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Potential

3D potentials

General instance routines

Use as Potential-instance.method(...)

In addition to these, the NFWPotential also has methods to calculate virial quantities

Specific potentials

In addition to these classes, a simple Milky-Way-like potential fit to data on the Milky Way is included as galpy.potential.MWPotential2014 (see the galpy paper for details). This potential is defined as

>>> bp= PowerSphericalPotentialwCutoff(alpha=1.8,rc=1.9/8.,normalize=0.05)
>>> mp= MiyamotoNagaiPotential(a=3./8.,b=0.28/8.,normalize=.6)
>>> np= NFWPotential(a=16/8.,normalize=.35)
>>> MWPotential2014= [bp,mp,np]

and can thus be used like any list of Potentials. If one wants to add the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, this can be done by

>>> from galpy.potential import KeplerPotential
>>> from galpy.util import bovy_conversion
>>> MWPotential2014.append(KeplerPotential(amp=4*10**6./bovy_conversion.mass_in_msol(220.,8.)))

for a black hole with a mass of \(4\times10^6\,M_{\odot}\).

An older version galpy.potential.MWPotential of a similar potential that was not fit to data on the Milky Way is defined as

>>> mp= MiyamotoNagaiPotential(a=0.5,b=0.0375,normalize=.6)
>>> np= NFWPotential(a=4.5,normalize=.35)
>>> hp= HernquistPotential(a=0.6/8,normalize=0.05)
>>> MWPotential= [mp,np,hp]

galpy.potential.MWPotential2014 supersedes galpy.potential.MWPotential.

2D potentials

General instance routines

Use as Potential-instance.method(...)

General axisymmetric potential instance routines

Use as Potential-instance.method(...)

Specific potentials

All of the 3D potentials above can be used as two-dimensional potentials in the mid-plane.

In addition, a two-dimensional bar potential and a two spiral potentials are included

1D potentials

General instance routines

Use as Potential-instance.method(...)

General 1D potential routines

Use as method(...)

Specific potentials

One-dimensional potentials can also be derived from 3D axisymmetric potentials as the vertical potential at a certain Galactocentric radius