  HST ACS images reveal blue cores in four E+A, or post-starburst, galaxies.
Follow-up spectroscopy shows that these cores have LINER spectra. The existence
of LINERs, consistent with those in many elliptical galaxies, is yet one more
piece of evidence that these post-merger, post-starburst, bulge-dominated
galaxies will evolve into normal ellipticals. More interestingly, if LINERs are
powered by low-luminosity AGN, their presence in these E+As suggests that any
rapid growth phase of the central black hole ended in rough concert with the
cessation of star formation. This result emphasizes the importance of E+As for
exploring how the evolution of black holes and AGN may be tied to that of
galactic bulges.

Astrophysics