1,915 research outputs found
A Two-Parameter Model for the Infrared/Submillimeter/Radio Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies and AGN
A two-parameter semi-empirical model is presented for the spectral energy
distributions of galaxies with contributions to their
infrared-submillimeter-radio emission from both star formation and accretion
disk-powered activity. This model builds upon a previous one-parameter family
of models for star-forming galaxies, and includes an update to the mid-infrared
emission using an average template obtained from Spitzer Space Telescope
observations of normal galaxies. Star-forming/AGN diagnostics based on PAH
equivalent widths and broadband infrared colors are presented, and example
mid-infrared AGN fractional contributions are estimated from model fits to the
GOALS sample of nearby U/LIRGS and the 5MUSES sample of 24um-selected sources
at redshifts 0 < z < 2.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Spitzer IRS Spectral Mapping of the Toomre Sequence: Spatial Variations of PAH, Gas, and Dust Properties in Nearby Major Mergers
We have mapped the key mid-IR diagnostics in eight major merger systems of
the Toomre Sequence (NGC4676, NGC7592, NGC6621, NGC2623, NGC6240, NGC520,
NGC3921, and NGC7252) using the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). With these
maps, we explore the variation of the ionized-gas, PAH, and warm-gas (H_2)
properties across the sequence and within the galaxies. While the global PAH
interband strength and ionized gas flux ratios ([Ne III]/[Ne II]) are similar
to those of normal star forming galaxies, the distribution of the spatially
resolved PAH and fine structure line flux ratios is significant different from
one system to the other. Rather than a constant H_2/PAH flux ratio, we find
that the relation between the H_2 and PAH fluxes is characterized by a power
law with a roughly constant exponent (0.61+/-0.05) over all merger components
and spatial scales. While following the same power law on local scales, three
galaxies have a factor of ten larger integrated (i.e. global) H_2/PAH flux
ratio than the rest of the sample, even larger than what it is in most nearby
AGNs. These findings suggest a common dominant excitation mechanism for H_2
emission over a large range of global H_2/PAH flux ratios in major mergers.
Early merger systems show a different distribution between the cold (CO J=1-0)
and warm (H_2) molecular gas component, which is likely due to the merger
interaction. Strong evidence for buried star formation in the overlap region of
the merging galaxies is found in two merger systems (NGC6621 and NGC7592) as
seen in the PAH, [Ne II], [Ne III], and warm gas line emission, but with no
apparent corresponding CO (J=1-0) emission. Our findings also demonstrate that
the variations of the physical conditions within a merger are much larger than
any systematic trends along the Toomre Sequence.Comment: 35 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ
The Spatial Extent of (U)LIRGs in the mid-Infrared I: The Continuum Emission
We present an analysis of the extended mid-infrared (MIR) emission of the
Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) sample based on 5-15um low
resolution spectra obtained with the IRS on Spitzer. We calculate the fraction
of extended emission as a function of wavelength for the galaxies in the
sample, FEE_lambda. We can identify 3 general types of FEE_lambda: one where it
is constant, one where features due to emission lines and PAHs appear more
extended than the continuum, and a third which is characteristic of sources
with deep silicate absorption at 9.7um. More than 30% of the galaxies have a
median FEE_lambda larger than 0.5 implying that at least half of their MIR
emission is extended. Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) display a wide range
of FEE in their warm dust continuum (0<=FEE_13.2um<=0.85). The large values of
FEE_13.2um that we find in many LIRGs suggest that their extended MIR continuum
emission originates in scales up to 10kpc. The mean size of the LIRG cores at
13.2um is 2.6kpc. However, once the LIR of the systems reaches the threshold of
~10^11.8Lsun, all sources become clearly more compact, with FEE_13.2um<=0.2,
and their cores are unresolved. Our estimated upper limit for the core size of
ULIRGs is less than 1.5kpc. The analysis indicates that the compactness of
systems with LIR>~10^11.25Lsun strongly increases in those classified as
mergers in their final stage of interaction. The FEE_13.2um is also related to
the contribution of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) to the MIR. Galaxies which
are more AGN-dominated are less extended, independently of their LIR. We
finally find that the extent of the MIR continuum emission is correlated with
the far-IR IRAS log(f_60um/f_100um) color. This enables us to place a lower
limit to the area in a galaxy from where the cold dust emission may originate,
a prediction which can be tested soon with the Herschel Space Telescope.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A 33 GHz Survey of Local Major Mergers: Estimating the Sizes of the Energetically Dominant Regions from High Resolution Measurements of the Radio Continuum
We present Very Large Array observations of the 33 GHz radio continuum
emission from 22 local ultraluminous and luminous infrared (IR) galaxies
(U/LIRGs). These observations have spatial (angular) resolutions of 30--720 pc
(0.07"-0.67") in a part of the spectrum that is likely to be optically thin.
This allows us to estimate the size of the energetically dominant regions. We
find half-light radii from 30 pc to 1.7 kpc. The 33 GHz flux density correlates
well with the IR emission, and we take these sizes as indicative of the size of
the region that produces most of the energy. Combining our 33 GHz sizes with
unresolved measurements, we estimate the IR luminosity and star formation rate
per area, and the molecular gas surface and volume densities. These quantities
span a wide range (4 dex) and include some of the highest values measured for
any galaxy (e.g., ). At least sources appear Compton thick (). Consistent with previous work, contrasting these data
with observations of normal disk galaxies suggests a nonlinear and likely
multi-valued relation between SFR and molecular gas surface density, though
this result depends on the adopted CO-to-H conversion factor and the
assumption that our 33 GHz sizes apply to the gas. 11 sources appear to exceed
the luminosity surface density predicted for starbursts supported by radiation
pressure and supernovae feedback, however we note the need for more detailed
observations of the inner disk structure. U/LIRGs with higher surface
brightness exhibit stronger [{\sc Cii}] 158m deficits, consistent with the
suggestion that high energy densities drive this phenomenon.Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Measuring the Heating and Cooling of the Interstellar Medium at High Redshift: PAH and [C II] Observations of the Same Star-forming Galaxies at z ∼ 2
Star formation depends critically on cooling mechanisms in the interstellar medium (ISM); however, thermal properties of gas in galaxies at the peak epoch of star formation (z ~ 2) remain poorly understood. A limiting factor in understanding the multiphase ISM is the lack of multiple tracers detected in the same galaxies, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, a tracer of a critical photoelectric heating mechanism in interstellar gas, and [C ii] 158 μm fine-structure emission, a principal coolant. We present ALMA Band 9 observations targeting [C ii] in six z ~ 2 star-forming galaxies with strong Spitzer IRS detections of PAH emission. All six galaxies are detected in dust continuum and marginally resolved. We compare the properties of PAH and [C ii] emission, and constrain their relationship as a function of total infrared luminosity (L_(IR)) and IR surface density. [C ii] emission is detected in one galaxy at high signal-to-noise (34σ), and we place a secure upper limit on a second source. The rest of our sample are not detected in [C ii] likely due to redshift uncertainties and narrow ALMA bandpass windows. Our results are consistent with the deficit in [C ii]/L_(IR) and PAH/L_(IR) observed in the literature. However, the ratio of [C ii] to PAH emission at z ~ 2 is possibly much lower than what is observed in nearby dusty star-forming galaxies. This could be the result of enhanced cooling via [O i] at high-z, hotter gas and dust temperatures, and/or a reduction in the photoelectric efficiency, in which the coupling between interstellar radiation and gas heating is diminished
CASSIS: The Cornell Atlas of Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph Sources. II. High-resolution observations
The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope observed about 15,000 objects during the cryogenic mission lifetime. Observations provided low-resolution (R~60-127) spectra over ~5-38um and high-resolution (R~600) spectra over ~10-37um. The Cornell Atlas of Spitzer/IRS Sources (CASSIS) was created to provide publishable quality spectra to the community. Low-resolution spectra have been available in CASSIS since 2011, and we present here the addition of the high-resolution spectra. The high-resolution observations represent approximately one third of all staring observations performed with the IRS instrument. While low-resolution observations are adapted to faint objects and/or broad spectral features (e.g., dust continuum, molecular bands), high-resolution observations allow more accurate measurements of narrow features (e.g., ionic emission lines) as well as a better sampling of the spectral profile of various features. Given the narrow aperture of the two high-resolution modules, cosmic ray hits and spurious features usually plague the spectra. Our pipeline is designed to minimize these effects through various improvements. A super sampled point-spread function was created in order to enable the optimal extraction in addition to the full aperture extraction. The pipeline selects the best extraction method based on the spatial extent of the object. For unresolved sources, the optimal extraction provides a significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio over a full aperture extraction. We have developed several techniques for optimal extraction, including a differential method that eliminates low-level rogue pixels (even when no dedicated background observation was performed). The updated CASSIS repository now includes all the spectra ever taken by the IRS, with the exception of mapping observations
Measuring the Heating and Cooling of the Interstellar Medium at High Redshift: PAH and [C II] Observations of the Same Star-forming Galaxies at z ∼ 2
Star formation depends critically on cooling mechanisms in the interstellar medium (ISM); however, thermal properties of gas in galaxies at the peak epoch of star formation (z ~ 2) remain poorly understood. A limiting factor in understanding the multiphase ISM is the lack of multiple tracers detected in the same galaxies, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, a tracer of a critical photoelectric heating mechanism in interstellar gas, and [C ii] 158 μm fine-structure emission, a principal coolant. We present ALMA Band 9 observations targeting [C ii] in six z ~ 2 star-forming galaxies with strong Spitzer IRS detections of PAH emission. All six galaxies are detected in dust continuum and marginally resolved. We compare the properties of PAH and [C ii] emission, and constrain their relationship as a function of total infrared luminosity (L_(IR)) and IR surface density. [C ii] emission is detected in one galaxy at high signal-to-noise (34σ), and we place a secure upper limit on a second source. The rest of our sample are not detected in [C ii] likely due to redshift uncertainties and narrow ALMA bandpass windows. Our results are consistent with the deficit in [C ii]/L_(IR) and PAH/L_(IR) observed in the literature. However, the ratio of [C ii] to PAH emission at z ~ 2 is possibly much lower than what is observed in nearby dusty star-forming galaxies. This could be the result of enhanced cooling via [O i] at high-z, hotter gas and dust temperatures, and/or a reduction in the photoelectric efficiency, in which the coupling between interstellar radiation and gas heating is diminished
The nuclear and extended mid-infrared emission of Seyfert galaxies
We present subarcsecond resolution mid-infrared (MIR) images obtained with
8-10 m-class ground-based telescopes of a complete volume-limited (DL<40 Mpc)
sample of 24 Seyfert galaxies selected from the Swift/BAT nine month catalog.
We use those MIR images to study the nuclear and circumnuclear emission of the
galaxies. Using different methods to classify the MIR morphologies on scales of
~400 pc, we find that the majority of the galaxies (75-83%) are extended or
possibly extended and 17-25% are point-like. This extended emission is compact
and it has low surface brightness compared with the nuclear emission, and it
represents, on average, ~30% of the total MIR emission of the galaxies in the
sample. We find that the galaxies whose circumnuclear MIR emission is dominated
by star formation show more extended emission (650+-700 pc) than AGN-dominated
systems (300+-100 pc). In general, the galaxies with point-like MIR
morphologies are face-on or moderately inclined (b/a~0.4-1.0), and we do not
find significant differences between the morphologies of Sy1 and Sy2. We used
the nuclear and circumnuclear fluxes to investigate their correlation with
different AGN and SF activity indicators. We find that the nuclear MIR emission
(the inner ~70 pc) is strongly correlated with the X-ray emission (the harder
the X-rays the better the correlation) and with the [O IV] lambda 25.89 micron
emission line, indicating that it is AGN-dominated. We find the same results,
although with more scatter, for the circumnuclear emission, which indicates
that the AGN dominates the MIR emission in the inner ~400 pc of the galaxies,
with some contribution from star formation.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRA
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