Computer Science
Scientific paper
Jun 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005sptz.prop20193a&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #20193
Computer Science
Scientific paper
Interactions and mergers are important drivers of galaxy evolution. Minor mergers can puff-up galactic disks, produce bars and rings, and facilitate on-going star-formation through delivery of fresh fuel to the parent galaxy. Major mergers, those between more or less equal mass galaxies, can completely disrupt the stellar and gaseous morphologies of both systems, transform spirals into massive ellipticals, and fuel both powerful starbursts and massive nuclear black holes. At high redshifts, mergers are responsible for the rapid rise in the number counts seen in deep imaging surveys, and the genesis of some of the most luminous galaxies observed. We propose to use the IRS on Spitzer in spectral mapping mode to study both the morphology and the spectral properties of the gas and dust in a sample of eight nearby, IR bright merging galaxies that span the range from early (NGC 4676, NGC 6621, and NGC 7592) to mid (NGC 2623, NGC 520 and NGC 6240) to late (NGC 3921 and NGC 7252) major mergers. With these data we will be able to measure the spatial variations and evolution in the hot and warm dust, search for buried AGN, and directly couple the dust and ionized gas properties, even in regions that are complete opaque in the optical.
Armus Lee
Brandl Berhard
Charmandaris Vassilis
Evans Aaron
Hibbard John
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