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A dynamical study of the frequency of interacting galaxies

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Abstract

A study of the expected frequency of multiple interacting systems based on their interpretation as the relics of gravitational interactions between galaxies is conducted, using the impulsive approximation.

Results indicate that if the expected frequency of such galaxies is measured with respect to densely populated regions and using the average values of the parameters corresponding to such regions for its determination, then it comes out to be the order of 5 to 6% of spirals, quite compatible with observational values.

But, however, if we consider regions of normal density (where collisions are rare) for frequency determinations, the expected frequency goes down by few orders of magnitude. This indicates that stray hyperbolic encounters are too scarce to explain the formation of such galaxies. Hence, most of these interacting pairs must have already been bound doubles, whose orbits are such as to have brought about only now the interpenetrating encounters leading to the formation of such peculiar systems.

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  1. Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electrónica, Tonantzintla, Puebla, México

    Tapan K. Chatterjee

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  1. Tapan K. Chatterjee
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Chatterjee, T.K. A dynamical study of the frequency of interacting galaxies. Astrophys Space Sci 135, 131–141 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00644468

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00644468

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