Related papers: The Luminosity Dependence of the Galaxy Merger Rat…
We derive the number of dynamically close companions per galaxy ($N_c$) and their total luminosity ($L_c$) for galaxies in the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue: $N_c$ is similar to the fraction of galaxies in close pairs and is directly related…
We introduce two new pair statistics, which relate close galaxy pairs to the merger and accretion rates. We demonstrate the importance of correcting these (and other) pair statistics for selection effects related to sample depth and…
We investigate redshift evolution in the galaxy merger and accretion rates, using a well-defined sample of 4184 galaxies with 0.12 < z < 0.55 and R_C < 21.5. We identify 88 galaxies in close (5 < r_p < 20 h^{-1} kpc) dynamical (delta v <…
We identify close companions of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) for the purpose of quantifying the rate at which these galaxies grow via mergers. By exploiting deep photometric data from the CFHTLS, we probe the number of companions per…
Estimates of galaxy merger rates based on counts of close pairs typically assume that most of the observed systems will merge within a few hundred Myr (for projected pair separations <25 kpc/h). Here we investigate these assumptions using…
(Abriged) Our goal here is to provide merger frequencies that encompass both major and minor mergers, derived from close pair statistics. We use B-band luminosity- and mass-limited samples from an Spitzer/IRAC-selected catalogue of GOODS-S.…
We present a study of galaxy mergers up to $z=10$ using the Planck Millennium cosmological dark matter simulation and the {\tt GALFORM} semi-analytical model of galaxy formation. Utilising the full ($800$ Mpc)$^3$ volume of the simulation,…
We study the evolution of the number of close companions of similar luminosities per galaxy (Nc) by choosing a volume-limited subset of the photometric redshift catalog from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS-1). The sample contains over…
Standard LCDM predicts that the major merger rate of galaxy-size dark matter halos rises rapidly with redshift. The average number of close companions per galaxy, Nc, is often used to infer the galaxy merger rate, however, recent…
The rate of mass accumulation due to galaxy merging depends on the mass, density, and velocity distribution of galaxies in the near neighborhood of a host galaxy. The fractional luminosity in kinematic pairs combines all of these effects in…
A sample of close major-merger pairs (projected separation ${\rm 5 \leq r \leq 20 h^{-1}}$ kpc, ${\rm K_s}$ band magnitude difference $\delta {\rm K_s} \leq 1$ mag) is selected from the matched 2MASS-2dFGRS catalog of Cole et al. (2001).…
The observed Galactic rate of stellar mergers or the initiation of common envelope phases brighter than M_V=-3 (M_I=-4) is of order 0.5 (0.3)/year with 90% confidence statistical uncertainties of 0.24-1.1 (0.14-0.65) and factor of 2…
The contribution of major mergers to galaxy mass assembly along cosmic time is an important ingredient to the galaxy evolution scenario. We aim to measure the evolution of the merger rate for both luminosity/mass selected galaxy samples and…
We compare the use of galaxy asymmetry and pair proximity for measuring galaxy merger fractions and rates for a volume limited sample of 3184 galaxies with -21 < M(B) -5 log h < -18 mag. and 0.010 < z < 0.123 drawn from the Millennium…
We measure the fraction of luminous galaxies in pairs at projected separations of 5-20 kpc out to z=1.2 in the COSMOS field using ACS images and photometric redshifts derived from an extensive multiwavelength dataset. Analysis of a complete…
We use a highly complete subset of the GAMA-II redshift sample to fully describe the stellar mass dependence of close-pairs and mergers between 10^8 Msun and 10^12 Msun. Using the analytic form of this fit we investigate the total stellar…
We present a detailed analysis of predicted galaxy-galaxy merger fractions and rates in the Millennium simulation and compare these with the most up to date observations of the same quantities up to z~3. We carry out our analysis by…
We select a close "major-merger candidate" galaxy pair sample in order to calculate the K_{s} luminosity function (LF) and pair fraction representative of the merger/interaction component of galaxy evolution in the local universe. The pair…
We calculate the projected two point correlation function for samples of luminous and massive galaxies in the COMBO-17 photometric redshift survey, focusing particularly on the amplitude of the correlation function at small projected radii…
We use the Millennium Simulation, and an abundance-matching framework, to investigate the dynamical behaviour of galaxy pairs embedded in a cosmological context. Our main galaxy-pair sample, selected to have separations under 250 kpc/h,…