Tidal interactions and mergers in compact groups

Based on a NIR morphological study of 25 galaxies in eight Compact Groups (CGs), we find that the galaxies are not in equilibrium but in a process of transformation: late-type galaxies morphological change into earlier types. As much as half of the galaxies in our sample show evidence of ongoing or past mergers.We identify tidal stripping and mergers as the process responsible of this transformation. Our observations also suggest that galaxies in CGs merge more frequently under "dry" conditions (i.e. once they have lost most of their gas).