Effect of low-mass galaxy interactions on their star formation

TL;DR

This study investigates how interactions between low-mass dwarf galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void region influence their star formation rates, revealing a significant enhancement during interactions.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that dwarf-dwarf galaxy interactions significantly increase star formation rates, supporting simulation predictions and filling a gap in understanding low-mass galaxy evolution.

Findings

Interacting dwarf galaxies show a 3.4-fold increase in SFR.

Enhanced star formation is observed in the stellar mass range 10^7 - 10^8 M⊙.

Results align with simulation predictions for low-redshift dwarf galaxy interactions.

Abstract

According to the $\Lambda$ cold dark matter model of galaxy formation, the hierarchical assembly process is scale-free and interactions between galaxies in all mass ranges are expected. The effects of interactions between dwarf galaxies on their evolution are not well understood. In this study, we aim to understand the effect of low-mass galaxy interactions on their star formation rate (SFR). We estimated the SFR of 22 interacting and 36 single gas-rich dwarf galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void region using their far-ultraviolet (FUV) images from the GALEX mission. We find an enhancement in SFR by a factor of 3.4$\pm$1.2 for interacting systems compared to single dwarf galaxies in the stellar mass range of 10$^{7}$ - 10$^{8}$ M$\odot$. Our results indicate that dwarf - dwarf galaxy interactions can lead to an enhancement in their SFR. These observations are similar to the predictions based on the simulations of dwarf galaxies at lower redshifts. Future deeper and higher-spatial-resolution UV studies will help us to understand the effect of dwarf galaxy interactions on the spatial distribution of star forming clumps and to identify star formation in tidal tails.