Merging galaxies may represent the dust-shrouded birth of quasars
In short: By observing ten ultraluminous infrared galaxies, astronomers found that nearly all are interacting merger systems with massive reservoirs of molecular gas. These galaxies show energy from both intense starbursts and active galactic nuclei, suggesting they may be the early, dust-obscured stages of quasars.
The researchers propose that as these merging galaxies shed their obscuring dust, the central active galactic nucleus becomes visible, transforming the system into an optically selected quasar. This evolutionary model could explain why high-luminosity quasars were more frequent in the early universe when gas was more abundant.
The study used imaging, millimeter-wave CO observations, and optical spectra to analyze the sample. However, the conclusions are based on a small sample of only ten infrared-bright galaxies.
Why it matters: The merger of gas-rich galaxies may drive the evolution of obscured infrared galaxies into bright quasars.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Research: Sanders et al. (1988). Ultraluminous infrared galaxies and the origin of quasars. The Astrophysical Journal.
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