IRAS observations of an optically selected sample of interacting galaxies

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (145) References (45) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS IRAS Observations of an Optically Selected Sample of Interacting Galaxies Bushouse, Howard A. ; Lamb, Susan A. ; Werner, Michael W. Abstract IRAS observations of a large, morphologically selected sample of strongly interacting disk-type galaxies have demonstrated that galaxy-galaxy collisions can lead to enhanced infrared emission, but not in all cases. Infrared luminosities of the interacting galaxies span a large range, but are about a factor of 2 higher, on average, than those of isolated disk galaxies. The data suggest the existence of a cutoff in blue luminosity, below which no galaxies show markedly enhanced infrared emission. Only the most strongly interacting systems in the sample show extreme values of infrared excess, suggesting that deep, interpenetrating collisions are necessary to drive infrared emission to extreme levels. Comparisons with optical indicators of star formation show that infrared excess and color temperatures correlate with the level of star-formation activity in the interacting galaxies. All interacting galaxies in our sample that exhibit an infrared excess and have higher than normal color temperatures also have optical indicators of high levels of star formation. It is not necessary to invoke processes other than star formation to account for the enhanced infrared luminosity in this sample of interacting galaxies. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: December 1988 DOI: 10.1086/166907 Bibcode: 1988ApJ...335...74B Keywords: Astronomical Models; Galactic Evolution; Infrared Astronomy Satellite; Infrared Sources (Astronomy); Interacting Galaxies; Astronomical Catalogs; Galactic Structure; Luminosity; Star Formation Rate; Astrophysics; GALAXIES: INTERACTIONS; GALAXIES: STELLAR CONTENT; INFRARED: SOURCES; STARS: FORMATION full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (248) NED (229)

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign US
• Ames Research Center US

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