Galaxy Pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - III: Evidence of Induced
  Star Formation from Optical Colours
  We have assembled a large, high quality catalogue of galaxy colours from the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, and have identified 21,347 galaxies in
pairs spanning a range of projected separations (r_p < 80 h_{70}^{-1} kpc),
relative velocities (\Delta v < 10,000 km/s, which includes projected pairs
that are essential for quality control), and stellar mass ratios (from 1:10 to
10:1). We find that the red fraction of galaxies in pairs is higher than that
of a control sample matched in stellar mass and redshift, and demonstrate that
this difference is likely due to the fact that galaxy pairs reside in higher
density environments than non-paired galaxies. We detect clear signs of
interaction-induced star formation within the blue galaxies in pairs, as
evidenced by a higher fraction of extremely blue galaxies, along with blueward
offsets between the colours of paired versus control galaxies. These signs are
strongest in close pairs (r_p < 30 h_{70}^{-1} kpc and \Delta v < 200 km/s),
diminish for more widely separated pairs (r_p > 60 h_{70}^{-1} kpc and \Delta v
< 200 km/s) and disappear for close projected pairs (r_p < 30 h_{70}^{-1} kpc
and \Delta v > 3000 km/s). These effects are also stronger in central (fibre)
colours than in global colours, and are found primarily in low- to
medium-density environments. Conversely, no such trends are seen in red
galaxies, apart from a small reddening at small separations which may result
from residual errors with photometry in crowded fields. When interpreted in
conjunction with a simple model of induced starbursts, these results are
consistent with a scenario in which close peri-centre passages trigger induced
star formation in the centres of galaxies which are sufficiently gas rich,
after which time the galaxies gradually redden as they separate and their
starbursts age.
