Starbursts triggered by central overpressure in interacting galaxies

Details Starbursts triggered by central overpressure in interacting galaxies Starbursts triggered by central overpressure in interacting galaxies

Dec 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992apj...400..476j&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 400, no. 2, p. 476-483.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

38

Interacting Galaxies, Massive Stars, Star Formation, Starburst Galaxies, Infrared Astronomy, Interstellar Matter, Molecular Clouds, Overpressure

Scientific paper

A physical mechanism for the triggering of a burst of massive-star formation in the central regions of interacting spiral galaxy pairs is proposed. The mechanism is based on the detailed evolution of the interstellar medium in a galaxy following an encounter. It is shown that as a disk giant molecular cloud tumbles into the central region of the galaxy following a galaxy encounter, it undergoes a radiative shock compression by the preexisting high pressure of the central molecular intercloud medium. When the growth time for the gravitational instabilities in the shocked outer shell of a cloud becomes smaller than the crossing time of the shock, the shell becomes gravitationally unstable, which results in a burst of star formation. If a galaxy with preencounter gas parameters as in the Galaxy were to undergo distant atidal encounters, the present mechanism would yield a lower limit to the expected central IR luminosity of about 2-6 x 10 exp 9 solar luminosities and the IR luminosity-to-gas mass ratio of a few solar luminosities/solar masses.

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