| Description |
We propose to map a complete sample of 88 local star-forming
major-merger pairs (median redshift 0.04), using PACS and SPIRE
photometers in 6 bands at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron. The
goal is to set the local benchmarks for the cosmic evolution of the
SFR-to-gas relation (the Kennicutt-Schmidt law) for major-merger
pairs, complementing a study on the K-S law for high-z mergers in the
COSMOS field using the PEP and HerMES data. The K-S law for major
mergers may be significantly different from that for normal galaxies.
The SPIRE imaging at 250, 350, and 500 micron, together with PACS maps
at shorter wavelengths, will probe the gas mass estimated from the
dust mass. Dust is arguably the best proxy for total gas in galaxies
spanning a wide redshift range, given the fact that it is still
impossible to observe the HI gas in high redshift galaxies through the
21cm line emission. The PACS imaging at 70, 100, and 160 micron will
map the star formation in these systems, with good angular resolutions
(6 -- 12 arcsec) and at the wavelengths near the peak of the infrared
dust emission. The local sample closely matches the high-z COSMOS
pairs sample (278 pairs) in the pair selection criteria, both being
stellar mass selected and including only spiral-spiral (S+S) and
spiral-elliptical (S+E) major-merger pairs. This will facilitate
studies on stellar mass dependence of the K-S law for major mergers
with different redshifts. The large sample size enables good
statistics even after separating the sample into subsamples of S+S
pairs and of S+E pairs, and into several mass bins. |
| Publication |
Major-Merger Galaxy Pairs at Z = 0: Dust Properties and Companion Morphology . Domingue Donovan L. et al. . The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 829, Issue 2, article id. 78, 12 pp. (2016). . 829 . 10.3847\/0004-637X\/829\/2\/78 . 2016ApJ...829...78D ,
Herschel Observations of Major Merger Pairs at z = 0: Dust Mass and Star Formation . Cao Chen et al. . The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, Volume 222, Issue 2, article id. 16, 22 pp. (2016). . 222 . 10.3847\/0067-0049\/222\/2\/16 . 2016ApJS..222...16C ,
CO observations of major merger pairs at z = 0: molecular gas mass and star formation . Lisenfeld Ute et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2019A&A...627A.107L ,
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