Star-Formation Histories of Luminous Starburst Galaxies

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

A multi-wavelength technique is used to study the origin and evolution of star-formation in a sample of twenty UGC radio-luminous starburst galaxies. Deep broad-band J (1.25 microns), H (1.65 microns) and K (2.2 microns) images of these galaxies and two ``normal'' comparison galaxies have been obtained with the IPAC/JPL Prime Focus Infrared Camera at the Palomar 5-meter telescope. Color maps constructed from these images provide an extinction estimate and assess the relative contributions of evolved red stars and thermal dust emission to the K band emission. Low-resolution K band spectra, acquired with the Cryogenic Spectrograph on the KPNO 2.1-meter, measure the strength of CO absorption features and determine whether red supergiants dominate the stellar component of the 2.2 microns emission. The spatial distribution of evolved stars mapped in the K band images is then compared to the recent star-formation traced in published radio maps. Together, the galaxy mass, supergiant population, and extinction corrected 2.2 microns luminosity constrain the star-formation history of the galaxy. Comparing star-formation properties as a function of interaction strength and age traces the evolution of starburst activity. An analysis of UGC8387, a luminous merging starburst system, is presented along with preliminary results from the near-infrared imaging and spectral observations of the sample.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Star-Formation Histories of Luminous Starburst Galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Star-Formation Histories of Luminous Starburst Galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Star-Formation Histories of Luminous Starburst Galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-781996

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.