We investigate the types of nuclear environments that produce OH megamasers (OHMs) with a study of the optical spectra of 40 OHM host galaxies and a control sample of 30 non-masing (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ([U]LIRGs). The optical spectrophotometry provides spatially resolved spectra of multiple nuclei in a few of these merging systems. Of the 40 OHMs classified, 33% are starbursts, 42% are LINERs, and 25% are Seyfert 2 galaxies; the classification of the non-masing control sample is similar.
Cone search capability for table J/AJ/132/2596/main (Optical spectroscopy of the ultra-luminous IR galaxies)