Review article, published in "Astrophysics Update 2 -
topical and timely reviews on astronomy and astrophysics". Ed. John
W. Mason. Springer/Praxis books. ISBN: 3-540-30312-X. 53
For a PDF version of the article, click
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astro-ph/0603031
Abstract. Ever since their discovery in the 1970's, UltraLuminous
InfraRed
Galaxies (ULIRGs; classically Lir > 1012
L) have
fascinated astronomers with their immense luminosities, and
frustrated them due to their singularly opaque nature, almost in
equal measure. Over the last decade, however, comprehensive
observations from the X-ray through to the radio have produced a
consensus picture of local ULIRGs, showing that they are mergers
between gas rich galaxies, where the interaction
triggers some combination of dust-enshrouded starburst and AGN
activity, with the starburst usually dominating. Very recent
results have thrown ULIRGs even further to the fore. Originally
they were thought of as little more than a local oddity, but the
latest IR surveys have shown that ULIRGs are vastly more numerous
at high redshift, and tantalizing suggestions of physical differences
between high and low redshift ULIRGs hint at differences in their
formation modes and local environment. In this review we look at
recent progress on understanding the physics and evolution of
local ULIRGs, the contribution of high redshift ULIRGs to the
cosmic infrared background and the global history of star
formation, and the role of ULIRGs as diagnostics of the formation
of massive galaxies and large-scale structures.
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