Understanding Infrared Galaxy Populations: the SWIRE Legacy Survey

We discuss spectral energy distributions, photometric redshifts, redshift distributions, luminosity functions, source-counts and the far infrared to optical luminosity ratio for sources in the SWIRE Legacy Survey. The spectral energy distributions of selected SWIRE sources are modelled in terms of a simple set of galaxy and quasar templates in the optical and near infrared, and with a set of dust emission templates (cirrus, M82 starburst, Arp 220 starburst, and AGN dust torus) in the mid infrared. The optical data, together with the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 mu data, have been used to determine photometric redshifts. For galaxies with known spectroscopic redshifts there is a notable improvement in the photometric redshift when the IRAC data are used, with a reduction in the rms scatter from 10% in (1+z) to 5%. While further spectroscopic data are needed to confirm this result, the prospect of determining good photometric redshifts for the 2 million extragalactic objects in SWIRE is excellent. The distribution of the different infrared sed types in the L{ir}/L{opt} versus L{ir} plane, where L{ir} and L{opt} are the infrared and optical bolometric luminosities, is discussed. Source-counts at 24, 70 and 160 mu are discussed, and luminosity functions at 3.6 and 24 mu are presented.Comment: 8 pages, 14 figures, to appear in proceedings of 'Spitzer IR Diagnostics Conference, Nov 14-16, 2005

Parametric modelling of the 3.6um to 8um colour distributions of galaxies in the SWIRE Survey

We fit a parametric model comprising a mixture of multi-dimensional Gaussian functions to the 3.6 to 8um colour and optical photo-z distribution of galaxy populations in the ELAIS-N1 and Lockman Fields of SWIRE. For 16,698 sources in ELAIS-N1 we find our data are best modelled (in the sense of the Bayesian Information Criterion) by the sum of four Gaussian distributions or modes (C_a, C_b, C_c and C_d). We compare the fit of our empirical model with predictions from existing semi-analytic and phenomological models. We infer that our empirical model provides a better description of the mid-infrared colour distribution of the SWIRE survey than these existing models. This colour distribution test is thus a powerful model discriminator and complementary to comparisons of number counts. We use our model to provide a galaxy classification scheme and explore the nature of the galaxies in the different modes of the model. C_a consists of dusty star-forming systems such as ULIRG's. Low redshift late-type spirals are found in C_b, where PAH emission dominates at 8um. C_c consists of dusty starburst systems at intermediate redshifts. Low redshift early-type spirals and ellipticals dominate C_d. We thus find a greater variety of galaxy types than one can with optical photometry alone. Finally we develop a new technique to identify unusual objects, and find a selection of outliers with very red IRAC colours. These objects are not detected in the optical, but have very strong detections in the mid-infrared. These sources are modelled as dust-enshrouded, strongly obscured AGN, where the high mid-infrared emission may either be attributed to dust heated by the AGN or substantial star-formation. These sources have z_ph ~ 2-4, making them incredibly infrared luminous, with a L_IR ~ 10^(12.6-14.1) L_sun.Comment: 44 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

First insights into the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) galaxy populations

We characterize the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) galaxy populations in the SWIRE validation field within the Lockman Hole, based on the 3.6 - 24 mum Spitzer data and deep U, g', r', i' optical imaging within an area similar to 1/3 deg(2) for similar to 16,000 Spitzer SWIRE sources. The entire SWIRE survey will discover over 2.3 million galaxies at 3.6 mum and almost 350,000 at 24 mum; similar to 70,000 of these will be five-band 3.6-24 mum detections. The colors cover a broad range, generally well represented by redshifted spectral energy distributions of known galaxy populations; however, significant samples of unusually blue objects in the [3.6] - [4.5] color are found, as well as many objects very red in the 3.6 - 24 mum mid-IR. Nine of these are investigated and are interpreted as star-forming systems, starbursts, and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from z = 0.37 to 2.8, with luminosities from L-IR = 10(10.3) to 10(13.7) L-.

First Insights into the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) Galaxy Populations

We characterize the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Legacy Survey (SWIRE) galaxy populations in the SWIRE validation field within the Lockman Hole, based on the 3.6-24 \u3bcm Spitzer data and deep U, g', r', i' optical imaging within an area ~1/3 deg2 for ~16,000 Spitzer SWIRE sources. The entire SWIRE survey will discover over 2.3 million galaxies at 3.6 \u3bcm and almost 350,000 at 24 \u3bcm ~70,000 of these will be five-band 3.6-24 \u3bcm detections. The colors cover a broad range, generally well represented by redshifted spectral energy distributions of known galaxy populations; however, significant samples of unusually blue objects in the [3.6]-[4.5] color are found, as well as many objects very red in the 3.6-24 \u3bcm mid-IR. Nine of these are investigated and are interpreted as star-forming systems, starbursts, and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from z=0.37 to 2.8, with luminosities from LIR=1010.3 to 1013.7 Lsolar

Spectral energy distributions and luminosities of galaxies and active galactic nuclei in the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) legacy Survey

We discuss optical associations, spectral energy distributions ( SEDs), and photometric redshifts for Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) Survey sources in the European Large-Area ISO Survey (ELAIS) N1 area and the Lockman Validation Field (VF). The band-merged Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) (3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 mu m) and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer ( 24, 70, and 160 mu m) data have been associated with optical UgriZ data from the Isaac Newton Telescope Wide Field Survey in ELAIS N1 and with our own optical Ugri data in Lockman-VF. Criteria for eliminating spurious infrared sources and for carrying out star-quasar-galaxy separation are discussed, and statistics of the identification rate are given. Thirty-two percent of sources in the ELAIS N1 field are found to be optically blank ( to r = 23.5) and 16% in Lockman-VF ( to r = 25). The SEDs of selected ELAIS sources in N1 detected by SWIRE, most with spectroscopic redshifts, are modeled in terms of a simple set of galaxy and quasar templates in the optical and near-infrared (NIR), and with a set of dust emission templates ( cirrus, M82 starburst, Arp 220 starburst, and active galactic nucleus [AGN] dust torus) in the mid-infrared. The optical data, together with the IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 mu m data, have been used to determine photometric redshifts. For galaxies with known spectroscopic redshifts, there is a notable improvement in the photometric redshift when the IRAC data are used, with a reduction in the rms scatter from 10% in ( 1 + z) to 7%. Although further spectroscopic data are needed to confirm this result, the prospect of determining good photometric redshifts for much of the SWIRE survey, expected to yield over 2 million extragalactic objects, is excellent. Some modifications to the optical templates were required in the previously uninvestigated wavelength region 2 - 5 mu m. The photometric redshifts are used to derive the 3.6 and 24 mu m redshift distribution and to compare this with the predictions of models. For those sources with a clear mid-infrared excess, relative to the galaxy starlight model used for the optical and NIR, the mid- and far-infrared data are modeled in terms of the same dust emission templates ( cirrus, M82, Arp 220, and AGN dust torus). The proportions found of each template type are cirrus, 31%; M82, 29%; Arp 220, 10%; and AGN dust tori, 29%. The distribution of the different infrared SED types in the L-IR/L-opt versus L-IR plane, where L-IR and L-opt are the infrared and optical bolometric luminosities, respectively, is discussed. There is an interesting population of luminous cool cirrus galaxies with L-IR > L-opt, implying a substantial dust optical depth. Galaxies with Arp 220 - like SEDs, of which there are a surprising preponderance compared with preexisting source count models, tend to have high ratios of infrared to optical bolometric luminosity, consistent with having very high extinction. There is also a high proportion of galaxies whose mid- infrared SEDs are fitted by an AGN dust torus template ( 29%). Of these only 8% of these are type 1 AGNs according to the optical-NIR template fitting, whereas 25% are fitted with galaxy templates in the optical-NIR and have L-IR > L-opt and so have to be type 2 AGN. The remainder have L-IR = 75%, is much higher than that inferred for bright optically selected quasars