Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies: QSOs in Formation?

By L. Tacconi, R. Genzel, D. Lutz, D. Rigopoulou, Andrew J. Baker, C. Iserlohe, M. Tecza. 2002

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We present new near-infrared (NIR) Keck and Very Large Telescope (VLT) spectroscopic data on the stellar dynamics in late-stage, ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) mergers. We now have information on the structural and kinematic properties of 18 ULIRGs, eight of which contain QSO-like active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The host properties (σ, reff, μeff, MK) of AGN-dominated and star formation dominated ULIRGs are similar. ULIRGs fall remarkably close to the fundamental plane of early-type galaxies. They populate a wide range of the plane, are on average similar to L* rotating ellipticals, but are well offset from giant ellipticals and optically/UV-bright, low-z QSOs/radio galaxies. ULIRGs and local QSOs/radio galaxies are very similar in their distributions of bolometric and extinction-corrected NIR luminosities, but ULIRGs have smaller effective radii and velocity dispersions than the local QSO/radio galaxy population. Hence, their host masses and inferred black hole masses are correspondingly smaller. The latter are more akin to those of local Seyfert galaxies. ULIRGs thus resemble local QSOs in their NIR and bolometric luminosities because they are (much more) efficiently forming stars and/or feeding their black holes, and not because they have QSO-like, very massive black holes. We conclude that ULIRGs as a class cannot evolve into optically bright QSOs. They will more likely become quiescent, moderate mass field ellipticals or, when active, might resemble the X-ray-bright, early-type galaxies that have recently been found by the Chandra observatory.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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Citations in the corpus

SPITZER QUASAR AND ULIRG EVOLUTION STUDY (QUEST). IV. COMPARISON OF 1 Jy ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES WITH PALOMAR-GREEN QUASARS (2009, background): “…and L(FIR) refer to the 8−1000 µm and 40− 120 µm luminosities as defined in Sanders & Mirabel (1996). built on the analyses of Genzel et al. (2001) and Tacconi et al. (2002) and revealed that the majority of ULIRGs are triggered by almost equal-mass major mergers of 1.5:1 average ratio, in…”
Testing the evolutionary link between submillimetre galaxies and quasars: CO observations of QSOs at z∼ 2 (2008, methodology): “This evolutionary cycle has been tested in the local Uni- verse by comparing the properties of QSOs and ULIRGs (e.g. Tacconi et al. 2002).”
Submillimeter Galaxies at z ~ 2: Evidence for Major Mergers and Constraints on Lifetimes, IMF, and CO-H2 Conversion Factor (2008, background): “As discussed by Tacconi et al. (2002) in the context of compact z 0 ULIRG merger remnants, the half-light radius of such a configuration would be expected to significantly increase over a few Gyr, as initially the most massive OB stars (dominating the dust/CO emission) and then the bright TP-AGB…”
Star formation in galaxy mergers with realistic models of stellar feedback and the interstellar medium (2012, background): “…see e.g. Kormendy & Sanders 1992; Sanders & Mirabel 1996; Titus, Spillar & Johnson 1997; Hibbard & Yun 1999; Reichardt, Jimenez & Heavens 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002; Rothberg & Joseph 2004; Michard 2006; Sánchez-Blázquez et al. 2007; Foster et al. 2009; Kewley et al. 2010; Rupke, Kewley &…”
VLT/VIMOS integral field spectroscopy of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies: 2D kinematic properties (2013, unknown): “It hasbeen proposed that ULIRGs are systems that transform gas-rich disk galaxies into moderate-mass ellipticals through merger evnts (i.e., Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002), with some, but not all, evolving to quasars (QSOs; Colina et al. 2001; Sanders et al. 2003).”
High-Resolution Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (2007, background): “Local ULIRGs are also associated almost exclusively with galaxy mergers (Farrah et al. 2001; Bushouse et al. 2002; Veilleux et al. 2002), andmay be involved to some degree in triggering QSOs (Sanders et al. 1988; Tacconi et al. 2002; Kawakatu et al. 2006; Zauderer et al. 2007).”
The Relation between Quasar and Merging Galaxy Luminosity Functions and the Merger-driven Star Formation History of the Universe (2006, methodology): “This is comparable to the star formation timescale implied by observations of starburst galaxies (Kennicutt 1998) and mean luminosity-weighted ages of merger stellar populations (Tacconi et al. 2002).”
THE GREAT OBSERVATORIES ALL-SKY LIRG SURVEY: COMPARISON OF ULTRAVIOLET AND FAR-INFRARED PROPERTIES (2010, background): “At the highest luminosities, ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs: LIR ≥ 10 12L⊙) may represent an important evolutionary stage in the formation of QSOs (Sanders et al. 1988a,b) and massive ellipticals (e.g., Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002).”
THE MOLECULAR GAS IN LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES. II. EXTREME PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE Xco FACTOR (2012, background): “A strikingly long tidal tail (∼1′, 44 kpc) as well as a decoupling of stellar and gas motions (Tacconi et al. 2002) are the telltale signatures of a strong merger.”
MERGERS AND BULGE FORMATION IN ΛCDM: WHICH MERGERS MATTER? (2009, background): “…of recent merger remnants (Schweizer 1982; Lake & Dressler 1986; Doyon et al. 1994; Shier & Fischer 1998; James et al. 1999; Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002; Dasyra et al. 2006, 2007; Rothberg & Joseph 2004, 2006a; van Dokkum 1 Department of Astronomy, University of California…”
Outflows in Infrared-Luminous Starbursts at z < 0.5. II. Analysis and Discussion (2005, background): “The outflowing gas masses in ULIRGs are k109 M , which is already k1% of the dynamical mass of a ULIRG (Tacconi et al. 2002).”
Discriminating Between the Physical Processes that Drive Spheroid Size Evolution (2009, result): “It is also likely that dust, at such low age, would cancel out some of these effects, as in observed ULIRGs and recent merger remnants (see e.g. Tacconi et al. 2002; Rothberg & Joseph 2004).”
STRUCTURE AND FORMATION OF ELLIPTICAL AND SPHEROIDAL GALAXIES (2008, background): “Their structural parameters are consistent with the fundamental plane (Kormendy & Sanders 1992; Doyon et al. 1994; Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002; Veilleux et al. 2006; Dasyra et al. 2006a, b).”
HOW DO DISKS SURVIVE MERGERS? (2008, background): “…in the local universe (Schweizer 1982; Lake & Dressler 1986; Doyon et al. 1994; Shier & Fischer 1998; James et al. 1999; Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002; Dasyra et al. 2006, 2007; Rothberg & Joseph 2004, 2006) as well as e.g. faint shells and tidal features common around apparently…”
Dissipation and Extra Light in Galactic Nuclei. I. Gas-Rich Merger Remnants (2008, background): “This component is much more compact (Re ¼ 0:2 kpc), characteristic of the central starburst size scales in observed mergers and ULIRGs (e.g., Downes & Solomon 1998; Bryant & Scoville 1999; Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002).”
THE SCUBA-2 COSMOLOGY LEGACY SURVEY: ALMA RESOLVES THE REST-FRAME FAR-INFRARED EMISSION OF SUB-MILLIMETER GALAXIES (2014, background): “…Galaxies (ULIRGs), although they are ∼ 103 times more abundant at a fixed far-infrared luminosity (e.g. Chapman et al. 2005; Lindner et al. 2011; Magnelli et al. 2012; Yun et al. 2012; Swinbank et al. 2014) and appear to be more massive than these proposed analogs (e.g. Tacconi et al. 2002).”
Outflows in Infrared-Luminous Starbursts at z < 0.5. I. Sample, Na I D Spectra, and Profile Fitting (2005, background): “Most are late-stage mergers of two gasrich spirals that are evolving into moderate-size elliptical galaxies (Sanders et al. 1991; Solomon et al. 1997; Genzel et al. 2001; Tacconi et al. 2002; Kim et al. 2002; Veilleux et al. 2002).”
Quasar feedback revealed by giant molecular outflows (2010, background): “…gas is 1.2×1044 ergs s−1 (assuming an outflow rate of 700 km s−1), corresponding to a few percent of the AGN bolometric luminosity, LBol ∼ 5× 1045 ergs s−1 (Lonsdale et al. 2003) which, for a black hole mass of ∼ 6 × 108 M⊙ (Tacconi et al. 2002), corresponds to 6% of the Eddington luminosity.”