A Deep K-Band Photometric Survey of Merger Remnants

Details A Deep K-Band Photometric Survey of Merger Remnants A Deep K-Band Photometric Survey of Merger Remnants

Nov 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004aj....128.2098r&link_type=abstract

The Astronomical Journal, Volume 128, Issue 5, pp. 2098-2143.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

66

Galaxies: Evolution, Galaxies: Formation, Galaxies: Interactions, Galaxies: Peculiar, Galaxies: Starburst, Galaxies: Structure

Scientific paper

We present K-band photometry for 51 candidate merger remnants to assess the viability of whether spiral-spiral mergers can produce bona fide elliptical galaxies. Using both the de Vaucouleurs r1/4 and Sérsic r1/n fitting laws, it is found that the stellar component in a majority of the galaxies in the sample has undergone violent relaxation. However, the sample shows evidence for incomplete phase mixing. The analysis also indicates the presence of ``excess light'' in the surface brightness profiles of nearly one-third of the merger remnants. Circumstantial evidence suggests that this is due to the effects of a starburst induced by the dissipative collapse of the gas. The integrated light of the galaxies also shows that mergers can make L* elliptical galaxies, in contrast to earlier infrared studies. The isophotal shapes and related structural parameters are also discussed, including the fact that 70% of the sample show evidence for disky isophotes. The data and results presented are part of a larger photometric and spectroscopic campaign to thoroughly investigate a large sample of mergers in the local universe.

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