Effect of halo component on bar-formation in disk galaxies

Numerical experiments are performed to determine the effect of a fixed halo component of mass on the stability of purely stellar disks. The rotation curve of the fixed halo component corresponds to the Schmidt model of the galaxy. It is found that when the stellar disk contains less than 50% of the total mass, the large-scale bar-making instability is effectively suppressed. For disks containing 50% or more of the total mass, a bar structure quickly forms.