Related papers: The merging/AGN connection: A case for 3D spectros…
We report the first results of a study of a sample of 20 galaxy mergers/interacting systems, using the VIMOS and PMAS integral field spectrographs. For each object, we extracted the integrated spectrum of the central regions and analyzed…
Galaxy mergers are key events in galaxy evolution, often causing massive starbursts and fueling active galactic nuclei (AGN). In these highly dynamic systems, it is not yet precisely known how much starbursts and AGN respectively contribute…
Galaxy major mergers are a potential mechanism for triggering active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity, but their role remains debated, particularly beyond the local Universe. We aim to shed light on the merger-AGN connection at $z=0.5$-$2$,…
We present a study of the incidence of active galactic nucleus (AGN) in a sample of major merging systems at 0.3<z<2.5. Galaxies in this merger sample have projected separations between 3 to 15 kpc and are selected from the CANDELS/3D-HST…
The question of whether galaxy mergers are linked to the triggering of active galactic nuclei (AGN) continues to be a topic of considerable debate. The issue can be broken down into two distinct questions: 1) Can galaxy mergers trigger AGN?…
It is not yet clear what triggers the activity of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but galaxy merging has been suspected to be one of the main mechanisms fuelling the activity. Using deep optical images taken at various ground-based…
Galaxy mergers represent a fundamental physical process under hierarchical structure formation, but their role in triggering AGNs is still unclear. We aim to investigate the merger-AGN connection using state-of-the-art observations and…
Galaxy mergers have long been proposed as a mechanism for funneling gas toward galactic centres, potentially triggering accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and igniting active galactic nuclei (AGN). While simulations often…
I will present a review of some of the many recent developments within the exciting and rapidly evolving field of Interacting and Merging Galaxies. I will touch both on observations and on theory, focussing on those aspects where galaxy…
The role of galaxy mergers in fueling active galactic nuclei (AGN) is still debated, owing partly to selection effects inherent to studies of the merger/AGN connection. In particular, luminous AGN are often heavily obscured in late-stage…
The kinematic disturbances associated with major galaxy mergers are known to produce gas inflows, which in turn may trigger accretion onto the supermassive black holes (SMBH) of the participant galaxies. While this effect has been studied…
Despite the importance of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in galaxy evolution, the mechanisms that fuel AGN activity remain poorly understood. Theoretical models suggest that major mergers of galaxies contribute strongly to AGN fuelling,…
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…
The co-evolution of galaxies and the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at their centers via hierarchical galaxy mergers is a key prediction of $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. As gas and dust are funneled to the SMBHs during the merger, the SMBHs…
Galaxy interactions and mergers are thought to play an important role in the evolution of galaxies. Studies in the nearby universe show a higher AGN fraction in interacting and merging galaxies than their isolated counterparts, indicating…
Galaxy mergers are likely to play a role in triggering active galactic nuclei (AGN), but the conditions under which this process occurs are poorly understood. In Paper I, we constructed a sample of spatially offset X-ray AGN that represent…
Interactions between galaxies are predicted to cause gas inflows that can potentially trigger nuclear activity. Since the inflowing material can obscure the central regions of interacting galaxies, a potential limitation of previous optical…
The issue of a starburst-AGN connection in local and distant galaxies is relevant for understanding galaxy formation and evolution, the star formation and metal enrichment history of the universe, the origin of the extragalactic background…
Aims. The fueling and feedback of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are important in understanding the co-evolution between black holes and host galaxies. Mergers are thought to have the capability to bring gas inwards and ignite nuclear…
We investigate the role of galaxy mergers in triggering AGN in the nearby Universe. Our analysis is based on a sample of 79 post-merger remnant galaxies with deep X-ray observations from Chandra/XMM-Newton capable of detecting a…