Related papers: Age-Dating Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies Along t…
We use imaging Fabry-Perot observations to explore the dynamical conditions in four southern ultraluminous (L_IR > 10^12 L_sun) infrared galaxies. These galaxies all show morphological and kinematic features indicative of a major merger,…
By performing N-body simulations of chemodynamical evolution of galaxies with dusty starbursts, we investigate photometric evolution of gas-rich major mergers in order to explore the nature of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with…
Essentially all Ultra-Luminous IR Galaxies (ULIRGs) are in disturbed, interacting or merging systems. It is known that interactions tend to induce galactic starbursts. Thus, elliptical galaxies which are formed in mergers will tend to have…
We report mid-infrared observations of several luminous infrared galaxies (LIGs) carried out with the Infrared Space Observatory. Our sample was chosen to represent different phases of a merger sequence of galaxy-galaxy interaction with…
We report high quality near-infrared spectroscopy of 12 ultra-luminous infrared galaxy mergers (ULIRGs). Our new VLT and Keck data provide ~0.5" resolution, stellar and gas kinematics of these galaxies most of which are compact systems in…
We present near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of the central kiloparsec of 17 nearby luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies undergoing major mergers. These observations were taken with OSIRIS assisted by the Keck I and II…
Ultraluminous galaxies in the local universe (z$\leq$0.2) emit the bulk of their energy in the mid and far-infrared. The multiwavelength approach to these objects has shown that they are advanced mergers of gas-rich spiral galaxies.…
In the complete sample of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) compiled by Kim (1995) about 5% consists of widely separated galaxies which are presumably in the early phase of interaction. This fact is contrary to the conventional view…
We use numerical simulation to investigate the triggering of starbursts in merging disk galaxies. The properties of the merger-driven starbursts are sensitive to the structure of the progenitor galaxies; specifically, to the amount of…
We present high spatial resolution (FWHM 0.3-0.8") BIHK'-band imaging of a sample of ultraluminous infrared galaxies with "cool" mid-infrared colors (f25/f60 < 0.2) which select against AGN-like systems and which form a complementary sample…
Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with multiple ($\ge 3$) nuclei are frequently observed. It has been suggested that these nuclei are produced by multiple major mergers of galaxies. The expected rate of such mergers is, however, too…
Mergers in the local universe present a unique opportunity for studying the transformations of galaxies in detail. Presented here are recent results, based on multi-wavelength, high-resolution imaging and medium resolution spectroscopy,…
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…
We present here the first study of the X-ray properties of an evolutionary sample of merging galaxies. Both ROSAT PSPC and HRI data are presented for a sample of eight interacting galaxy systems, each believed to involve a similar encounter…
We present results from our VLT Large Program to study the dynamical evolution of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). We have so far obtained near-infrared high-resolution ISAAC spectra of 53 local ULIRGs at several merger timescales…
The build up of heavy elements and the stellar mass assembly are fundamental processes in the formation and evolution of galaxies. Although they have been extensively studied through observations and simulations, the key elements that…
At luminosities above ~10^{11} L_sun, infrared galaxies become the dominant population of extragalactic objects in the local Universe (z < 0.5), being more numerous than optically selected starburst and Seyfert galaxies, and QSOs at…
Hierarchical assembly of early-type galaxies (Es and S0s) over an extended period of time will result in mixed-generation stellar populations. Here we look for signatures of composite populations in broad-band, near-ultraviolet (2500-3400…
We present optical spectroscopy of 16 star clusters in the merging galaxies NGC 4038/39 ("The Antennae") and supplement this dataset with HST imaging. The age and metallicity of each cluster is derived through a comparison between the…
We present first results from our Very Large Telescope large program to study the dynamical evolution of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs), which are the products of mergers of gas-rich galaxies. The full data set consists of high…