298 research outputs found
Enhanced dust heating in the bulges of early-type spiral galaxies
Stellar density and bar strength should affect the temperatures of the cool (T ~ 20–30 K) dust component in the inner regions of galaxies, which implies that the ratio of temperatures in the circumnuclear regions to the disk should depend on Hubble type. We investigate the differences between cool dust temperatures in the central 3 kpc and disk of 13 nearby galaxies by fitting models to measurements between 70 and 500 μm. We attempt to quantify temperature trends in nearby disk galaxies, with archival data from Spitzer/MIPS and new observations with Herschel/SPIRE, which were acquired during the first phases of the Herschel observations for the KINGFISH (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel) sample. We fit single-temperature modified blackbodies to far-infrared and submillimeter measurements of the central and disk regions of galaxies to determine the temperature of the component(s) emitting at those wavelengths. We present the ratio of central-region-to-disk-temperatures of the cool dust component of 13 nearby galaxies as a function of morphological type. We find a significant temperature gradient in the cool dust component in all galaxies, with a mean center-to-disk temperature ratio of 1.15 ± 0.03. The cool dust temperatures in the central ~3 kpc of nearby galaxies are 23 (±3)% hotter for morphological types earlier than Sc, and only 9 (±3)% hotter for later types. The temperature ratio is also correlated with bar strength, with only strongly barred galaxies having a ratio over 1.2. The strong radiation field in the high stellar density of a galactic bulge tends to heat the cool dust component to higher temperatures, at least in early-type spirals with relatively large bulges, especially when paired with a strong bar
The Identification of Extreme Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars and Red Supergiants in M33 by 24 {\mu}m Variability
We present the first detection of 24 {\mu}m variability in 24 sources in the
Local Group galaxy M33. These results are based on 4 epochs of MIPS
observations, which are irregularly spaced over ~750 days. We find that these
sources are constrained exclusively to the Holmberg radius of the galaxy, which
increases their chances of being members of M33. We have constructed spectral
energy distributions (SEDs) ranging from the optical to the sub-mm to
investigate the nature of these objects. We find that 23 of our objects are
most likely heavily self-obscured, evolved stars; while the remaining source is
the Giant HII region, NGC 604. We believe that the observed variability is the
intrinsic variability of the central star reprocessed through their
circumstellar dust shells. Radiative transfer modeling was carried out to
determine their likely chemical composition, luminosity, and dust production
rate (DPR). As a sample, our modeling has determined an average luminosity of
(3.8 0.9) x 10 L and a total DPR of (2.3 0.1) x
10 M yr. Most of the sources, given the high DPRs and
short wavelength obscuration, are likely "extreme" AGB (XAGB) stars. Five of
the sources are found to have luminosities above the classical AGB limit
(M 54,000 L), which classifies them as probably
red supergiants (RSGs). Almost all of the sources are classified as oxygen
rich. As also seen in the LMC, a significant fraction of the dust in M33 is
produced by a handful of XAGB and RSG stars.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, Accepted for publication in A
The Structure of a Low-Metallicity Giant Molecular Cloud Complex
To understand the impact of low metallicities on giant molecular cloud (GMC)
structure, we compare far infrared dust emission, CO emission, and dynamics in
the star-forming complex N83 in the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud. Dust
emission (measured by Spitzer as part of the S3MC and SAGE-SMC surveys) probes
the total gas column independent of molecular line emission and traces
shielding from photodissociating radiation. We calibrate a method to estimate
the dust column using only the high-resolution Spitzer data and verify that
dust traces the ISM in the HI-dominated region around N83. This allows us to
resolve the relative structures of H2, dust, and CO within a giant molecular
cloud complex, one of the first times such a measurement has been made in a
low-metallicity galaxy. Our results support the hypothesis that CO is
photodissociated while H2 self-shields in the outer parts of low-metallicity
GMCs, so that dust/self shielding is the primary factor determining the
distribution of CO emission. Four pieces of evidence support this view. First,
the CO-to-H2 conversion factor averaged over the whole cloud is very high 4-11
\times 10^21 cm^-2/(K km/s), or 20-55 times the Galactic value. Second, the
CO-to-H2 conversion factor varies across the complex, with its lowest (most
nearly Galactic) values near the CO peaks. Third, bright CO emission is largely
confined to regions of relatively high line-of-sight extinction, A_V >~ 2 mag,
in agreement with PDR models and Galactic observations. Fourth, a simple model
in which CO emerges from a smaller sphere nested inside a larger cloud can
roughly relate the H2 masses measured from CO kinematics and dust.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures (including appendix), accepted for publication
in the Astrophysical Journa
Data reduction for the MIPS far-infrared arrays
Traditional photoconductive detectors are used at 70 and 160 microns in the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF. These devices are highly sensitivity to cosmic rays and have complex response characteristics, all of which must be anticipated in the data reduction pipeline. The pipeline is being developed by a team at the SIRTF Science Center, where the detailed design and coding are carried out, and at Steward Observatory, where the high level algorithms are developed and detector tests are conducted to provide data for pipeline experiments. A number of innovations have been introduced. Burger's model is used to extrapolate to asymptotic values for the response of the detectors. This approach permits rapid fitting of the complexities in the detector response. Examples of successful and unsuccessful fits to the laboratory test data are shown
Empirical ugri-UBVRc Transformations for Galaxies
We present empirical color transformations between Sloan Digital Sky Survey
ugri and Johnson-Cousins UBVRc photometry for nearby galaxies (D < 11 Mpc). We
use the Local Volume Legacy (LVL) galaxy sample where there are 90 galaxies
with overlapping observational coverage for these two filter sets. The LVL
galaxy sample consists of normal, non-starbursting galaxies. We also examine
how well the LVL galaxy colors are described by previous transformations
derived from standard calibration stars and model-based galaxy templates. We
find significant galaxy color scatter around most of the previous
transformation relationships. In addition, the previous transformations show
systematic offsets between transformed and observed galaxy colors which are
visible in observed color-color trends. The LVL-based transformations
show no systematic color offsets and reproduce the observed color-color galaxy
trends.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (9 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables
Spitzer Local Volume Legacy (LVL) SEDs and Physical Properties
We present the panchromatic spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the Local
Volume Legacy (LVL) survey which consists of 258 nearby galaxies (11 Mpc).
The wavelength coverage spans the ultraviolet to the infrared (1500
to 24 m) which is utilized to derive global physical
properties (i.e., star formation rate, stellar mass, internal extinction due to
dust.). With these data, we find color-color relationships and correlated
trends between observed and physical properties (i.e., optical magnitudes and
dust properties, optical color and specific star formation rate, and
ultraviolet-infrared color and metallicity). The SEDs are binned by different
galaxy properties to reveal how each property affects the observed shape of
these SEDs. In addition, due to the volume-limited nature of LVL, we utilize
the dwarf-dominated galaxy sample to test star formation relationships
established with higher-mass galaxy samples. We find good agreement with the
star-forming "main-sequence" relationship, but find a systematic deviation in
the infrared "main-sequence" at low luminosities. This deviation is attributed
to suppressed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation in low
metallicity environments and/or the destruction of PAHs in more intense
radiation fields occurring near a suggested threshold in sSFR at a value of
log() 10.2.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (15 pages, 14 figures, 1 table
The Spitzer Local Volume Legacy (LVL) Global Optical Photometry
We present the global optical photometry of 246 galaxies in the Local Volume
Legacy (LVL) survey. The full volume-limited sample consists of 258 nearby (D <
11 Mpc) galaxies whose absolute B-band magnitude span a range of -9.6 < M_B <
-20.7 mag. A composite optical (UBVR) data set is constructed from observed
UBVR and SDSS ugriz imaging, where the ugriz magnitudes are transformed into
UBVR. We present photometry within three galaxy apertures defined at UV,
optical, and IR wavelengths. Flux comparisons between these apertures reveal
that the traditional optical R25 galaxy apertures do not fully encompass
extended sources. Using the larger IR apertures we find color-color
relationships where later-type spiral and irregular galaxies tend to be bluer
than earlier-type galaxies. These data provide the missing optical emission
from which future LVL studies can construct the full panchromatic
(UV-optical-IR) spectral energy distributions.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (9 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables
Delayed Photoionization Feedback in a Super Star Cluster in SBS0335-052E
SBS0335-052 is a well studied Blue Compact Dwarf galaxy with one of the
lowest metallicities of any known galaxy. It also contains 6 previously
identified Super Star Clusters. We combine archival HST NICMOS images in the Pa
alpha line and the 1.6 micron continuum of the eastern component, SBS0335-052E,
with other space and ground based data to perform a multi-wavelength analysis
of the super star clusters. We concentrate on the southern most clusters,
designated S1 and S2, which appear to be the youngest clusters and are the
strongest emitters of Pa alpha, radio, and x-ray flux. Our analysis leads to a
possible model for S1 and perhaps S2 as a cluster of very young, massive stars
with strong stellar winds. The wind density can be high enough to absorb the
majority of ionizing photons within less than 1000 AU of the stars, creating
very compact HII regions that emit optically thick radiation at radio
wavelengths. These winds would then effectively quench the photoionizing flux
very close to the stars. This can delay the onset of negative feedback by
photoionization and photodissociation on star formation in the clusters. This
is significant since SBS0335-052E resembles the conditions that were probably
common for high redshift star formation in galaxies near the epoch of
reionization.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Luminosity indicators in dusty photoionized environments
The luminosity of the central source in ionizing radiation is an essential
parameter in a photoionized environment, and one of the most fundamental
physical quantities one can measure. We outline a method of determining
luminosity for any emission-line region using only infrared data. In dusty
environments, grains compete with hydrogen in absorbing continuum radiation.
Grains produce infrared emission, and hydrogen produces recombination lines. We
have computed a very large variety of photoionization models, using ranges of
abundances, grain mixtures, ionizing continua, densities, and ionization
parameters. The conditions were appropriate for such diverse objects as H II
regions, planetary nebulae, starburst galaxies, and the narrow and broad line
regions of active nuclei. The ratio of the total thermal grain emission
relative to H (IR/H) is the primary indicator of whether the
cloud behaves as a classical Str\"{o}mgren sphere (a hydrogen-bounded nebula)
or whether grains absorb most of the incident continuum (a dust-bounded
nebula). We find two global limits: when infrared recombination
lines determine the source luminosity in ionizing photons; when
the grains act as a bolometer to measure the luminosity.Comment: 12 pages 3 figures. Accepted ASP Sept.9
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