1. [Untitled]
- Author
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Stuart Lumsden, L. J. Kewley, Michael A. Dopita, and C. A. Heisler
- Subjects
Luminous infrared galaxy ,Physics ,Stellar population ,Star formation ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Near-infrared spectroscopy ,Extinction (astronomy) ,Astronomy ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,Astrophysics ,Cosmology ,Galaxy ,Space and Planetary Science ,Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,Emission spectrum ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics - Abstract
We present the spatial distribution of the bright near-infrared emission lines, Brγ, H2, He I, [Fe II], and the CO band longwards of 2.3 μm, for the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 1614. The morphology of the ionised gas is different from that of the stellar light, and possibly forms a circumnuclear ring. Our data imply that the stellar population is older and the extinction is lower in the nucleus relative to the surrounding circumnuclear ring. We suggest that NGC 1614 is a galaxy whose recent interaction triggered massive star formation in the nucleus, which in turn caused a radially outward progression of star formation thereby producing the circumnuclear ring we observe today. There is no evidence for a buried AGN, and it is difficult to reconcile our data with the simple evolutionary model of ultraluminous galaxies proposed by Sanders et al (1988).
- Published
- 1999
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