ar X iv : a st ro - p h / 01 05 15 1 v 2 1 5 M ay 2 00 1 Current Star Formation in Post - Starburst Galaxies ?

Radio continuum observations are a probe of star formation in galaxies, and are unaffected by dust extinction. Observations of the distant rich cluster Cl 0939+4713 have detected radio galaxies classified as post-starburst (“k+a”) on the basis of their optical spectra, and presumably this situation arises from heavily dust-obscured star formation (Smail et al. 1999). We present the results of a radio continuum survey of post-starburst galaxies identified from the Las Campanas Redshift Survey by Zabludoff et al. (1996). This sample was selected using very stringent criteria, and therefore provides an estimate on the incidence of potential star formation in galaxies whose optical spectra exhibit the strongest post-starburst features. We detected two of fifteen such galaxies at radio luminosities consistent with moderate levels of star formation. This result underscores the potential importance of dust extinction when investigating star formation in galaxies. Subject headings: dust, extinction — galaxies: evolution — galaxies: starburst — radio continuum: galaxies and New Mexico State University, Department of Astronomy, Box 30001/Dept. 4500, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.