Galaxy Zoo: Mergers - Dynamical Models of Interacting Galaxies
  The dynamical history of most merging galaxies is not well understood.
Correlations between galaxy interaction and star formation have been found in
previous studies, but require the context of the physical history of merging
systems for full insight into the processes that lead to enhanced star
formation. We present the results of simulations that reconstruct the orbit
trajectories and disturbed morphologies of pairs of interacting galaxies. With
the use of a restricted three-body simulation code and the help of Citizen
Scientists, we sample 10^5 points in parameter space for each system. We
demonstrate a successful recreation of the morphologies of 62 pairs of
interacting galaxies through the review of more than 3 million simulations. We
examine the level of convergence and uniqueness of the dynamical properties of
each system. These simulations represent the largest collection of models of
interacting galaxies to date, providing a valuable resource for the
investigation of mergers. This paper presents the simulation parameters
generated by the project. They are now publicly available in electronic format
at http://data.galaxyzoo.org/mergers.html. Though our best-fit model parameters
are not an exact match to previously published models, our method for
determining uncertainty measurements will aid future comparisons between
models. The dynamical clocks from our models agree with previous results of the
time since the onset of star formation from star burst models in interacting
systems and suggests that tidally induced star formation is triggered very soon
after closest approach.
