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 (ka) on the basis of their optical spectra, and presumably this situation ari ses from heavily dust-obscured star formation. We present the results of a radio continuum survey of post-starburst galaxies identified by Zabludoff a nd coworkers from the Las Campanas Redshift Survey. This sample was selecte d using very stringent criteria and therefore provides an estimate on the i ncidence of potential star formation in galaxies whose optical spectra exhi bit the strongest post-starburst features. We detected two of 15 such galax ies at radio luminosities consistent with moderate levels of star formation . This result underscores the potential importance of dust extinction when one investigates star formation in galaxies.