The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) provided the first unbiased survey of the sky at mid and far-infrared wavelengths, giving us a comprehensive census of the infrared emission properties of galaxies in the local Universe. Luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs), which emit a significant fraction of their bolometric luminosity in the far-infrared, have LIR > 10^11 Lsun. Extensive multi-wavelength observations over the last two decades have shown that LIRGs are a mixture of single galaxies, disk galaxy pairs, interacting systems, and advanced mergers, and that LIRGs exhibit enhanced star-formation rates and AGN activity compared to less luminous galaxies. With the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) we are measuring the properties of a large, complete sample of over 200, low-redshift LIRGs across the electromagnetic spectrum from the ground and space. I will discuss the latest results from GOALS, in particular those obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory, and their implications for studies of LIRGs at high redshifts.
Cody Hall
Lee Armus (IPAC/Caltech)
April 19, 2013
14:00 - 15:00