Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jan 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994apj...421..101d&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 421, no. 1, p. 101-114
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
136
Galactic Mass, Galactic Nuclei, Infrared Spectroscopy, Near Infrared Radiation, Starburst Galaxies, Astronomical Spectroscopy, Hydrogen Recombinations, Populations, Stellar Models
Scientific paper
Near-infrared spectroscopy of the central regions of the merger galaxy NGC 3256 is presented. The central 3 sec of the nucleus show strong recombination lines of hydrogen, helium, and a prominent CO band absorption at 2.3 micrometers. These features suggest there is a large population of OB stars and red supergiants associated with a vigorous episode of star formation activity. The relative strength of several recombination lines and the slope of the 2.2 micrometers continuum indicate that the nucleus of NGC 3256 is affected by an extinction Ak = 0.6 mag. A stellar population model is used for interpreting the observational properties of the galaxy. We show that the Br-gamma equivalent width and the strength of the CO band at 2.3 micrometers provide a simple tool for determining the age of a starburst event. A chi squared analysis is presented which allows both the age of the burst and the slope of the initial mass function to be determined in a unique way. The analysis shows that the starburst started between 12 and 27 Myr ago. Given the dynamical mass observed in the nucleus of NGC 3256, our analysis yields an IMF index (psi(m) proportional to m-alpha)alpha less than 2.2 which is shallower than recently derived IMFs in the solar neighborhood and the Magellanic Clouds.
Doyon Rene
Joseph Robert D.
Wright Gillian S.
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