Hα imaging survey of Wolf–Rayet galaxies: morphologies and star formation rates

Abstract

The Hα and optical broad-band images of 25 nearby Wolf–Rayet (WR) galaxies are presented. The WR galaxies are known to have a recent (≤10 Myr) and massive star formation episode. The photometric Hα fluxes are estimated and corrected for extinction and line contamination in the filter pass-bands. The star formation rates (SFRs) are estimated using Hα images and from archival data in the far-ultraviolet (FUV), far-infrared (FIR) and 1.4-GHz radio continuum wavebands. A comparison of SFRs estimated from different wavebands is made after including similar data available in the literature for other WR galaxies. The Hα-based SFRs are found to be tightly correlated with SFRs estimated from the FUV data. The correlations also exist with SFR estimates based on the radio and FIR data. The WR galaxies also follow the radio–FIR correlation known for normal star-forming galaxies, although it is seen here that the majority of dwarf WR galaxies have a radio deficiency. An analysis using the ratio of non-thermal to thermal radio continuum and the ratio of the FUV to Hα SFRs indicates that WR galaxies have lower non-thermal radio emission compared to normal galaxies, most likely due to a lack of supernovae in the very young star formation episode in the WR galaxies. The morphologies of 16 galaxies in our sample are highly suggestive of an ongoing tidal interaction or a past merger in these galaxies. This survey strengthens the conclusions obtained from previous similar studies indicating the importance of tidal interactions in triggering star-formation in WR galaxies.