Multi-Spin Galaxies in the Distant Universe

Multi-spin systems are relatively rare in the nearby universe, yet they are much more common in more distant galaxies. I discuss our latest understanding of observations of high redshift galaxies, and how these observations reveal that galaxy formation is often a process where a system has multiple spins, or a dynamical state not in equilibrium. We can observe potential multi-spin systems through finding galaxies with peculiar morphologies and/or peculiar kinematics. Some of the origins of these multi-spin high redshift galaxies are mergers (both minor and major), and are the result of gas accretion from the intergalactic medium. This article discusses the observations of these effects, and how these reveal how they are telling us about the galaxy formation process as a complement to the observations taken in the nearby universe.