Title: Dynamics of the Milky Way, a theoretical perspective

Abstract: The inner regions of the Milky Way are dominated by the Galactic bar whose central three-dimensional part constitutes the b/p bulge. Dynamical models based on spatially resolved kinematic data constrain the mass distribution in these regions and the pattern speed of the bar. Recent spectroscopic surveys combined with Gaia data show how the different stellar populations in the Galaxy differ in their kinematics and spatial distributions. Population-resolved dynamical or simulation models applied to such data provide insights into the Milky Way's evolutionary history. The kinematic structure of the nearby disk has shown surprising complexity, whose connections with the Galactic bar, spiral arms, or external perturbations are actively explored with time-dependent dynamical models.

Bio: Ortwin Gerhard leads the Dynamics Group at MPE in Garching, Germany. His main research interest is in the dynamical structure and evolutionary history of galaxies, with a particular focus on the Milky Way.