Computer Science
Scientific paper
Dec 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998phdt.........1s&link_type=abstract
Thesis (PHD). UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII , Source DAI-B 59/08, p. 4177, Feb 1999, 292 pages.
Computer Science
28
Star Formation, Ultraluminous, Infrared, Galaxy, Quasar
Scientific paper
The possible evolutionary connection between ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs: L(bol)> 1012 L(sun)) and optically selected quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) was investigated. Three complete samples were examined: (1) "warm" ULIGs with mid-infrared colors characteristic of active galactic nuclei (f(25um)/f(60um) > 0.2), which appear to represent a critical transition phase between the second and third samples (2) "cool" ULIGs (f(25um)/f(60um) < 0.2) which appear to be the progenitors of warm ULIGs and which have many active star-formation characteristics, and (3) far- IR excess QSOs which have infrared to blue luminosity ratios at least as great as those of the "warm" ULIGs. High spatial resolution observations (FWHM=0.3-0.8") were made at wavelengths ranging from the near-ultraviolet (3200A) to near-infrared (2.1um). The following are the major findings: (1) all ULIGs have small scale structure in their central few kiloparsecs, (2) this structure is consistent in most cases with knots of powerful star formation which are insignificant in terms of their contribution to the high bolometric luminosity of the systems, (3) some of these knots have colors and luminosities consistent with QSO nuclei seen through patchy emission and extinction, (4) both ULIGs and QSOs have similar total mass host galaxies, (5) mergers are implicated in at least 22% of far-IR excess QSOs; 50% also have nuclear disturbances, and (6) there is evidence that the fraction of active nuclei detectable in the optical and near-infrared increases with the estimated dynamical age of the systems. These results are consistent with the idea that at least some (30%) QSOs like those examined here evolve via mergers from progenitors similar to the ULIGs, and that the ultimate fate of most ULIGs is to form systems similar in properties to optical QSOs. Implications for the evolution of active nuclei and clustered star formation in merging far-infrared active galaxies are discussed.
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