Abstract

OH Megamasers (OHMs) generally appear in luminous infrared regions i.e. merging galaxies. In this study we assume that OHMs may not be represented by their association with star formation solely, because of the possibility of a compact AGN source in the merging galaxies. In fact, previously classified starburst galaxies where OHMs are found are now optically observed as AGN. OHMs may also serve as a reasonable criterion for the evolutionary stage of the merger. This project focuses on observations from a multi-frequency analysis of merging regions with known OHMs. Optically, Hα and BVRI filters provided an environmental perspective of the "masing" components. In the radio, 18-cm data was used to determine the structure and position of the OHM. We studied the source IIZw096 and compared our results with two familiar OHM sources. We were able to look at each source at high radio resolutions and compare the structure and classification of each.

Degree

College and Department

Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy

Rights

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