Related papers: Identifying Mergers Using Quantitative Morphologie…
We perform a comprehensive estimate of the frequency of galaxy mergers and their impact on star formation over z~0.24--0.80 (lookback time T_b~3--7 Gyr) using 3698 (M*>=1e9 Msun) galaxies with GEMS HST, COMBO-17, and Spitzer data. Our…
In this review we discuss the evidence for galaxy interactions and mergers in the distant universe and the role of mergers in forming galaxies. Observations show that the fraction of massive (M> M_*) galaxies involved in major mergers is…
We present the results of a series of empirical computations regarding the role of major mergers in forming the stellar masses of modern galaxies based on measurements of galaxy merger and star formation histories from z~0.5-3. We…
The large number of galaxies imaged by digital sky surveys reinforces the need for computational methods for analyzing galaxy morphology. While the morphology of most galaxies can be associated with a stage on the Hubble sequence,…
We present two new non-parametric methods for quantifying galaxy morphology: the relative distribution of the galaxy pixel flux values (the Gini coefficient or G) and the second-order moment of the brightest 20% of the galaxy's flux (M20).…
Galaxy mergers are critical events that influence galaxy evolution by driving processes such as enhanced star formation, quenching, and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. However, constraining the timescales over which these processes…
Utilizing deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging from the two largest field galaxy surveys, the Extended Groth Strip (EGS) and the COSMOS survey, we examine the structural properties, and derive the merger history for 21,902 galaxies with…
We present an automatic method to identify galaxy mergers using the morphological information contained in the residual images of galaxies after the subtraction of a Sersic model. The removal of the bulk signal from the host galaxy light is…
The evolution of our Universe is strongly influenced by the attractive force of gravity. A key aspect of this evolution, therefore, is the merging of galaxies. Here, we explore the role of mergers in shaping the properties of massive…
It is still a challenge to assess the merger fraction of galaxies at different cosmic epochs in order to probe the evolution of their mass assembly. Using the Illustris cosmological simulations, we investigate the relation between the…
We use Horizon-AGN, a hydrodynamical cosmological simulation, to explore the role of mergers in the evolution of massive (M > 10^10 MSun) galaxies around the epoch of peak cosmic star formation (1<z<4). The fraction of massive galaxies in…
We have used the 28'x 28' HST image mosaic from the GEMS (Galaxy Evolution from Morphology and SEDs) survey in conjunction with the COMBO-17 photometric redshift survey to constrain the incidence of major mergers between spheroid-dominated…
We present a measurement of the galaxy merger fraction and number density from observations in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field for 0.5<z<2.5. We fit the combination of broadband data and slitless spectroscopy of 1308 galaxies with stellar…
We use a large sample of $\sim 350,000$ galaxies constructed by combining the UKIDSS UDS, VIDEO/CFHT-LS, UltraVISTA/COSMOS and GAMA survey regions to probe the major merging histories of massive galaxies ($>10^{10}\ \mathrm{M}_\odot$) at…
Galaxy morphology is one of the most fundamental ways to describe galaxy properties, but the morphology we observe may be affected by wavelength and spatial resolution, which may introduce systematic bias when comparing galaxies at…
We compare mass-selected close pairs at z > 1 with the intrinsic galaxy merger rate in the Illustris Simulations. To do so, we construct three 140 arcmin^2 lightcone catalogs and measure pair fractions, finding that they change little or…
From mock Hubble Space Telescope images, we quantify non-parametric statistics of galaxy morphology, thereby predicting the emergence of relationships among stellar mass, star formation, and observed rest-frame optical structure at 1 < z <…
To determine the importance of merging galaxies to galaxy evolution, it is necessary to design classification tools that can identify different types and stages of merging galaxies. Previously, using GADGET-3/SUNRISE simulations of merging…
Understanding the role of mergers in galaxy formation is one of the most outstanding problems in extragalactic astronomy. While we now have an idea for how the merger fraction evolves at redshifts z < 3, converting this merger fraction into…
Gravitational waves (GWs) directly measure the luminosity distance to the merger, which, when combined with an independent measurement of the source's redshift, provides a novel probe of cosmology. The proposed next generation of…