Galaxy evolution in the post-merger regime. IV - The long-term effect of mergers on galactic stellar mass growth and distribution

Galaxy mergers are known to trigger bursts of central star formation, which should therefore lead to stellar mass growth in their inner regions. However, observational measurements of this `burst mass fraction’ are scant. Here, we assemble a large (~ 14,000) sample of post-coalescence galaxies that have recently completed their merger-induced star formation, and compare various measurements of central stellar mass with a matched control sample. Specifically, we quantify (at fixed redshift, star formation rate and total stellar mass) the stellar mass enhancement within a fixed angular aperture (Delta M ,fibre) and in the galactic bulge (Delta M_ ,bulge), finding burst mass fractions of 10 – 20 %. 61 galaxies in our sample are at z