Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Starbursts in interacting galaxies

  • Infrared Galaxies
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Comets to Cosmology

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 297))

Abstract

We first review the evidence for IR activity in interacting and merging galaxies, based on 10 and 20 µm observations. We then investigate the ‘starbursts vs. monsters’ explanations for the energy source powering the IR activity in these galaxies. Using available IR photometry, and IR, optical, and ultraviolet spectroscopy, we show that, in general, a starburst induced by the interaction is by far the most plausible mechanism. We then apply simple starburst models to the IR data to derive some of the quantitative features of these starbursts. Finally, we argue that interaction-induced starbursts are likely to have occurred in the evolution of most galaxies, and we discuss some of the larger implications of this fact for extragalactic astrophysics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aitken, D. K. & Roche, P. F., 1985. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 213, 777.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, D. A., Roche, P. F. & Norris, R. P., 1985. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 213, 67P.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, J. A., Phillips, M. & Terlevich, R., 1981. Pub. Astron. Soc. Pacific, 93, 5.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Balick, B. & Heckman, T. M., 1982. Ann. Rev. Astr. Astrophys., 20, 431.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, M. & Kuhi, L., 1979. Astrophys. J. Suppl., 41, 743.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Cutri, R. M. & McAlary, C. W., 1985. Astrophys. J., 296, 90.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • DePoy, D. 1987. Star Formation in Galaxies, p. 701, ed. C. J. L. Persson, NASA, Conference Publication 2466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, J., Simon, M., Benson, J., and Solomon, P. M. 1983, Astrophys. J. (Letters), 273, L27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harwit, M., Houck, J. R., Soifer, B. T. & Palumbo, G. G. C., 1987. Astrophys. J., 315, 28.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, T. M., van Breugel, W. J. M., Miley, G. K., & Butcher, H. R., 1983. Astr. J., 88, 1077.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, T., Smith, E. P., Baum, S. A., van Breugel, W. J. M., Miley, G. K., Illingworth, G. D., Bothun, G. D. & Balick, B., 1986. Astrophys. J., 311, 526.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. D., Meikle, W. P. S., Robertson, N. A. & Wright, G. S., 1984. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 209, 111.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. D., Wright, G. S., & Wade, R. 1984, Nature, 311, 132.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. D., 1986. Light on Dark Matter, p. 447, ed. F. P. Israel, Reidel, Dordrecht, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. D. & Wright, G. S., 1985. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 214, 87.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. D., Wright, G. S. & Prestwich, A. H., 1986. New Insights in Astrophysics, ESA SP-263, p. 597.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. D., Wright, G. S., Wade, R., Graham, J. R., Gatley, I. & Prestwich, A., 1987. Star Formation in Galaxies, p. 421, ed. C. J. L. Persson, NASA, Conference Publication 2466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keel, W. C., Kennicutt, R. C., Hummel, E. & van der Hulst, J. M., 1985. Astr. J., 90, 708.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kronberg, P. P., Biermann, P. & Schwab, F., 1985. Astrophys. J., 291, 693.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, A., Ward, M., Elvis, M., Fabbiano, G., Willner, S. P., Carleton, N. P. & Longmore, A., 1985. Astrophys. J., 291, 117.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lilly, S. J. & Longair, M. S., 1984. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 211, 833.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lonsdale, C. J., Persson, S. E. & Matthews, K., 1984. Astrophys. J., 287, 95.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. E. & Scalo, J. M., 1979. Astrophys. J. Suppl., 41, 513.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rieke, G. H., Lebofsky, M. J., Thompson, R. I., Low, F. J. & Tokunaga, A. T., 1980. Astrophys. J., 238, 24.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Rieke, G. H., Cutri, R., Black, J. H., Kailey, W. F., McAlary, C. W., Lebofsky, M. J., and Elston, R. 1985, Astrophys. J., 290, 116.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Roche, P. F. & Aitken, D. K., 1985. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 213, 789.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Scoville, N. Z., Becklin, E. E., Young, J. S. & Capps, R. W., 1983. Astrophys. J., 271, 512.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Sellgren, K., 1984. Astrophys. J., 227, 623.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, E. P., Heckman, T. M., Bothun, G. D., Romanishin, W. & Balick, B., 1986. Astrophys. J., 306, 64.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Soifer, B. T., Sanders, D. B., Neugebauer, G., Danielson, G. E., Lonsdale, C. J., Madore, B. F. & Persson, S. E., 1986. Astrophys. J. (Letters), 303, L41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Telesco, C. M. & Gatley, I., 1984. Astrophys. J., 284, 557.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Telesco, C. M., 1985. Extragalactic Infrared Astronomy, p. 87, ed. P. M. Gondhalekar, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terlevich, R. & Melnick, J., 1985. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., 213, 841.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Toomre, A. & Toomre, J., 1972. Astrophys. J., 178, 623.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Walborn, N. R. & Panek, R. J., 1984. Astrophys. J. (Letters), 280, L27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, G. S., Joseph, R. D., Robertson, N. A., James, P. A. & Meikle, W. P. S., 1987. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc., in press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysics Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, SW7, London, England

    R D Joseph

Authors
  1. R D Joseph
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Andrew Lawrence

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1988 Springer-Verlag

About this paper

Cite this paper

Joseph, R.D. (1988). Starbursts in interacting galaxies. In: Lawrence, A. (eds) Comets to Cosmology. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 297. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0118816

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0118816

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19052-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-39067-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation