No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
One important approach to the study of galaxy evolution is to identify those galaxies whose spectral and/or morphological characteristics suggest that they are in transition. For example, “E+A” galaxies, which have strong Balmer absorption lines and no significant [OII] emission, are generally interpreted as post-starburst galaxies in which the star formation ceased within the last ~ Gyr (Fig. 1). This transition between a star forming and non-star forming state is a critical link in any galaxy evolution model in which a blue, star forming disk galaxy evolves into a SO or elliptical. Another possible evolutionary track is that the star formation in an “E+A” resumes at some later time, if enough gas remains in the galaxy after its starburst ends. Given this ambiguity, it is important to investigate (1) the environment's role in “E+A” evolution, (2) the stellar and gas morphologies of “E+A”s, (3) the likely progenitors of “E+A”s, and (4) how common the “E+A” phase is in the evolution of galaxies.