  We investigate the formation and evolution of nested bar systems in disk
galaxies in a cosmological setting by following the development of an isolated
dark matter (DM) and baryon density perturbation. The disks form within the
assembling triaxial DM halos and the feedback from the stellar evolution is
accounted for in terms of supernovae and OB stellar winds. Focusing on a
representative model, we show the formation of an oval disk and of a first
generation of nested bars with characteristic sub-kpc and a few kpc sizes. The
system evolves through successive dynamical couplings and decouplings, forcing
the gas inwards and settles in a state of resonant coupling. The inflow rate
can support a broad range of activity within the central kpc, from quasar- to
Seyfert-types, supplemented by a vigorous star formation as a by-product. The
initial bar formation is triggered in response to the tidal torques from the
triaxial DM halo, which acts as a finite perturbation. This first generation of
bars does not survive for more than 4--5 Gyr: by that time the secondary bar
has totally dissolved, while the primary one has very substantially weakened,
reduced to a fat oval. This evolution is largely due to chaos introduced by the
interaction of the multiple non-axisymmetric components.

Astrophysics