Bar Formation and Evolution in Disk Galaxies with Classical Bulges

To study the effects of central mass concentration on the formation and evolution of galactic bars, we run fully self-consistent simulations of Milky Way-sized, isolated galaxies with initial classical bulges. We let the mass of a classical bulge mass less than 20% of the total disk mass, and vary the central concentration of a dark matter halo. We find that both classical bulge and halo concentration delay the bar formation and weaken the bar strength. The presence of a bulge increases the initial rotational velocity near the center and hence the bar pattern speed. Bars in galaxies with a more concentrated halo slowdown relatively rapidly as they lose their angular momentum through interaction with the halo. In some of our models, bars do not experience slowdown at the expense of the decrease in their moment of inertia as the bar evolves, with the resulting pattern speed similar to that of the bar in the Milky Way.