Luminous Infrared Galaxies in the Spitzer - Herschel Era

Lee Armus

Spitzer Science Center / Caltech

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) provided the first unbiased survey of the sky at mid and far-infrared wavelengths, giving us a comprehensive census of the infrared emission properties of galaxies in the local Universe. A major result of this survey was the discovery of a large population of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) which emit a significant fraction of their bolometric luminosity in the far-infrared. LIRGs are a mixture of single galaxies, disk galaxy pairs, interacting systems and advanced mergers, exhibiting enhanced star formation rates and a higher fraction of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) compared to less luminous galaxies. A detailed study of low-redshift LIRGs is critical for our understanding of the cosmic evolution of galaxies and black holes. With the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), we are measuring the properties of a large, complete sample of low-redshift LIRGs across the electromagnetic spectrum. GOALs provides an ideal sample for studying interaction-induced star formation and AGN fueling at low-redshift. I will review some recent results from the GOALS survey, and outline our prospects for upcoming observations with Herschel and ALMA.