Other
Scientific paper
May 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997aipc..408...60n&link_type=abstract
The ultraviolet universe at low and high redshift. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 408, pp. 60-62 (1997).
Other
Interacting Galaxies, Galaxy Pairs, And Triples, Origin, Formation, Evolution, Age, And Star Formation, Ultraviolet
Scientific paper
We present the first ~arcsecond resolution far-ultraviolet (FUV, λ~1500 Å) image of the nearby spectacular interacting galaxy pair NGC 4038/4039 (see Figure 1 [color plate]). The observations were obtained by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) in March 1995, as part of the Astro-2 mission on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. We detect significant FUV emission from this merger, despite extensive dust and molecular gas present in the system. The total FUV flux of the pair is ~2.9×10-13 ergs cm-2 sec-1 Å-1, or mFUV~10.3. For an adopted distance of 19.8 Mpc, this corresponds to MFUV~-21.2, a value typical of large spiral galaxies observed by UIT. The UV morphology is dominated by the starburst knots: little diffuse emission is present and star formation occurs mainly along two looping structures within the galaxies' disk remnants. The FUV emission effectively traces recent massive star formation. We identify 28 separate starburst regions, or knots in the system. The individual knots have directly observed FUV luminosities equivalent to ~100-1300 type O 3-6 dwarfs, or to ~2-24 30 Dor's. Using comparison ground-based images made in the U, V, I, and K bands, we determine colors of the individual knots and compare these to star formation and dust extinction models to determine the overall properties of the starbursts in each region, e.g. mass functions, ages, and current star formation rates. The best-fit Initial Mass Function is weighted towards massive stars, with a slope of Γ~-1.0 and extending to 80-100 Msolar. Ages of the FUV-bright knots are estimated to range from 2.5-3.6 Myr. We briefly discuss the implications of these results to observations of other interacting galaxies, and to studies of the early universe where mergers occurred much more frequently.
Bohlin Ralph Charles
Fanelli Michael N.
Hill Jesse K.
Hollis Joan E.
Neff Susan G.
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