Related papers: Do mergers make (normal) ellipticals?
Our numerical simulations first demonstrate that the pressure of ISM in a major merger becomes so high ($>$ $10^5$ $\rm k_{\rm B}$ K $\rm cm^{-3}$) that GMCs in the merger can collapse to form globular clusters (GCs) within a few Myr. The…
Elliptical galaxies probably host the most metal rich stellar populations in the Universe. The processes leading to both the formation and the evolution of such stars are discussed by means of a new gas dynamical model which implements…
We review estimates of the metallicities in elliptical galaxies, with an emphasis on recent results from the ASCA satellite. X-ray spectra of elliptical galaxies are adequately fit by models consisting of hot gas with subsolar Fe abundance…
Abr: We investigate whether the Hubble sequence can be reproduced by the relics of merger events. We verify that, at zmed=0.65, the abundant population of anomalous starbursts is mainly linked to the local spirals. Their morphologies are…
A standard paradigm is now available for the recent evolution (z < 10) of structure on galactic and larger scales. Most of the matter is assumed to be dark and dissipationless and to cluster hierarchically from gaussian initial conditions.…
We investigate, by means of numerical simulations, the kinematics of elliptical-spiral merger remnants. Counterrotation can appear both in coplanar and in non-coplanar retrograde mergers, and it is mostly associated to the presence of a…
We investigate the hypothesis that the cores of elliptical galaxies and bulges are created from the binding energy liberated by the coalescence of supermassive binary black holes during galaxy mergers. Assuming that the central density…
Globular clusters are valuable fossil records of the formation and evolution of their host galaxies. The color distribution of elliptical galaxy globular cluster systems indicates an episodic formation history, consistent with a merger…
Extragalactic starbursts induced by gravitational interactions can now be studied from z = ~0 to ~2. The evidence that mergers of gas-rich galaxies tend to trigger galaxy-wide starbursts is strong, both statistically and in individual cases…
This article reviews the popular reasons for the belief that dwarf elliptical galaxies and (ordinary) elliptical galaxies are distinct and separate species. They include: light-profile shape (or similarly image concentration); the…
We present preliminary results of numerical simulations of dissipationless merging of stellar systems, aimed at exploring the consequences of merging between gas free, spheroidal systems. In particular, we study the dynamical and structural…
We present results from two mid-infrared imaging programs of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and fine-structure elliptical galaxies. The former are known to nearly all be recent mergers between two gas-rich spiral galaxies, while…
We review the origin, evolution and physical nature of hot gas in elliptical galaxies and associated galaxy groups. Unanticipated recent X-ray observations with Chandra and XMM indicate much less cooling than previously expected.…
We address the deviations of the scaling relations of elliptical galaxies from the expectations based on the virial theorem and homology, including the "tilt" of the "fundamental plane" and the steep decline of density with mass. We show…
Prompted by a new catalogue of M31 globular clusters, we have collected together individual metallicity values for globular clusters in the Local Group. Although we briefly describe the globular cluster systems of the individual Local Group…
Galaxy interactions and mergers play a significant, but still debated and poorly understood role in the star formation history of galaxies. Numerical and theoretical models cannot yet explain the main properties of merger-induced…
Mergers of gas-poor galaxies, so-called dry mergers, may play a fundamental role in the assembly of the most massive galaxies, and therefore, in galaxy formation theories. Using the SDSS, we have serendipitously discovered a rare system in…
In order to specify cosmologically motivated initial conditions for major galaxy mergers (mass ratios $\leq$ 4:1) that are supposed to explain the formation of elliptical galaxies we study the orbital parameters of major mergers of cold…
We present a model to investigate the formation and evolution of cluster galaxies using cosmological N-body simulations. The N-body simulations are used to make merging history trees of dark halos. Gas cooling, star formation, supernova…
A brief overview of the properties of massive star clusters in early-type galaxies is given. All ellipticals (with only one known exception) host massive star clusters in the form of globular clusters, suggesting that their formation is…