The SEDs of Interacting Galaxies

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spectral energy distributions of 111 interacting galaxies across multiple wavelengths to understand how galaxy interactions influence star formation histories and rates.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of SEDs from UV to FIR for a large sample of interacting galaxies, incorporating multi-mission data to constrain star formation models.

Findings

Variations in star formation histories across interaction stages

Constraints on star formation rate prescriptions from SED modeling

Correlation between interaction parameters and SED features

Abstract

The evolution of galaxies is greatly influenced by their interactions. As part of a program to study interacting galaxies, we have measured and modeled the spectral energy distri- butions (SEDs) from the ultraviolet (UV) to the far-infrared (FIR). We describe the constraints imposed on star formation histories by these SEDs, and the variations therein seen across the interaction sequence, and we compare the results of different star formation rate prescriptions applied to the data. The sample itself is based on the Spitzer Interacting Galaxy Survey (SIGS) of 111 galaxies in 50 systems, a project designed to probe a range of galaxy interaction parameters in the infrared. Our SEDs combine the Spitzer results with multiwavelength data from other missions, in particular GALEX and Herschel. The subset presented here is the sample for which FIR Herschel observations are currently publicly available.