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Upcoming seminar
Upcoming seminar
Date: Sep. 30, 2026 @ 3:00 PM (in-person)
Date: Sep. 30, 2026 @ 3:00 PM (in-person)
Venue: Multimedia Room, Physical Sciences Building, IISc
Venue: Multimedia Room, Physical Sciences Building, IISc
Speaker: Smitha Subramanian (IIAp, India)
Speaker: Smitha Subramanian (IIAp, India)
Title: Effect of low-mass galaxy interactions on star formation
Title: Effect of low-mass galaxy interactions on star formation
Abstract: One of the key drivers of galaxy evolution is interaction/mergers between galaxies. They are expected to occur among galaxies of all mass ranges. Although dwarf galaxies are the most abundant galaxy population across all redshifts, and most mergers are expected among them, studies exploring the effects of interactions on these systems are rare compared with those on massive galaxies. In this context, we are investigating the role of low-mass galaxy interactions on their star formation properties, such as star formation rate and spatial distribution. We study dwarf galaxies (stellar mass: 10^6 – 10^9 M⊙) at different stages of interaction (e.g., pairs and post-mergers) using UV data from the GALEX mission and higher-resolution data from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard AstroSat. The star formation in these dwarf galaxies is found to be clumpy and widespread, and we could resolve individual star-forming clumps of size of a few 10 - 100 pc using the UVIT data. Comparing the interacting sample to their non-interacting counterparts, we find that dwarf–dwarf galaxy interactions can lead to a moderate (2 - 3 times) enhancement in star formation rate. These results are similar to predictions from simulations of dwarf galaxies at lower redshifts. In this talk, I will present the results from these studies.
Abstract: One of the key drivers of galaxy evolution is interaction/mergers between galaxies. They are expected to occur among galaxies of all mass ranges. Although dwarf galaxies are the most abundant galaxy population across all redshifts, and most mergers are expected among them, studies exploring the effects of interactions on these systems are rare compared with those on massive galaxies. In this context, we are investigating the role of low-mass galaxy interactions on their star formation properties, such as star formation rate and spatial distribution. We study dwarf galaxies (stellar mass: 10^6 – 10^9 M⊙) at different stages of interaction (e.g., pairs and post-mergers) using UV data from the GALEX mission and higher-resolution data from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard AstroSat. The star formation in these dwarf galaxies is found to be clumpy and widespread, and we could resolve individual star-forming clumps of size of a few 10 - 100 pc using the UVIT data. Comparing the interacting sample to their non-interacting counterparts, we find that dwarf–dwarf galaxy interactions can lead to a moderate (2 - 3 times) enhancement in star formation rate. These results are similar to predictions from simulations of dwarf galaxies at lower redshifts. In this talk, I will present the results from these studies.
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