2009/07/16 by George J. Bendo, David L. Clements, Sophia A. Khan
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Emission spectrum #Flux (metallurgy) #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Infrared #Line (geometry) #Near-infrared spectroscopy #Spectral line #Spectrograph #Star formation #astro-ph.CO
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3933.2009.00717.x
arxiv created 2009/07/16 · openalex publication_date 2009/08/17 · arxiv updated 2015/05/13 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract We present Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph integral-field spectroscopic observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) pair IRAS 19254−7245 (the Superantennae). We resolve Hα, [N ii], [O i] and [S ii] emission both spatially and spectroscopically, and separate the emission into multiple velocity components. We identify spectral line emission characteristic of star formation associated with both galaxies, broad spectral line emission from the nucleus of the southern progenitor and potential outflows with shock-excited spectral features near both nuclei. We estimate that ≲10 per cent of the 24 μm flux density originates from star formation, implying that most of the 24 μm emission originates from the active galactic nuclei in the southern nucleus. We also measure a gas consumption time of ∼1 Gyr, which is consistent with other measurements of ULIRGs.