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Paper: Predominant Modes of Star Formation in Dwarf Galaxies
Volume: 396, Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Disks
Page: 109
Authors: Lee, J.C.
Abstract: An unresolved question in galaxy evolution is whether the star formation histories of low mass systems are preferentially dominated by global starbursts or modes that are more quiescent and continuous. Here, we quantify the prevalence of global starbursts in dwarf galaxies at the present epoch, and infer their characteristic durations, frequencies and amplitudes in the past. We give an overview of the 11 Mpc Hα UV Galaxy Survey (11HUGS), the primary dataset used for this analysis, which provides Hα and GALEX UV imaging for an approximately volume-limited, statistical sample of star-forming galaxies within 11 Mpc of the Milky Way. Our approach is to directly tally the number of bursting dwarfs in a complete local sample, and to compute the fraction of star formation that is concentrated in these systems. The resulting starburst number and mass fractions (6% and 22% respectively) are then combined with integrated B − V colors, Hα EWs, and stellar evolutionary synthesis models to place constraints on the average starburst duty cycle.
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