3D test particle simulations of the Galactic disks. The kinematical
  effects of the bar
  Aims: To study the imprints of a rotating bar on the kinematics of stars in
the thin and thick disks throughout the Galaxy. Methods: We perform test
particle numerical simulations of the thin and thick disks in a 3D Galactic
potential that includes a halo, a bulge, thin and thick disks, and a Ferrers
bar. We analyze the resulting velocity distributions of populations
corresponding to both disks, for different positions in the Galaxy and for
different structural parameters of the bar. Results: We find that the velocity
distributions of the disks are affected by the bar, and that strong transient
effects are present for approximately 10 bar rotations after this is introduced
adiabatically. On long (more realistic) timescales, the effects of the bar are
strong on the kinematics of thin disk stars, and weaker on those in the thick
disk, but in any case significant. Furthermore, we find that it is possible to
trace the imprints of the bar also vertically and at least up to z ~ 1 kpc for
the thin disk and z ~ 2 kpc for the thick disk.
