Galaxy mergers up to z<2.5 I : The star formation properties of merging
  galaxies at separations 3-15 kpc
  We present a study of the influence of galaxy mergers on star formation at
0.3<z<2.5. Major mergers are selected from the CANDELS/3D-HST catalog using a
peak-finding algorithm. Mergers have projected galaxy nuclei separation of
their members between 3-15 kpc.
  We compare the star formation activity in merging and non-merging galaxies
and find no significant differences. We find that only 12% of the galaxies in
major mergers (in which both galaxies have log(M/Msun)>10) are star-bursting
(i.e., with SFR above the main sequence of star-forming galaxies by >0.5 dex).
  Merging galaxies which include galaxies with lower masses show a higher
fraction of star-bursting galaxies (20%). The low fraction of star-bursting
merging galaxies in this sample suggests that at galaxy nuclei separations of
3-15 kpc merging galaxies are still in a early stage and are yet to reach the
maximum level of star formation activity. Furthermore, the level of star
formation enhancement and its duration could be arguably reduced compared to
local mergers, as shown by simulations of high-z mergers, and might also depend
on the physical properties (such as stellar mass and gas fraction) of the
merging galaxies.
  Finally, we compare the specific SFR between merging galaxies. Our results
suggest that, as the mass of the merging galaxies increases, the star formation
activity in the less massive member in the merger suffers a more dramatic
impact than its companion galaxy.
