Formation of Starburst Galaxies in Merging Clusters |
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| Authors: | Kenji Bekki |
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| Institution: | (1) Astronomical Institute, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan |
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| Abstract: | A significant fraction of clusters of galaxies are observed to have substructure, which implies that merging between clusters
and subclusters is a rather common physical process in cluster formation. It still remains unclear how cluster merging affects
the evolution of cluster member galaxies. We report the results of numerical simulations that show the dynamical evolution
of a gas-rich, late-type spiral in a merger between a small group of galaxies and a cluster. The simulations demonstrate that
the time-dependent tidal gravitational field during merging excites non-axisymmetric structure of the galaxy, subsequently
drives efficient transfer of gas to the central region and finally triggers a secondary starburst. This result provides a
close physical relationship between the emergence of starburst galaxies and the formation of substructure in clusters. We
accordingly interpret post-starburst galaxies located near substructure of the Coma Cluster as one observational example indicating
the global tidal effects of group–cluster merging. Our numerical results further suggest a causal link between the observed
excess of blue galaxies in distant clusters and the cluster virialization process through hierarchical merging of subclusters.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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