Related papers: Statistics of galaxy mergers: bridging the gap bet…
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 investigate the evolution of the galaxy merger rate predicted by two semi-analytical galaxy formation models implemented on the Millennium Simulation of dark matter structure growth. The fraction of merging galaxy pairs at each time-step…
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…
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…
We explore the galaxy-galaxy merger rate with the empirical model for galaxy formation, Emerge. On average, we find that between $2$ per cent and $20$ per cent of massive galaxies ($\log_{10}(m_{*}/M_{\odot}) \geq 10.3$) will experience a…
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…
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 employ a high-resolution LCDM N-body simulation to present merger rate predictions for dark matter halos and investigate how common merger-related observables for galaxies--such as close pair counts, starburst counts, and the…
Theoretical models are vital for exploring the galaxy merger process, which plays a crucial role in the evolution of galaxies. Recent advances in modelling have placed tight constraints on the buildup of stellar material in galaxies across…
Galaxy mergers are expected to have a significant role in the mass assembly of galaxies in the early Universe, but there are very few observational constraints on the merger history of galaxies at $z>2$. We present the first study of galaxy…
We present a comprehensive analysis of galaxy close-pair fractions and major merger rates to evaluate the importance of mergers in the hierarchical growth of galaxies over cosmic time. This study focuses on the previously poorly understood…
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…
Aims. We aim to perform consistent comparisons between observations and simulations on the mass dependence of the galaxy major merger fraction at low redshift over an unprecedentedly wide range of stellar masses (10^9 to 10^12 solar…
Calculating the galaxy merger rate requires both a census of galaxies identified as merger candidates, and a cosmologically-averaged `observability' timescale T_obs(z) for identifying galaxy mergers. While many have counted galaxy mergers…
Using mass-selected galaxy samples from deep multiwavelength data we investigate the incidence of close galaxy pairs between z=0.4-2. Many such close pairs will eventually merge, and the pair fraction is therefore related to the merger…
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…
Mergers are fundamental to our understanding of the processes driving the evolution of the structure and morphology of galaxies, star formation, AGN activity, and the redistribution of stellar mass in the Universe. Determining the fraction…
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…
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 explore the rate and impact of galaxy mergers on the massive galaxy population using the amplitude of the two-point correlation function on small scales for M > 5e10 M_sun galaxies from the COSMOS and COMBO-17 surveys. Using a pair…