Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...20924404k&link_type=abstract
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #244.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society,
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
How does the tidal debris of minor galaxy mergers contribute to structures in spiral galaxies or in the intergalactic medium? While major mergers are known to create structures such as tidal dwarf galaxies and star clusters within their tidal debris, little is known about minor mergers (mass ratios between a dwarf galaxy and disk galaxy of less than one-third) and their tidal debris. This work surveys 15 minor mergers using optical and infrared imaging to characterize star formation in their tidal debris. For example, NGC 2782, a minor merger having a mass ratio of 0.25 that occurred 200 Myr ago, has a population of young star clusters which formed along both tidal tails. In particular, the presence of young clusters in the Western tail is unexpected due to the lack of molecular gas observed in previous studies. Also, the star cluster populations of each tidal tail have very different masses (<Δ M> 10) with the Western tail having smaller mass clusters. This result has implications for the wider field of star formation, suggesting that star cluster formation is a common outcome of minor mergers regardless of gas content in the tidal debris. However, the properties of the star clusters formed may be dependent on local properties such as metallicity, gas pressure density, gas content, etc. Even if minor mergers contribute less tidal debris per interaction than major mergers, they are more common and possibly contribute structure to all types of galaxies and to the intergalactic medium throughout the history of the universe.
Knezek Patricia
Knierman Karen A.
Wehner Elizabeth
No associations
LandOfFree
Tidal Tales of Minor Mergers II: Star Formation in the Tidal Debris of Minor Mergers does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Tidal Tales of Minor Mergers II: Star Formation in the Tidal Debris of Minor Mergers, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Tidal Tales of Minor Mergers II: Star Formation in the Tidal Debris of Minor Mergers will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-960536