A Widespread, Clumpy Starburst in the Isolated Ongoing Dwarf Galaxy Merger dm1647+21

TL;DR

This study presents detailed observations of an isolated dwarf galaxy pair, revealing widespread, clumpy star formation likely triggered by interaction-induced ISM compression, differing from massive galaxy mergers.

Contribution

First VLT/MUSE optical IFU study of an isolated dwarf pair, showing star formation triggered by large-scale ISM compression rather than nuclear activity.

Findings

Star formation rate is 2.7 times higher than SDSS estimates.

Specific SFR is over 50 times higher in the lower-mass galaxy.

ISM excitation is explained by star formation, not other processes.

Abstract

Interactions between pairs of isolated dwarf galaxies provide a critical window into low-mass hierarchical, gas-dominated galaxy assembly and the buildup of stellar mass in low-metallicity systems. We present the first VLT/MUSE optical IFU observations of the interacting dwarf pair dm1647+21, selected from the TiNy Titans survey. The H$\alpha$ emission is widespread and corresponds to a total unobscured star formation rate (SFR) of 0.44 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, 2.7 times higher than the SFR inferred from SDSS data. The implied specific SFR (sSFR) for the system is elevated by more than an order of magnitude above non-interacting dwarfs in the same mass range. This increase is dominated by the lower-mass galaxy, which has a sSFR enhancement of $>$ 50. Examining the spatially-resolved maps of classic optical line diagnostics, we find the ISM excitation can be fully explained by star formation. The velocity field of the ionized gas is not consistent with simple rotation. Dynamical simulations indicate that the irregular velocity field and the stellar structure is consistent with the identification of this system as an ongoing interaction between two dwarf galaxies. The widespread, clumpy enhancements in star formation in this system point to important differences in the effect of mergers on dwarf galaxies, compared to massive galaxies: rather than the funneling of gas to the nucleus and giving rise to a nuclear starburst, starbursts in low-mass galaxy mergers may be triggered by large-scale ISM compression, and thus be more distributed.