Galaxy Interaction and Starburst-Seyfert Connection

Abstract

Galaxy interactions are studied in terms of the starburst-Seyfert connection. The starburst requires a high rate of gas supply. Since the efficiency for supplying the gas is high in a galaxy interaction, although the companion is not necessarily discernible, Seyfert galaxies with circumnuclear starbursts are expected to be interacting. Since the large amounts of circumnuclear gas and dust obscure the broad-line region, they are expected to be observed as Seyfert 2. The active galactic nucleus itself does not require a high rate of gas supply. Seyfert galaxies without circumnuclear starbursts are not necessarily expected to be interacting even at the highest luminosities. They are not necessarily expected to evolve from Seyfert galaxies with circumnuclear starbursts. We derive these and other theoretical expectations and confirm them with statistics on observational data of magnitude-limited samples of Seyfert galaxies.