of lopsidedness and its role in shaping gas flow in galaxies.