ARE EXTREMELY LUMINOUS FAR-INFRARED GALAXIES THE RESULT OF MERGING QUASAR CORES?
R.P.Norris, Australia Telescope National Facility Extremely Luminous far-infrared galaxies (ELFs) are a class of galaxy discovered independently by several groups. The class is characterised by a quasar-like total luminosity (1011-1013 Lo) which is radiated almost entirely in the far-infrared, and it has been suggested that obscured quasar cores may be responsible for generating this luminosity. Here I demonstrate that ELFs appear in several guises which can be characterised by the number of quasar cores they contain (zero, one or two), and develop a unified model to account for these differences. ARP220: EVIDENCE FOR MERGING QUASAR CORES Arp220 (IC 4553) has become regarded by many as the archetypal ELF. Evidence for intense starburst activity in it is provided by the optical spectra and high molecular density (e.g. Solomon et al., 1990). In addition, the disturbed morphology, extended tidal plumes and shock-excited infrared spectrum (Joseph et al., 1984) all strongly suggest that Arp
