MINGLE Survey
Merger-INduced starbursts and the Gas Lifecycle Examination
HST Cycle 34 Program Accepted!
MINGLE is expanding from the molecular gas to the young stellar populations forming within these extreme merger environments.
We are excited to announce that a new 42-orbit Hubble Space Telescope program has been accepted to obtain WFC3/UVIS imaging of the full MINGLE sample in F336W, F438W, F814W, and F665N/F673N. The new HST observations will identify and characterize young star clusters across the 22 nearby luminous infrared galaxy mergers in MINGLE. Combined with our high-resolution ALMA CO(2-1) observations, these data will connect the properties of individual star clusters directly to the molecular environments in which they form. Together, the HST and ALMA programs will allow MINGLE to investigate how the extreme gas densities, turbulent pressures, and dynamical conditions produced by galaxy mergers regulate the formation and destruction of massive star clusters.
The Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey: GOALS
GOALS contains the 202 brightest luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) studied as part of the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample. GOALS is designed to measure the physical properties of LIRGs across the electromagnetic spectrum using a combination of space-based (Chandra, GALEX, HST, JWST, Spitzer, Herschel) and ground-based (e.g., VLT, LBT, Keck, ALMA, VLA) observatories. The proximity, size, and completeness of GOALS make it the definitive sample of local starburst galaxies. The LIRGs stuided in the MINGLE survey are drawn from the parent GOALS sample.
Visit the GOALS Website → goals.ipac.caltech.edu
Survey Abstract
The Merger INduced starbursts and Gas Lifecycle Examination (MINGLE) is a 111 hr 12-m Array CO(2-1) survey of 22 mid-stage luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) mergers. During merger events, compressive tides and turbulence are theorized to be most impactful from first pericentric passage to just prior to final coalescence, fueling energetic star formation activity in the ISM with high molecular gas fractions and high specific star formation rates. We will measure the luminosity, mass, and kinematics of individual giant molecular clouds (~ 70 pc) across each LIRG (41 individual galaxies). This, combined with HST measures of the star formation rate, will enable the characterization of the physical processes which drive extreme star formation and feedback in these dynamically evolving systems. Our immediate science goals and the future science enabled with this Cycle 12 ALMA Large Program complement the legacy that surveys such as the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS), are delivering in the nearby Universe for non-interacting galaxies. Without high-resolution ALMA observations of the cold molecular gas, we are missing a vital component in the study of birth clouds, the lifecycle of the cool ISM, and the relationship between turbulence and star formation in mergers.
Highlighted Publications
Presentation of the data products, strategy, and scope of the MINGLE project.
Early analysis of molecular cloud structure during merger-driven starbursts.
Variations in the star formation efficiency (SFE) in mid-stage LIRGs.
Connecting turbulence, feedback, and star formation efficiency.
Contact
Email: seanlinden@arizona.edu