16 research outputs found
The Radial Distribution of the Interstellar Medium in Disk Galaxies: Evidence for Secular Evolution
One possible way for spiral galaxies to internally evolve would be for gas to flow to the center and form stars in a central disk (pseudo-bulge). If the inflow rate is faster than the rate of star formation, a central concentration of gas will form. In this paper we present radial profiles of stellar and 8 ÎŒm emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for 11 spiral galaxies to investigate whether the interstellar medium in these galaxies contains a central concentration above that expected from the exponential disk. In general, we find that the two-dimensional CO and PAH emission morphologies are similar, and that they exhibit similar radial profiles. We find that in 6 of the 11 galaxies there is a central excess in the 8 ÎŒm and CO emission above the inward extrapolation of an exponential disk. In particular, all four barred galaxies in the sample have strong central excesses in both 8 ÎŒm and CO emission. These correlations suggest that the excess seen in the CO profiles is, in general, not simply due to a radial increase in the CO emissivity. In the inner disk, the ratio of the stellar to the 8 ÎŒm radial surface brightness is similar for 9 of the 11 galaxies, suggesting a physical connection between the average stellar surface brightness and the average gas surface brightness at a given radius. We also find that the ratio of the CO to 8 ÎŒm PAH surface brightness is consistent over the sample, implying that the 8 ÎŒm PAH surface brightness can be used as an approximate tracer of the interstellar medium
The Incidence of Highly-Obscured Star-Forming Regions in SINGS Galaxies
Using the new capabilities of the Spitzer Space Telescope and extensive
multiwavelength data from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS),
it is now possible to study the infrared properties of star formation in nearby
galaxies down to scales equivalent to large HII regions. We are therefore able
to determine what fraction of large, infrared-selected star-forming regions in
normal galaxies are highly obscured and address how much of the star formation
we miss by relying solely on the optical portion of the spectrum. Employing a
new empirical method for deriving attenuations of infrared-selected
star-forming regions we investigate the statistics of obscured star formation
on 500pc scales in a sample of 38 nearby galaxies. We find that the median
attenuation is 1.4 magnitudes in H-alpha and that there is no evidence for a
substantial sub-population of uniformly highly-obscured star-forming regions.
The regions in the highly-obscured tail of the attenuation distribution
(A_H-alpha > 3) make up only ~4% of the sample of nearly 1800 regions, though
very embedded infrared sources on the much smaller scales and lower
luminosities of compact and ultracompact HII regions are almost certainly
present in greater numbers. The highly-obscured cases in our sample are
generally the bright, central regions of galaxies with high overall attenuation
but are not otherwise remarkable. We also find that a majority of the galaxies
show decreasing radial trends in H-alpha attenuation. The small fraction of
highly-obscured regions seen in this sample of normal, star-forming galaxies
suggests that on 500pc scales the timescale for significant dispersal or break
up of nearby, optically-thick dust clouds is short relative to the lifetime of
a typical star-forming region.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; emulateapj style, 30 pages, 18
figures (compressed versions), 3 table
Warm Dust and Spatially Variable PAH Emission in the Dwarf Starburst Galaxy NGC 1705
We present Spitzer observations of the dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 1705
obtained as part of SINGS. The galaxy morphology is very different shortward
and longward of ~5 microns: short-wavelength imaging shows an underlying red
stellar population, with the central super star cluster (SSC) dominating the
luminosity; longer-wavelength data reveals warm dust emission arising from two
off-nuclear regions offset by ~250 pc from the SSC. These regions show little
extinction at optical wavelengths. The galaxy has a relatively low global dust
mass (~2E5 solar masses, implying a global dust-to-gas mass ratio ~2--4 times
lower than the Milky Way average). The off-nuclear dust emission appears to be
powered by photons from the same stellar population responsible for the
excitation of the observed H Alpha emission; these photons are unassociated
with the SSC (though a contribution from embedded sources to the IR luminosity
of the off-nuclear regions cannot be ruled out). Low-resolution IRS
spectroscopy shows moderate-strength PAH emission in the 11.3 micron band in
the eastern peak; no PAH emission is detected in the SSC or the western dust
emission complex. There is significant diffuse 8 micron emission after scaling
and subtracting shorter wavelength data; the spatially variable PAH emission
strengths revealed by the IRS data suggest caution in the interpretation of
diffuse 8 micron emission as arising from PAH carriers alone. The metallicity
of NGC 1705 falls at the transition level of 35% solar found by Engelbracht and
collaborators; the fact that a system at this metallicity shows spatially
variable PAH emission demonstrates the complexity of interpreting diffuse 8
micron emission. A radio continuum non-detection, NGC 1705 deviates
significantly from the canonical far-IR vs. radio correlation. (Abridged)Comment: ApJ, in press; please retrieve full-resolution version from
http://www.astro.wesleyan.edu/~cannon/pubs.htm
The Nature of Infrared Emission in the Local Group Dwarf Galaxy NGC 6822 As Revealed by Spitzer
We present Spitzer imaging of the metal-deficient (Z ~30% Z_sun) Local Group
dwarf galaxy NGC 6822. On spatial scales of ~130 pc, we study the nature of IR,
H alpha, HI, and radio continuum emission. Nebular emission strength correlates
with IR surface brightness; however, roughly half of the IR emission is
associated with diffuse regions not luminous at H alpha (as found in previous
studies). The global ratio of dust to HI gas in the ISM, while uncertain at the
factor of ~2 level, is ~25 times lower than the global values derived for
spiral galaxies using similar modeling techniques; localized ratios of dust to
HI gas are about a factor of five higher than the global value in NGC 6822.
There are strong variations (factors of ~10) in the relative ratios of H alpha
and IR flux throughout the central disk; the low dust content of NGC 6822 is
likely responsible for the different H alpha/IR ratios compared to those found
in more metal-rich environments. The H alpha and IR emission is associated with
high-column density (> ~1E21 cm^-2) neutral gas. Increases in IR surface
brightness appear to be affected by both increased radiation field strength and
increased local gas density. Individual regions and the galaxy as a whole fall
within the observed scatter of recent high-resolution studies of the radio-far
IR correlation in nearby spiral galaxies; this is likely the result of depleted
radio and far-IR emission strengths in the ISM of this dwarf galaxy.Comment: ApJ, in press; please retrieve full-resolution version from
http://www.astro.wesleyan.edu/~cannon/pubs.htm
Understanding Radio-Selected Thermal Sources in M 33: Ultraviolet, Optical, Near-Infrared, Spitzer Mid-Infrared, and Radio Observations
We present ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared, Spitzer mid-infrared, and
radio images of 14 radio-selected objects in M 33. These objects are thought to
represent the youngest phase of star cluster formation. We have detected the
majority of cluster candidates in M 33 at all wavelengths. From the near-IR
images, we derived ages 2-10 Myr, K_S-band extinctions (A_K_S) of 0-1 mag, and
stellar masses of 10^3-10^4 M_solar. We have generated spectral energy
distributions (SEDs) of each cluster from 0.1 micron to 160 microns. From these
SEDs, we have modeled the dust emission around these star clusters to determine
the dust masses (1-10^3 M_solar) and temperatures (40-90 K) of the clusters'
local interstellar medium. Extinctions derived from the JHK_S, Halpha, and UV
images are similar to within a factor of 2 or 3. These results suggest that
eleven of the fourteen radio-selected objects are optically-visible young star
clusters with a surrounding H II region, that two are background objects,
possibly AGN, and that one is a Wolf-Rayet star with a surrounding H II region.Comment: 57 pages total; 20 figures; 3 tables under review by ApJS; first
review complet
Spitzer and JCMT Observations of the Active Galactic Nucleus in the Sombrero Galaxy (NGC 4594)
We present Spitzer 3.6-160 micron images, Spitzer mid-infrared spectra, and
JCMT SCUBA 850 micron images of the Sombrero Galaxy (NGC 4594), an Sa galaxy
with a 10^9 M_solar low luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN). The brightest
infrared sources in the galaxy are the nucleus and the dust ring. The spectral
energy distribution of the AGN demonstrates that, while the environment around
the AGN is a prominent source of mid-infrared emission, it is a relatively weak
source of far-infrared emission, as had been inferred for AGN in previous
research. The weak nuclear 160 micron emission and the negligible polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon emission from the nucleus also implies that the nucleus is
a site of only weak star formation activity and the nucleus contains relatively
little cool interstellar gas needed to fuel such activity. We propose that this
galaxy may be representative of a subset of low ionization nuclear emission
region galaxies that are in a quiescent AGN phase because of the lack of gas
needed to fuel circumnuclear star formation and Seyfert-like AGN activity.
Surprisingly, the AGN is the predominant source of 850 micron emission. We
examine the possible emission mechanisms that could give rise to the 850 micron
emission and find that neither thermal dust emission, CO line emission,
bremsstrahlung emission, nor the synchrotron emission observed at radio
wavelengths can adequately explain the measured 850 micron flux density by
themselves. The remaining possibilities for the source of the 850 micron
emission include a combination of known emission mechanisms, synchrotron
emission that is self-absorbed at wavelengths longer than 850 microns, or
unidentified spectral lines in the 850 micron band.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 200
Warm Dust and Spatially Variable Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission in the Dwarf Starburst Galaxy NGC 1705
We present Spitzer observations of the nearby dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 1705 obtained as part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey. The galaxy morphology is very different shortward and longward of ~5 ÎŒm: optical and short-wavelength IRAC imaging shows an underlying red stellar population, with the central super star cluster (SSC) dominating the luminosity; longer wavelength IRAC and MIPS imaging reveals warm dust emission arising from two off-nuclear regions that are offset by ~250 pc from the SSC and that dominate the far-IR flux of the system. These regions show little extinction at optical wavelengths. The galaxy has a relatively low global dust mass (~2 Ă 10^5 M_â, implying a global dust-to-gas mass ratio ~2-4 times lower than the Milky Way average, roughly consistent with the metallicity decrease). The off-nuclear dust emission appears to be powered by photons from the same stellar population responsible for the excitation of the observed Hα emission; these photons are unassociated with the SSC (although a contribution from embedded sources to the IR luminosity of the off-nuclear regions cannot be ruled out). Low-resolution IRS spectroscopy shows moderate-strength PAH emission in the 11.3 ÎŒm band in the more luminous eastern peak; no PAH emission is detected in the SSC or the western dust emission complex. There is significant diffuse emission in the IRAC 8 ÎŒm band after starlight has been removed by scaling shorter wavelength data; the fact that IRS spectroscopy shows spatially variable PAH emission strengths compared to the local continuum within this diffuse gas suggests caution in the interpretation of IRAC diffuse 8 ÎŒm emission as arising from PAH carriers alone. The nebular metallicity of NGC 1705 falls at the transition level of ~0.35 Z_â found by Engelbracht and collaborators, below which PAH emission is difficult to detect; the fact that a system at this metallicity shows spatially variable PAH emission demonstrates the complexity of interpreting diffuse 8 ÎŒm emission in galaxies. NGC 1705 deviates significantly from the canonical far-infrared versus radio correlation, having significant far-infrared emission but no detected radio continuum