1. Aday Robaina Rapisarda (Yes, two surnames)
Enhanced SFR in galaxy pairs and mergers from IR-bright galaxies in GEMS
Aday Robaina Rapisarda (Yes, two surnames)
Lago di Como, Italy

2. Looking for mergers (nothing to do with the talk title)
In the local universe, everybody agrees on their classifications.
Random one
Antennae
M101

3. What about the far ones? Let’s say z>0.5

4. Automatic Classifiers: Concentration and Asymmetry
Early types (0<A<0.5) Late types (0.35<A<1.1)

5. Tested on close galaxy samples (Fried catalogue)
Strange guys A>0.7
Automated classifiers designed to imitate human eye
Tested on close galaxy samples (Fried catalogue)
Work reasonably well on isolated galaxies, but…

6. I don’t know and they don´t explain
What about this?
I don’t know and they don´t explain

7. Enhanced Star Formation in Interactions
(Approaching the end of the talk)
Local universe
High redshift
Lambas et al. 2003
Lin et al. 2006

8. GEMS Results
New statistical approach (no need for 2-point correlation function)
Clear enhancement in close pairs and mergers
Averaged SFR in pairs defined
Error bars minimized due to the new approach (not too bad compared with spectroscopic surveys)
Results will improve with the STAGES dataset

9. Merger Fraction in 24μm Sample
Merger fraction clearly increases with TIR luminosity
20% TIR luminosity in strong mergers
30% TIR luminosity in interactions
Mergers 2.09 times brighter than “normal” pairs
Rapid decline in the CSFH is not due to a merger evolution
(more restrictive results than in Bell et al. 2005)

10. Blue-Rose-Ring Galaxy
LIRG
Starburst
X-ray
Spectacular Morphology