Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jan 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21543506r&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215, #435.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.380
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
A key goal in astrophysics is the ability to identify the progenitors of present-day galaxies and their transformative processes. Mergers in the local universe present a unique opportunity for studying these metamorphoses in detail. Yet, velocity dispersions (σ) of Luminous & Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies measured using the 1.62 or 2.29 μm CO bandheads imply they will only form m ≤ m* ellipticals. Presented here are recent results, based on multi-wavelength, high-resolution imaging and medium resolution spectroscopy, which demonstrate how star-formation and the presence of Red Supergiants and/or Asymptotic Giant Branch stars has lead to a serious underestimation of the dynamical masses of infrared-bright galaxies. The dominance of a nuclear disk of these young populations stars in the near-infrared bands, where dust obscuration does not block their signatures, can severely bias the global properties measured in a galaxy, including mass. On the other hand, precisely because of dust obscuration of the light from these populations, I-band photometry and σ obtained with the Calcium II triplet (CaT) at 0.85 μm reflect the global properties of the mergers and suggest that all types of merger remnants, including infrared-bright ones, will form m ≥ m* ellipticals. Moreover, merger remnants, including LIRGs, are placed on the I-band Fundamental Plane for the first time and appear to be virtually indistinguishable from elliptical galaxies.
Fischer Jan
Rothberg Barry
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