Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21342313s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #423.13; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.245
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We study the dynamics of warm ionized gas within galaxies and quantify symmetries in the velocity fields, using the method of kinemetry. From this analysis, we define a simple set of criteria that can distinguish between galaxies dominated by ordered rotational motion and those involved in major merger events. The use of emission line kinematics in generating these criteria makes this analysis accessible to high-redshift systems, whose kinematics are primarily traced through the warm gas. Applying these criteria to a dozen of the best-studied z 2 actively star-forming galaxies from the SINS survey reveals that 65% of these galaxies have kinematics consistent with a single rotating disk interpretation, while the remaining 35% are more likely major merging systems. This diagnostic tool thus puts us in a position to quantitatively evaluate the mechanisms driving the rapid gas inflows required to account for the large star-forming rates in this galaxy population.
Shapiro Kristen L.
SINS Team
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