Oral Presentation

The Morphologies of Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs)

Author(s): Thomas Bohn (Ehime University)

Presenter: Thomas Bohn (Ehime University)

Major mergers are believed to play a key role in the coevolution between BHs and their host galaxies. During a gas-rich merger, a burst of star formation and accretion onto the central BH are induced, often while heavily obscured by dust. As such, these dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) sample one of the most important transitional phases in galaxy evolution. While previous studies have categorized DOGs into two subclasses, each believed to sample a different phase of the post-merger evolution, recent work has found evidence of a third subclass. To investigate these subclasses further, we utilize Euclid imaging to analyze the morphology of these important systems. Drawing from the UNIONS catalog, we construct a large sample of DOGS and examine their galactic properties, including substructures and merger stages, as well as the local environment of each DOG subclass. We also identify the processes that contribute to the triggering of AGN activity in DOGs, and examine causes that could lead to the different subclasses. Lastly, we discuss future endeavors and how wide-field surveys, such as PFS and LSST, can play a significant role in the advancement of this work.