Colliding galaxies: Global star formation and the creation of hot galactic halos

Galaxies are fundamental components of the structure of the universe, and mergers and collisions between galaxies are thought to have played an essential role in the formation of the galaxies that exist today. Collisions between galaxies of similar mass often trigger large amounts of star formation over short timescales. These collisions provide excellent laboratories for the study of collision-induced star formation and the production of hot halo material.; In order to gain more insight into the processes involved in large-scale star formation, computer simulations of galaxy collisions have been compared with observations of real colliding systems exhibiting starburst activity. These comparisons show a correlation between star forming regions in the observed galaxies and regions of strong shocks and enhanced gas density that formed in the simulated systems. The evolution of structure in the simulations has been used in conjunction with observations taken at multiple wavelengths to determine the history of collision-induced star formation in these galaxies, and to calculate estimates on the timing and duration of the different star formation episodes.; A number of galaxies have been found to possess extensive halos of hot gas enveloping, and sometimes extending well beyond, the visible galactic components; many of these systems have been involved in a recent collision or merger with a similarly-massive galaxy. The ram pressure and large-scale gravitational contraction that occur in the gaseous components of a colliding system can produce extensive regions of shock-heated gas; this hot material may serve to enrich an intergalactic or intracluster medium with heavy elements. I have written a new simulation code that incorporates thermal processes for the purpose of studying the role of shock heating and various cooling processes in the hot gas production mechanisms. It has been used to generate a model collision between two disk galaxies, which is compared with Arp 220, an ultraluminous, merging galaxy system with an X-ray-emitting halo. The model exhibits a number of the structural features of the Arp 220 system, and demonstrates how the collision dynamics can significantly change the structure of the galaxies and cause galactic material to be dispersed over significant distances.