Browsing by Author "Larson, K. L."

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    Massive Star Cluster Formation and Destruction in Luminous Infrared Galaxies in GOALS
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Linden, S. T.; Evans, A. S.; Rich, J.; Larson, K. L.; Armus, L.; Diaz Santos, T.; Privon, G. C.; Howell, J.; Inami, H.; Kim, D. C.; Chien, L. H.; Vavilkin, T.; Mazzarella, J. M.; Modica, F.; Surace, J. A.; Manning, S.; Abdullah, A.; Blake, A.; Yarber, A.; Lambert, T.
    We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope ACS/HRC FUV, ACS/WFC optical study into the cluster populations of a sample of 22 Luminous Infrared Galaxies in the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey. Through integrated broadband photometry, we have derived ages and masses for a total of 484 star clusters contained within these systems. This allows us to examine the properties of star clusters found in the extreme environments of LIRGs relative to lower luminosity star-forming galaxies in the local universe. We find that by adopting a Bruzual & Charlot simple stellar population model and Salpeter initial mass function, the age distribution of the clusters declines as dN/d tau = tau(-0.9+/-0.3), consistent with the age distribution derived for the Antennae Galaxies, and interpreted as evidence for rapid cluster disruption occurring in the strong tidal fields of merging galaxies. The large number of 10(6) M-circle dot young clusters identified in the sample also suggests that LIRGs are capable of producing more high-mass clusters than what is observed to date in any lower luminosity star-forming galaxy in the local universe. The observed cluster mass distribution of dN/dM = M-1.95+/-0.11 is consistent with the canonical -2 power law used to describe the underlying initial cluster mass function (ICMF) for a wide range of galactic environments. We interpret this as evidence against mass-dependent cluster disruption, which would flatten the observed CMF relative to the underlying ICMF distribution.
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    MORPHOLOGY AND MOLECULAR GAS FRACTIONS OF LOCAL LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES AS A FUNCTION OF INFRARED LUMINOSITY AND MERGER STAGE
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2016) Larson, K. L.; Sanders, D. B.; Barnes, J. E.; Ishida, C. M.; Evans, A. S.; Mazzarella, J. M.; Kim, D. C.; Privon, G. C.; Mirabel, I. F.; Flewelling, H. A.
    We present a new, detailed analysis of the morphologies and molecular gas fractions (MGFs) for a complete sample of 65 local luminous infrared galaxies from Great Observatories All-Sky Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRG) Survey using high resolution I-band images from The Hubble Space Telescope, the University of Hawaii 2.2 m Telescope and the Pan-STARRS1 Survey. Our classification scheme includes single undisturbed galaxies, minor mergers, and major mergers, with the latter divided into five distinct stages from pre-first pericenter passage to final nuclear coalescence. We find that major mergers of molecular gas-rich spirals clearly play a major role for all sources with L-IR > 10(11.5)L(circle dot); however, below this luminosity threshold, minor mergers and secular processes dominate. Additionally, galaxies do not reach L-IR > 10(12.0)L(circle dot) until late in the merger process when both disks are near final coalescence. The mean MGF (MGF = M-H2(M*+ M-H2)) for non-interacting and early-stage major merger LIRGs is 18 +/- 2%, which increases to 33 +/- 3%, for intermediate stage major merger LIRGs, consistent with the hypothesis that, during the early-mid stages of major mergers, most of the initial large reservoir of atomic gas (HI) at large galactocentric radii is swept inward where it is converted into molecular gas (H-2).
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    The Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey: Herschel Image Atlas and Aperture Photometry.
    (2017) Chu, J.; Treister, Ezequiel; Privon, George C.; Sanders, David B.; Larson, K. L.; Mazzarella, J. M.; Howell, J. H.; Díaz Santos, T.; Xu, K. C.; Paladini, R.; Schulz, B.