An understanding of the shape and nature of galaxy density profiles remains a major challenge to galaxy structure studies. The physical mechanisms thought to control these profiles include star formation rates and dynamical interactions, but we focus in this thesis on the contribution of dynamical parameters associated with the dark and baryonic matter. We follow the evolution of mass density profiles, and investigate the development of a truncation radius. Using GADGET-2, an N-body/SPH code with a prescription for star formation and feedback, and the SHARCNET computational facilities, we have generated over 200 galaxy models covering a full range of structural parameters. The galaxy models have a minimum of 1.4 million particles and most are evolved over a period of 10 Gyr. We find that the evolution of the galaxy mass density profile is controlled by the ratio of the disk mass fraction, $m_{d}$, to the halo spin parameter, $\lambda$. The strength of the two-component structure in disk profiles and speed at which this structure develops, is directly proportional to $m_{d}/\lambda$. While the development of a two-component profile is coupled to bar formation, not all barred galaxies develop a two-component profile. We also show that the slope of the outer profile is in close agreement with that of the initial profile and remains stable over time, whereas the inner profile slope evolves considerably. This result will greatly improve comparisons of observed with predicted measures of galaxy density profiles. Our galaxy database is the largest of its kind and a valuable resource for many potential galaxy structural studies. We conclude with a list of future investigations based on our study and new database. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2007-07-30 14:46:24.568

We present new optical and radio spectroscopic observations of the remarkable galaxy Malin 1. This galaxy has unique features that include an extremely low surface brightness disk with an enormous mass of neutral hydrogen, and a low luminosity Seyfert nucleus. Malin 1 is exceptional in its values of MHO, LB, and MHI /Ln, and modest in its surface mass density of gas and stars. Spirals with large Min /LB tend to have low mean column densities of HI, and are close to the threshold for star formation due to instabilities in a rotating gas disk. In these terms, Malin 1 has a disk with extremely inefficient star formation. The bulge spectrum is dominated by the absorption features of an old, metal rich stellar population, although there is some evidence for hot (young) stars. The emission line excitations and widths in the nucleus are typical of a Seyfert galaxy; but Malin 1 is in the lowest 5% of the luminosity function of Seyferts, despite a copious fuel supply. Malin 1 is in a low density region of the universe. We propose it as an unevolving disk galaxy, where the surface mass density is so low that the chemical composition and mass fraction in gas change very slowly over a Hubble time. Its properties are similar to those of the damped Lyman -a absorption systems seen in the spectra of high redshift quasars. We emphasize that there are strong observational selection effects against finding gas -rich galaxies that are both massive and diffuse. Finally, we suggest that large and massive HI disks may have formed as early as z - 2, and remained quiescent to the present day. Subject headings : individual (Malin 1) - galaxies : photometry - galaxies : Seyfert - galaxies : stellar content - radio sources : 21 cm radiation - stars : formation

A study of the Galactic Center stellar population is continuing with a sensitive 2μm CCD camera. Using a 64 x 64 detector array, background limited images are recorded with modest amounts of observing time (tob, 20 sec to reach K =13). Magnitudes have been extracted using DAOPHOT from repeated imaging of the central 5' x 5' to search among approximately 1500 stars for long period variables (LPV's, P > 200d), particularily Miras. Miras have a well defined period - luminosity relationship as well as one in period -mass. This program investigates the nature of highly luminous stars at the Galactic Center. Presently 12 variables have been found and have several characteristics consistant with Miras. They have a maximum bolometric luminosity of -4.4 mag which supports the case that high luminosity stars in the central 6 pc are young supergiants.

We present new measures of the rotation curves of disc galaxies from z~0.2 to z~1.7, using deep exposures from both DEIMOS and LRIS spectrographs on the Keck telescopes in combination with multi-band imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope. We do this with a new modelling code, curvation, which has been optimised to extract the rotation velocity measurements from galaxies at intermediate and high redshift. To this end, we conduct a bulge-to-disc de-composition to allow us to de-project observed velocities to extract a model of the intrinsic rotation curve. We demonstrate the improved accuracy and precision of these measurements via a number of tests, but primarily in recovering an intrinsic scatter of the high redshift Tully-Fisher relation which is similar to that found locally. We show for the first time that the stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation is tightly in place at z~1, the normalisation of which has evolved less than 0.02±0.02 dex in stellar mass from z~1.7 to z~0.2. We do however see evidence for evolution in classic B-band Tully-Fisher relation, which is brighter at z~1 by 0.85±0.28 magnitudes than that at z~0.3. This trend is consistent with what was previously known about the evolving star-formation rates of disc galaxies. We then explore the potential drivers of these trends in the Tully-Fisher relation by estimating the baryonic and dark matter content of our galaxies. We also discover a surprising trend in the bulgeless disc galaxies at high redshift, which may be evolving differently from other rotationally supported galaxies. In the context of work which has been conducted at z~2, we discuss our results of a stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation which is strikingly similar over two-thirds of the age of the Universe.

No description available.

Contrary to historic assumptions, bulges in the local Universe present a heterogeneous class of objects. Observations indicate that bulges are bimodal in structure, interstellar medium, stellar populations and dynamical state. Using observations in the UV, optical, near-infrared and mid-infrared we study the nature of local bulge-disk galaxies. The aim is first to find consistent means to differentiate different bulge types. Then we can use these diagnostic methods to study the properties of bulges of each type, thereby better understanding the possible formation mechanisms of each type. Finally, we will use these diagnostic methods to determine how many of each type of bulge exists in the local Universe, and thus understand how the heterogeneity of bulges may affect our understanding of galaxy evolution. Using 3.6-8.0 micron colors we show that dichotomy in bulge morphology is closely tied to the dichotomy in bulge interstellar medium. We find that those bulges with active interstellar medium, per unit stellar mass, have morphological features commonly found in disks (e.g. nuclear spirals, bars and rings). We follow this up with more robust star formation rates, as measured by linear combining UV and 24 micron luminosity, and determine that the boundary is near specific star formation rate ~30 Gyr⁻¹. We also find that the shape of bulge surface brightness profiles correlates well with morphology. When parameterized by a Sérsic function, we find that bulges with n[subscript b]<2 have disk-like morphology and those bulges with n[subscript b]>2 have morphology that is very similar to that of an elliptical galaxy. We thus conclude that bulges with disk-like nuclear morphology, specific star formation rate that is less than 30 Gyr⁻¹, and/or Sérsic index n[subscript b]<2 represents a distinct class of object. We refer to these bulges as "pseudobulges" and the complimentary set of bulges that are inactive, with high Sérsic index, and morphologically like elliptical galaxies is referred to as "classical bulges." We find that a significant amount of evidence points to pseudobulges and classical bulges originating from separate formation mechanisms. First, we rule out the possibility that pseudobulges are the result solely from mass dependent phenomenon. Rather, pseudobulges and classical bulges over lap significantly in mass, luminosity and size. Also, they are found in galaxies of similar mass, luminosity and size. Therefore, pseudobulges are not simply a low-mass phenomenon of the same process. Also, we find that many of the properties of pseudobulges are connected to properties of the outer disk. We find that the half-light radius of pseudobulges correlates linearly with the scale-length of the outer disk. Furthermore, this correlation does not exist for classical bulges. Also, the mass of pseudobulges correlates with the mass of the outer disk. We find that the star formation rate density of pseudobulges is a function of the stellar mass of the exponential outer disk such that pseudobulges with high star formation rate densities only occur more massive stellar disks. Thus it appears that both structure and growth of pseudobulges is a function of the properties of the outer disk. However, classical bulges do not show the same correlations. Also, we find that the star formation rate density of pseudobulges positively correlates with the mass density, classical bulges do not show an analogous correlation. If secular growth were responsible for the formation of pseudobulges, such a correlation should exist. Furthermore, we find that the specific star formation rates of most pseudobulges are high enough to account for the stellar mass within the typical ages of disk (~10 Gyr). We also show that classical bulges participate in the same structural parameter correlations as elliptical galaxies. Just like elliptical galaxies, as classical bulges become brighter they also become larger in radius, lower in surface density, and have higher Sérsic index. However pseudobulges behave very differently. There is little-to-no correlation between the size of pseudobulges and the luminosity, surface brightness or Sérsic index. We stress that this observation extends of 9 magnitudes in brightness. Therefore the size of pseudobulges, has thus far only been found to correlate with the size of the outer disk. Furthermore we find that pseudobulges show a positive correlation between surface density and luminosity. The behavior of pseudobulges in these parameter correlations implies that they are not virialized stellar systems that have experienced violent relaxation. Thus it is likely that the formation of pseudobulges is not like that of elliptical galaxies and classical bulges. Furthermore, the connection between pseudobulge properties and those of their associated outer disk seem to favor long-term growth that is more likely to be driven by disk processes, commonly called "secular evolution." Finally we show that the dichotomy of bulge types has a strong influence on our understanding of galaxy evolution. We find that global galaxy properties are tied to the bulge dichotomy. Galaxies with pseudobulges are found to be in "blue sequenc" galaxies and those with classical bulges are found to be in "red sequence" galaxies. A large body of literature has shown that blue and red galaxies appear to be distinct classifications of galaxies. The correlation with bulge type implies that the bulge dichotomy may be also be a consequence of the bimodal nature of galaxy evolution. Finally, we show that in the local Universe pseudobulges are by far the most common type of massive galaxy. We find that only 17% of galaxies have a detectable classical bulge. Also we show that over 3/4 of the star formation in spiral and elliptical galaxies in the local Universe occurs in galaxies with pseudobulges. Thus understanding pseudobulges is a necessary step to understanding the processes that have lead to the population of galaxies in the nearby Universe. / text

The topic of this thesis deals with the spiral structure in disk galaxies with a specific aim of probing the influence of the dark matter halo and the interstellar gas on the origin and longevity of the spiral arms in late-type galaxies through theoretical modeling and numerical calculations. The basic theoretical model of the galactic disk used involves gravitationally-coupled two-component system (stars and gas) embedded in a rigid and non-responsive dark matter halo, i.e., the static potential of the dark matter is used in the calculations. However, at places, depending on the nature of the problem addressed, the disk is treated as consisting of only stellar component or only gas component followed by proper justifications for the assumptions. The disk is rotationally-supported in the plane and pressure-supported perpendicular to the plane of the disk. The first part of the thesis involves searching for the dynamical effect of dark matter halo on small-scale spiral structure in dwarf low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies and also some dwarf ir-regular galaxies which host an extended H I disk. In both cases, the rotation curves are found to be dominated by the contribution of the dark matter halo over a large radial distance, starting from the inner regions of the galaxies. The next part of the thesis deals with the investigation of the possible effect of the interstellar gas on the persistence is-sue and the pattern speeds of the spiral structure in the disk galaxies. The last part of the thesis involves in studying the dynamical effect of dark matter halo on large-scale spiral structure. Following is the layout of the thesis. Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to the topic of spiral structure of late-type disk galaxies, followed by a broad overview of the theoretical development of the topic and the present status of the topic. Then the thesis starts with studying the small-scale spiral features and evolves to studying the large-scale spiral features seen in disk galaxies in the following way: Chapters 2 & 3 deal with the effect of dark matter halo on small- scale spiral structure. Chapters 4 & 5 focus on the dynamical effect of the interstellar gas on the spiral structure using the local dispersion relation. Chapters 6 & 7 discuss the possible effect of dark matter halo on large-scale spiral structure in disk galaxies. Chapter 8 contains the summary of results and future plans. Effect of dark matter halo on small-scale spiral structure The spiral arms in the disks of galaxies are often broken into several smaller parts or patches that create a messy visual impression when viewed from a ‘face-on’ configura-tion. They are generally termed as ‘small-scale’ or flocculent spiral arms. Several stud-ies showed that the small-scale spiral arms are basically material arm, i.e., they can be thought of as ‘tubes’ filled with stars and gas. Spiral arms are known to participate in the secular evolution of the disk galaxies. Since disk galaxies are believed to reside within a halo of dark matter, therefore a detailed understanding of possible effects of dark matter halo on the spiral arms is necessary. In Chapter 2, we investigate the effect of dark matter halo on small-scale spiral fea-tures in the disks of LSB galaxies. Modeling the mass distribution within a galaxy from the rotation curve of a typical small LSB galaxy reveals the generic fact that for most of the radii, dark matter halo dominates over the stellar disk. This trend is found to be true from the very inner regions of an LSB disk which in turn makes the LSBs a suitable laboratory for probing the effect of dark matter halo on the dynamics of disk galaxies. Following a semi-analytic approach, and using the observationally measured input pa-rameters for a typical superthin LSB galaxy, UGC 7321, we showed that the dominant dark matter halo suppresses the small-scale spiral structure in the disk of UGC 7321. Since UGC 7321 possesses features typical of a LSB galaxy, we argued that this finding will also hold true for other typical LSBs. The result is at par with the observational evi-dences for the lack of prominent, strong small-scale spiral structure in LSB galaxies. In Chapter 3, we employed the similar techniques for probing the effect of dark matter halo on small-scale spiral structure, except this time we took five dwarf irregular galaxies with an extended H I disk as the sample for our investigation. The main im-portant difference between these dwarf irregular galaxies with the earlier LSB galaxies is that for these dwarf irregular galaxies with extended H I disk, the largest baryonic con-tribution comes from the interstellar gas (mainly H I ), and not from the stars (as seen in LSBs). The extended H I disks of these galaxies allow one measure the rotation curve, and hence modeling the dark matter halo parameters for a large radial range from the galactic center. Here also the rotation curves are found to be dominated by dark matter halo over most of the disk, thus providing yet another ‘laboratory’ for testing the dynam-ical effect of dark matter halo on the dynamics of the disks. Using the observed input parameters for five such dwarf irregular galaxies, we showed that the dense and com-pact dark matter halo is responsible for preventing strong small-scale spiral structure in these galaxies, which is in fair agreement with the observations. Dynamical effect of interstellar gas on longevity of spiral arms Any late-type disk galaxy contains a finite amount of interstellar gas along with the stel-lar component. The atomic hydrogen (H I ) constitutes the bulk of the interstellar gas along with the molecular hydrogen (H2), ionized hydrogen (H I I ), and a trace amount of heavy elements like helium. The mass fraction present in the interstellar gas in disk galaxies is found to vary with the Hubble sequence, with the amount of interstellar gas increasing from Sa type to Scd type of galaxies. Due to the lower value of velocity disper-sion as compared to that of stars, gas is known to have a larger destabilizing effect in the disk. Therefore, the natural question arises about what possible role the interstellar gas could play in the origin and the persistence issue of spiral arms. In Chapter 4, we explored how the interstellar gas could influence the longevity of the spiral arms in late-type disk galaxies by treating the spiral structure as density waves in the disk. The disk is modeled as a gravitationally coupled stars plus gas (two-component) system, where the stars are modeled as a collisionless system and the gas treated as a fluid system. Using the appropriate local dispersion relation for the above mentioned model for the disk of galaxy, we calculated the group velocity of a wavepacket of density wave and then studied the variation of the group velocity with increasing amount of interstellar gas in the system. We showed that the group velocity of a wavepacket in a Milky Way-like disk galaxy decreases steadily with the inclusion of gas, implying that the spiral pattern will survive for a longer time-scale in a more gas-rich galaxy by a factor of few. In Chapter 5, we investigated the role of interstellar gas in obtaining a stable den-sity wave corresponding to the observed pattern speed for the spiral arms. The under-lying local dispersion relation remains same as that is in Chapter 4. Using the observa-tionally measured pattern speed and the rotation curves for three late-type disk galaxies we showed that the presence of interstellar gas in necessary in order to maintain a stable density wave corresponding to the observed values for pattern speeds. Also we proposed a method to determine a range of pattern speed values at any particular radius, corre- sponding to which the density wave can be stable. We applied this method to the same three late-type galaxies which we used in the earlier part of this chapter. We found that, for these three galaxies, the observed pattern speed values indeed fall in the predicted range. Imprint of dark matter halo on large-scale spiral structure Along with the small-scale spiral arms, there also exists another type of spiral arms – the large-scale spiral structure, like what we see M 51 or in NGC 2997, which occupy almost the entire outer optical disk in the galaxy. These spiral arms are termed as ‘grand-design’ spiral structure. One of the competing theories, namely, Density wave theory proposes that the large-scale structure is basically a density wave in the disk and the pattern ex-hibits a rigid-body rotation with a definite constant pattern speed. In the earlier part this thesis (Chapters 2 & 3), it was shown that the small-scale spiral structure gets damped by the dominant dark matter halo. Therefore, a natural question arises whether dominant dark matter plays any role on these large-scale spiral structure; and if yes, to what extent it affects the large-scale spiral structure. In Chapters 6 & 7, we investigated how the large-scale structure in disk galaxies gets affected when the disk galaxy hosts a dark matter halo that dominates over most of the disk regions. We again chose the LSB galaxies as laboratory for this study. In Chapter 6, we modeled the stellar component as a fluid system and in Chapter 7, we treated the stellar system as more realistic collisionless system. In both cases, global spiral modes are identified from the appropriate dispersion relations via a novel quantization rule, and they are used as a ‘proxy’ for the large-scale spiral structure. Using the input pa-rameters for UGC 7321, in Chapter 6 we showed that the fluid representation of stellar system failed to make an impression in suppression of the global spiral modes. However, when stellar component is treated as a more realistic collisionless system, we found that the dark matter halo suppresses the large-scale spiral features as well in the disks of LSB galaxies, in fair agreement with the observations. Finally, in Chapter 8, the thesis concludes with a summary of main results and a brief discussion of the scope for future work.

No description available.

Multiple coherent supernova explosions (SNe) in an OB association can produce a strong shock that moves through the interstellar medium (ISM). These shocks fronts carve out hot and tenuous regions in the ISM known as superbubbles. The density contour plot at three different times (0.5 Myr (left panel), 4 Myr (middle panel), 9.5 Myr (right panel)) showing different stages of superbubble evolution for n0 = 0.5 cm−3, z0 = 300 pc, and for NOB = 104. This density contour plot is produced using ZEUS-MP 2D hydrodynamic simulation with a resolution of 512 × 512 with a logarithmic grid extending from 2 pc to 2.5 kpc. For a detailed description of this figure, see Roy et. al., 2015. The evolution of a superbubble is marked by different phases, as it moves through the ISM. Consider an OB association at the center of a disk galaxy. Initially the distance of the shock front is much smaller than the disk scale height. The superbubble shell sweeps up the ISM material, and once the amount of swept up material becomes comparable to the ejected material during SNe, the superbubble enters a self-similar phase (analogous to the Sedov-Taylor phase of individual SNe). As the superbubble shell sweeps up material, its velocity decreases, and thus the corresponding post-shock temperature drops. At a temperature of ∼ 2 × 105 K (where the cooling function peaks), the superbubble shell becomes radiative and starts losing energy via radiative cooling. This radiative phase is shown in the left panel of Figure 1. The superbubble shell starts fragmenting into clumps and channels due to Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities (RTI) (which is seeded by the thermal instability; for details see Roy et. al., 2013) when the superbubble shell crosses a few times the scale height. This is represented in the middle panel of the same figure. At a much later epoch, RTI has a strong effect on the shell fragmentation and the top of the bubble is completely blown off (the right panel). In the first chapter of the thesis (reported in Sharma et. al., 2014), we show using ZEUS-MP hydrodynamic simulations that an isolated supernova loses almost all its mechanical energy within a Myr whereas superbubbles can retain up to ∼ 40% of the input energy over the lifetime of the starcluster (∼ few tens of Myr), consistent with the analytic estimate of the second chapter. We also compare different recipes (constant luminosity driven model (LD model), kinetic energy driven model (KE model) to implement SNe feedback in numerical simulations. We determine the constraints on the injection radius (within which the SNe input energy is injected) so that the supernova explosion energy realistically couples to the interstellar medium (ISM). We show that all models produce similar results if the SNe energy is injected within a very small volume ( typically 1–2 pc for typical disk parameters). The second chapter concentrates on the conditions for galactic disks to produce superbubbles which can give rise to galactic winds after breaking out of the disk. The Kompaneets formalism provides an analytic expression for the adiabatic evolution of a superbubble. In our calculation, we include radiative cooling, and implement the supernova explosion energy in terms of constant luminosity through out the life-time of the OB stars in an exponentially stratified medium (Roy et. al., 2013). We use hydrodynamic simulations (ZEUS-MP) to determine the evolution of the superbubble shell. The main result of our calculation is a clear demarcation between the energy scales of sources causing two different astrophysical phenomenon: (i) An energy injection rate of ∼ 10−4 erg cm−2 s−1 (corresponding Mach number ∼ 2–3, produced by large OB associations) is relevant for disk galaxies with synchrotron emitting gas in the extra-planar regions. (ii) A larger energy injection scale ∼ 10−3 erg cm−2 s−1, or equivalently a surface density of star formation rate ∼ 0.1 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 corresponding to superbubbles with high Mach number (∼ 5–10) produces galactic-scale superwinds (requires superstar clusters to evolve coherently in space and time). The stronger energy injection case also satisfies the requirements to create and maintain a multiphase halo (matches with observations). Roy et. al., 2013 also points out that Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) plays an important role in the fragmentation of superbubble shell when the shell reaches a distance approximately 2–3 times the scale-height; and before the initiation of RTI, thermal instability helps to corrugate the shell and seed the RTI. Another important finding of this chapter is the analytic estimation of the energetics of superbubble shell. The shell retains almost ∼ 30% of the thermal energy after the radiative losses at the end of the lifetime of OB associations. The third chapter considers the escape of hydrogen ionizing (Lyc) photons arising from the central OB-association that depends on the superbubble shell dynamics. The escape fraction of Lyc photons is expected to decrease at an initial stage (when the superbubble is buried in the disk) as the dense shell absorbs most of the ionizing photons, whereas the subsequently formed channels (created by RTI and thermal instabilities) in the shell creates optically thin pathways at a later time (∼ 2–3 dynamical times) which help the ionizing photons to escape. We determine an escape fraction (fesc) of Lyc photons of ∼ 10 ± 5% from typical disk galaxies (within 0 ≤ z (redshift) ≤ 2) with a weak variation with disk masses (reported in Roy et. al., 2015). This is consistent with observations of local galaxies as well as constraints from the epoch of reionization. Our work connects the fesc with the fundamental disk parameters (mid-plane density (n0), scale-height (z0)) via a relation that fescαn20z03 (with a ≈ 2.2) is a constant. In the fourth chapter, we have considered a simple model of molecule formation in the superbubble shells produced in starburst nuclei. We determine the threshold conditions on the disk parameters (gas density and scale height) for the formation of molecules in superbubble shells breaking out of disk galaxies. This threshold condition implies a gas surface density of ≥ 2000 M⊙ pc−2, which translates to a SFR of ≥ 5 M⊙ yr−1 within the nuclear region of radius ∼ 100 pc, consistent with the observed SFR of galaxies hosting molecular outflows. Consideration of molecule formation in these expanding superbubble shells predicts molecular outflows with velocities ∼ 30–40 km s−1 at distances ∼ 100–200 pc with a molecular mass ∼ 106–107 M⊙, which tally with the recent ALMA observations of NGC 253. We also consider different combinations of disk parameters and predict velocities of molecule bearing shells in the range of ∼ 30–100 km s−1 with length scales of ≥ 100 pc, in rough agreement with the observations of molecules in NGC 3628 and M82 (Roy et. al., 2016, submitted to MNRAS).

The topic of this thesis is the study of the vertical structure of the disk galaxies and their dark matter halos through theoretical modeling and numerical calculations. The basic theoretical model of the galactic disk used involves gravitationally-coupled stars and gas under the force-field of a dark matter halo; the disk is rotationally-supported in the plane and pressure-supported perpendicular to the plane of the galaxy. The first part of the thesis involves evaluating the vertical structure of stars and gas in normal as well as dwarf spiral galaxies. The second part of the thesis deals with probing the dark matter halo density profiles of disk galaxies using both the observed rotation curve and the H i scale height data. Following is the layout of the thesis. Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to the topic of vertical structure of spiral galaxies and their dark matter halos, followed by a broad overview of the theoretical development of the topic and ends with highlighting the motivation and challenges met in this thesis. Chapters 2 & 3 deal with the vertical structure of stars and gas in galaxies, Chapters 4-6 focus on obtaining the dark matter halo density profiles of disk galaxies from the observed rotation curve and the H i scale height data whereas Chapter 7 is devoted to the summary of results and future research plans. Vertical structure of stars and gas in galaxies The vertical thickness of the stars and the gas, namely atomic hydrogen (H i) and molecular hydrogen (H2) in a spiral galaxy, is crucial in regulating the disk dynamics close to the mid-plane, especially in the inner galaxy. However, measuring it observationally is not in general practicable due to the limitations of astronomical observations, and often impossible as in the case of face-on galaxies. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a theoretical model of the galaxy which can predict the thickness of the disk components by using as input parameters the physical quantities, which are more observationally-amenable compared to the disk thickness. The vertical thickness of the disk components is determined by a trade-off between the upward kinetic pressure and the net downward gravitational pull of the galaxy. The fraction of the disk mass due to the stars is an order of magnitude higher than that of the gas in ordinary spiral galaxies, and therefore the gas contribution to the disk gravity is ignored in general. We have developed a multi-component model of gravitationally-coupled stars, HI and H2 subjected to the force-field of an external dark matter halo, and conclusively demonstrated the importance of the inclusion of gas gravity in explaining the steep vertical stellar distribution observed in galaxies. These apart, this model does not implicitly assume a flat rotation curve for the galaxy and therefore is applicable in general to obtain the thickness of stars and gas in dwarfs (with linearly rising rotation curves) as well as in ordinary spirals. In Chapter 2, we investigate the origin of the steep vertical stellar distribution in the Galactic disk. One of the direct fall outs of our above model of the galaxy, which incor¬porates the self-gravity of the gas unlike the earlier theoretical models, lies in explaining the long-standing puzzle of the steep vertical stellar density distribution of the disk galax¬ies near the mid-plane. Over the past two decades, observations revealed that the vertical density distribution of stars in galaxies near the mid-plane is substantially steeper than the sech2 function that is expected for a self-gravitating system of stars under isothermal ap¬proximation. However, the physical origin for this has not been explained so far. We have clearly demonstrated that the inclusion of the self-gravity of the gas in the dynamical model of the Galaxy solves the problem even under the purview of isothermal approximation for the disk components. Being a low dispersion component, the gas resides closer to the mid¬plane compared to the stars, and forms a thin, compact layer near the mid-plane, thereby strongly governing the local disk dynamics. This novel idea, highlighting the significance of gas gravity has produced substantial impact on the field and triggered research activities by other groups in related areas of disk dynamics. The strong effect of the gas gravity on the vertical density profile of the stellar disk indicates that it should also bear its imprint on the Milky way thick disk, as the epoch of its formation 109 years ago is marked by a value of gas fraction, almost an order of magnitude higher than its present day value. Interest-ingly, the findings of the upcoming Gaia mission can be harnessed to verify this theoretical prediction. It may also hold the clue as to the reason behind the absence of thick disk in superthin galaxies. In Chapter 3, we use the same model to theoretically determine the H i vertical scale heights in the dwarf galaxies: DDO 154, Ho II, IC 2574 & NGC 2366 for which most of the necessary input parameters are available from observations. We stress the fact that the observational determination of the gas thickness in these dwarf irregulars is not viable. Nevertheless, it is important to estimate it theoretically as it plays a crucial role in calculating the star-formation activities and other related phenomena. However, two vital aspects have to be taken care of while modeling these dwarf galaxies. Firstly, the mass fraction in gas in these galaxies is comparable to that of the stars, and hence the gas gravity cannot be ignored on any account unlike in the case of large spirals. Secondly, dwarf galaxies have a rising rotation curve over most of the disk unlike the flat rotation curves of ordinary spirals. Both these factors have been considered in developing our model of the dwarf galaxies. We find that three out of the four galaxies studied show a flaring of their H i disks with increasing radius, by a factor of a few within several disk scale lengths. The fourth galaxy (Ho II) has a thick H1 disk throughout. A comparison of the size distribution of H1 holes in the four sample galaxies reveals that of the 20 type 3 holes, all have radii that are in agreement with them being still fully contained within the gas layer. Probing the dark matter halo profiles of disk galaxies The next part of the thesis involves the dynamical study of the shapes and density profiles of galactic dark matter halos using observational constraints on our theoretical model of a spiral galaxy. The density distribution of the dark matter halo is generally modeled using the observed rotation curve of the spiral galaxies. The rotational velocity at any radius is determined by the radial component of the net gravitational force of the galaxy, which, however, is weakly dependent on the shape of the dark matter halo. Therefore, one cannot trace the dark matter halo shape by the observed rotation curve alone. The vertical thickness of the stars and gas, on the other hand, is strongly dependent on the flattening of the dark matter halo, and therefore the observed gas thickness can be used as a diagnostic to probe the halo shape. In this thesis, we have used the double constraints of the rotation curve and the H i thickness data to obtain the best-fit values of the core density, core radius and the vertical-to-planar axis ratio (or flattening) of the dark matter halos of our largest nearby galaxy Andromeda (or M31), a low-surface brightness (LSB) superthin galaxy UGC 7321 and to study the dark matter halo shape of our Galaxy. In Chapter 4, we study the dark matter halo of M31 or Andromeda, the largest nearby galaxy to the Milky Way. We find that M31 has a highly flattened isothermal dark matter halo with the vertical-to-horizontal axis ratio equal to 0.4, which interestingly lies at the most oblate end of the halo shapes found in cosmological simulations. This indicates that either M31 is a unusual galaxy, or the simulations need to include additional physics, such as the effect of the baryons, that can affect the shape of the halo. This is quite a remarkable result as it challenges the popular practice of assuming a spherical dark matter halo in the dynamical modeling of the galaxy In Chapter 5, we have applied this technique to the superthin galaxy UGC 7321. Su¬perthins are somewhat the “extreme” objects in the local Universe because of their high gas fraction and absence of a thick disk component. It is interesting to analyze their so-called extreme characteristics in the light of the physical mechanisms which determined them to understand better the properties of ordinary spirals. We find that UGC 7321 has a spher¬ical isothermal halo, with a core radius almost equal to the disk scale length. This reveals that the dark matter dominates the dynamics of this galaxy at all radii, including the inner parts of the galaxy. This is unlike the case for the large spiral galaxies, where the core radius is typically about 3-4 disk scale lengths. Interestingly, the best-fit halo core density and the core radius are consistent, with deviations of a few percent, with the dark matter fundamental plane correlations, which depict the systematic properties of the dark matter halo in late-type and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. This apart, a high value of the gas velocity dispersion is required to get a better fit to the H i scale height data, although the superthin nature of the stellar disk implies a dynamically cold dynamic galactic disk. However, it explains the low star-formation rates in these galaxies since the Toomre Q criterion (Q < 1) for instability is less likely to be satisfied, and hence the disk is liable to be more stable to star formation. In Chapter 6, we investigate the shape of the dark matter halo in the outer Galaxy. We find that the halo is prolate, with the vertical-to-planar axis ratio monotonically increasing to 2.0 at 24 kpc, or 8 radial disk scale lengths. The resulting prolate-shaped halo can explain several long-standing puzzles in galactic dynamics, for example, it permits long-lived warps thus explaining their ubiquitous nature. It also imposes novel constraints on the galaxy formation models. Finally, in Chapter 7, the thesis is concluded with a summary of the main results and a brief discussion of the scope for future work.