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We present a new, detailed analysis of the morphologies and molecular gasfractions for a complete sample of 65 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs)from the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) using high resolution$I$-band images from The Hubble Space Telescope, the University of Hawaii 2.2mTelescope and the Pan-STARRS1 Survey. Our classification scheme includes singleundisturbed galaxies, minor mergers, and major mergers, with the latter dividedinto five distinct stages from pre-first pericenter passage to final nuclearcoalescence. We find that major mergers of molecular gas-rich spirals clearlyplay a major role for all sources with $L_{\rm IR} > 10^{11.5} L_\odot $;however, below this luminosity threshold, minor mergers and secular processesdominate. Additionally, galaxies do not reach $L_{\rm IR} > 10^{12.0} L_\odot $until late in the merger process when both disks are near final coalescence.The mean molecular gas fraction (MGF $= M_{\rm H_2} / (M_* + M_{\rm H_2})$) fornon-interacting and early-stage major merger LIRGs is 18$\pm 2$%, whichincreases to 33$\pm 3$%, for intermediate stage major merger LIRGs, consistentwith the hypothesis that, during the early-mid stages of major mergers, most ofthe initial large reservoir of atomic gas (HI) at large galactocentric radii isswept inward where it is converted into molecular gas (H$_2$).

Morphology and Molecular Gas Fractions of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies as a Function of Infrared Luminosity and Merger Stage