Mapping galaxy encounters in numerical simulations: The spatial extent
  of induced star formation
  We employ a suite of 75 simulations of galaxies in idealised major mergers
(stellar mass ratio ~2.5:1), with a wide range of orbital parameters, to
investigate the spatial extent of interaction-induced star formation. Although
the total star formation in galaxy encounters is generally elevated relative to
isolated galaxies, we find that this elevation is a combination of intense
enhancements within the central kpc and moderately suppressed activity at large
galacto-centric radii. The radial dependence of the star formation enhancement
is stronger in the less massive galaxy than in the primary, and is also more
pronounced in mergers of more closely aligned disc spin orientations.
Conversely, these trends are almost entirely independent of the encounter's
impact parameter and orbital eccentricity. Our predictions of the radial
dependence of triggered star formation, and specifically the suppression of
star formation beyond kph-scales, will be testable with the next generation of
integral-field spectroscopic surveys.
