Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 1993
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993aj....106.1337g&link_type=abstract
Astronomical Journal (ISSN 0004-6256), vol. 106, no. 4, p. 1337-1343.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
12
Infrared Sources (Astronomy), Sky Surveys (Astronomy), Spiral Galaxies, Stellar Activity, Stellar Luminosity, Active Galactic Nuclei, Galactic Structure, Infrared Astronomy, Stellar Evolution
Scientific paper
A knowledge of the pairing fraction of IR-selected galaxies is important in understanding the role of interactions in star formation and nuclear activity. It is clear that interactions are extremely common among the most IR-luminous systems, but results have been inconsistent for less luminous systems; this may result from using peculiar morphology as an indicator of an interaction. Since features associated with milder interactions (e.g., tidal tails) tend to be faint, their detection necessarily depends on the depth of the survey used to identify interacting pairs. We present a sample of IR- and optically-selected galaxies for which we have computed pairing fractions using strictly geometrical, quantitative criteria. For the analysis we used a likelihood ratio technique developed by Keel and van Soest (1992). We find that the pairing fraction for IR-selected galaxies is roughly 30 percent, comparable to that found by Keel and van Soest for optically-selected starbursts. We also detect a strong correlation (r above 0.99) between the 60 micron luminosity of a galaxy sample and its pairing fraction. We conclude that although tidal interactions do not guarantee enhanced activity (AGN or starburst), they can amplify internal properties that would feed such activity.
Gallimore Jack F.
Keel William C.
No associations
LandOfFree
Pairing statistics for infrared-luminous galaxies 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 Pairing statistics for infrared-luminous galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pairing statistics for infrared-luminous galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1323616