On the origin of the Hercules group: II. the Trojan quasi-periodic identity on the orbital level

The Hercules structure is a stellar kinematic group anomaly observed in the solar neighbourhood (SNd).

In the previous paper, we analysed chemical signatures and related the origin of this stellar population to the outer bar.

Next to consider is how this alien population migrate out into the SNd.

Often, the formation of this kinematic structure is associated with bar resonances.

In this paper, We consider the driving mechanism of Hercules on the orbital level.

We construct a simple Milky Way-like potential model with a slowly rotating long bar and explore some of the stellar orbit families and their stability.

With this model, our numerical solutions of the equations of motion show that extended quasi-periodic orbits trapped around fast-rotating periodic orbits around the L4 Lagrange point of the bar minor axis can pass through the SNd.

When observed in the SNd, they populate the Hercules structure in the Lz-Vr kinematics space.

Moreover, the variation in radial coverage in the galactic plane with the SNd kinematics shows good agreement with chemical signatures found in Paper I. Furthermore, the effective potential shows the topology of a volcano, the rim of which limits most orbits to stay inside or outside.

Trojan orbits are a stable orbit family that can transport inner Galactic stars out to the SNd.

They can explain the stellar kinematics of the Hercules group, and provide a straightforward basis for its chemical properties (see Paper I).

We support the view that Trojan orbits associated with the slowly rotating Galactic bar explain the Hercules structure observed in SNd.

;Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, submitted to MNRAS