Papers

Peer-reviewed Lead author Corresponding author
Feb, 2012

ORIGIN OF MULTIPLE NUCLEI IN ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
  • Hidenori Matsui
  • ,
  • Takayuki R. Saitoh
  • ,
  • Junichiro Makino
  • ,
  • Keiichi Wada
  • ,
  • Kohji Tomisaka
  • ,
  • Eiichiro Kokubo
  • ,
  • Hiroshi Daisaka
  • ,
  • Takashi Okamoto
  • ,
  • Naoki Yoshida

Volume
746
Number
1
First page
26
Last page
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1088/0004-637X/746/1/26
Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD

Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with multiple (>= 3) nuclei are frequently observed. It has been suggested that these nuclei are produced by multiple major mergers of galaxies. The expected rate of such mergers is, however, too low to reproduce the observed number of ULIRGs with multiple nuclei. We have performed high-resolution simulations of the merging of two gas-rich disk galaxies. We found that extremely massive and compact star clusters form from the strongly disturbed gas disks after the first or second encounter between the galaxies. The mass of such clusters reaches similar to 10(8) M-circle dot and their half-mass radii are 20-30 pc. Since these clusters consist of young stars, they appear as several bright cores in the galactic central region (similar to kpc). The peak luminosity of these clusters reaches similar to 10% of the total luminosity of the merging galaxy. These massive and compact clusters are consistent with the characteristics of the observed multiple nuclei in ULIRGs. Multiple mergers are not necessary to explain multiple nuclei in ULIRGs.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/746/1/26
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000302861300026&DestApp=WOS_CPL
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1088/0004-637X/746/1/26
  • ISSN : 0004-637X
  • eISSN : 1538-4357
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000302861300026

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