42 research outputs found
The Spectral Energy Distribution of Self-gravitating Interstellar Clouds I. Spheres
We derive the spectral energy distribution (SED) of dusty, isothermal, self
gravitating, stable and spherical clouds externally heated by the ambient
interstellar radiation field. For a given radiation field and dust properties,
the radiative transfer problem is determined by the pressure of the surrounding
medium and the cloud mass expressed as a fraction of the maximum stable cloud
mass above which the clouds become gravitational unstable.
To solve the radiative transfer problem a ray-tracing code is used to
accurately derive the light distribution inside the cloud. This code considers
both non isotropic scattering on dust grains and multiple scattering events.
The dust properties inside the clouds are assumed to be the same as in the
diffuse interstellar medium in our galaxy. We analyse the effect of the
pressure, the critical mass fraction, and the ISRF on the SED and present
brightness profiles in the visible, the IR/FIR and the submm/mm regime with the
focus on the scattered emission and the thermal emission from PAH-molecules and
dust grains.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJS, May 2008, v176n1 issu
Modelling the spectral energy distribution of galaxies. V. The dust and PAH emission SEDs of disk galaxies
We present a self-consistent model of the spectral energy distributions
(SEDs) of spiral galaxies from the ultraviolet (UV) to the mid-infrared
(MIR)/far-infrared (FIR)/submillimeter (submm) based on a full radiative
transfer calculation of the propagation of starlight in galaxy disks. This
model predicts not only the total integrated energy absorbed in the UV/optical
and re-emitted in the infrared/submm, but also the colours of the dust emission
based on an explicit calculation of the strength and colour of the UV/optical
radiation fields heating the dust, and incorporating a full calculation of the
stochastic heating of small dust grains and PAH molecules.
The geometry of the translucent components of the model is empirically
constrained using the results from the radiation transfer analysis of Xilouris
et al. on spirals in the middle range of the Hubble sequence, while the
geometry of the optically thick components is constrained from physical
considerations with a posteriori checks of the model predictions with
observational data.
These geometrical constraints enable the dust emission to be predicted in
terms of a minimum set of free parameters: the central face-on dust opacity in
the B-band tau^f_B, a clumpiness factor F for the star-forming regions, the
star-formation rate SFR, the normalised luminosity of the old stellar
population old and the bulge-to-disk ratio B/D. We show that these parameters
are almost orthogonal in their predicted effect on the colours of the dust/PAH
emission.
The results of the calculations are made available in the form of a large
library of simulated dust emission SEDs spanning the whole parameter space of
our model, together with the corresponding library of dust attenuation
calculated using the same model. (see full abstract in the paper)Comment: 39 pages; accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics; For a
higher resolution version of Fig.1 and Fig.20 see
http://www.star.uclan.ac.uk/~ccp/index.shtm
Modelling the Pan-Spectral Energy Distribution of Starburst Galaxies: II. Control of the \HII Region Parameters
We examine, from a theoretical viewpoint, how the physical parameters of HII
regions are controlled in both normal galaxies and in starburst environments.
These parameters are the HII region luminosity function, the time-dependent
size, the covering fraction of molecular clouds, the pressure in the ionized
gas and the ionization parameter. The factors which control them are the
initial mass function of the exciting stars, the cluster mass function, the
metallicity and the mean pressure in the surrounding interstellar medium. We
investigate the sensitivity of the H luminosity to the IMF, and find
that this can translate to more than a factor two variation in derived star
formation rates. The molecular cloud dissipation timescale is estimated from a
case study of M17 to be Myr for this object. Based upon HII luminosity
function fitting for nearby galaxies, we suggest that the \HII region cluster
mass function is fitted by a log-normal form peaking at .
The cluster mass function continues the stellar IMF to higher mass. The
pressure in the HII regions is controlled by the mechanical luminosity flux
from the central cluster. Since this is closely related to the ionizing photon
flux, we show that the ionization parameter is not a free variable, and that
the diffuse ionized medium may be composed of many large, faint and old HII
regions. Finally, we derive theoretical probability distributions for the
ionization parameter as a function of metallicity and compare these to those
derived for SDSS galaxies.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures. To be published in Astrophysical Journal, August
200
Modelling the Pan-Spectral Energy Distribution of Starburst Galaxies: I. The role of ISM pressure & the Molecular Cloud Dissipation Timescale
In this paper, we combine the stellar spectral synthesis code STARBURST 99,
the nebular modelling code MAPPINGS IIIq, a 1-D dynamical evolution model of
\HII regions around massive clusters of young stars and a simplified model of
synchrotron emissivity to produce purely theoretical self-consistent synthetic
spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for (solar metallicity) starbursts lasting
some years. These SEDs extend from the Lyman Limit to beyond 21 cm. We
find that two ISM parameters control the form of the SED; the pressure in the
diffuse phase of the ISM (or, equivalently, its density), and the molecular
cloud dissipation timescale. We present detailed SED fits to Arp 220 and NGC
6240, and we give the predicted colors for starburst galaxies derived from our
models for the IRAS and the Spitzer Space Observatory MIPS and IRAC
instruments. Our models reproduce the spread in observed colors of starburst
galaxies. Finally, we present absolute calibrations to convert observed fluxes
into star formation rates in the UV (GALEX), at optical wavelengths
(H), and in the IR (IRAS or the Spitzer Space Observatory). (Abstract
Truncated)Comment: 56 pages, 16 figures, accepted by The Apstrophysical Journal For
version with full, colour figures go to
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~bgroves/starburst
Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies
Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost
universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade.
Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this
time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of
available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the
modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of
multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed
galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major
ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay
between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models,
and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic
measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting
can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies,
such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and
metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet
there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in
a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the
influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The
challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the
observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will
be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where
the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the
text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
Hi-GAL: The Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey
Hi-GAL, the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey, is an Open Time Key Project of the Herschel Space Observatory. It will make an unbiased photometric survey of the inner Galactic plane by mapping a 2° wide strip in the longitude range midlmid < 60° in five wavebands between 70 Όm and 500 Όm. The aim of Hi-GAL is to detect the earliest phases of the formation of molecular clouds and high-mass stars and to use the optimum combination of Herschel wavelength coverage, sensitivity, mapping strategy, and speed to deliver a homogeneous census of star-forming regions and cold structures in the interstellar medium. The resulting representative samples will yield the variation of source temperature, luminosity, mass and age in a wide range of Galactic environments at all scales from massive YSOs in protoclusters to entire spiral arms, providing an evolutionary sequence for the formation of intermediate and high-mass stars. This information is essential to the formulation of a predictive global model of the role of environment and feedback in regulating the star-formation process. Such a model is vital to understanding star formation on galactic scales and in the early universe. Hi-GAL will also provide a science legacy for decades to come with incalculable potential for systematic and serendipitous science in a wide range of astronomical fields, enabling the optimum use of future major facilities such as JWST and ALMA
A census of dense cores in the Aquila cloud complex: SPIRE/PACS observations from the <i>Herschel</i> Gould Belt survey
We present and discuss the results of the Gould Belt survey (HGBS) observations in an ~11 area of the Aquila molecular cloud complex at ~ 260 pc, imaged with the SPIRE and PACS photometric cameras in parallel mode from to . Using the multi-scale, multi-wavelength source extraction algorithm , we identify a complete sample of starless dense cores and embedded (Class 0-I) protostars in this region, and analyze their global properties and spatial distributions. We find a total of 651 starless cores, ~60% ± 10% of which are gravitationally bound prestellar cores, and they will likely form stars in the future. We also detect 58 protostellar cores. The core mass function (CMF) derived for the large population of prestellar cores is very similar in shape to the stellar initial mass function (IMF), confirming earlier findings on a much stronger statistical basis and supporting the view that there is a close physical link between the stellar IMF and the prestellar CMF. The global shift in mass scale observed between the CMF and the IMF is consistent with a typical star formation efficiency of ~40% at the level of an individual core. By comparing the numbers of starless cores in various density bins to the number of young stellar objects (YSOs), we estimate that the lifetime of prestellar cores is ~1 Myr, which is typically ~4 times longer than the core free-fall time, and that it decreases with average core density. We find a strong correlation between the spatial distribution of prestellar cores and the densest filaments observed in the Aquila complex. About 90% of the -identified prestellar cores are located above a background column density corresponding to ~ 7, and ~75% of them lie within filamentary structures with supercritical masses per unit length âł16 . These findings support a picture wherein the cores making up the peak of the CMF (and probably responsible for the base of the IMF) result primarily from the gravitational fragmentation of marginally supercritical filaments. Given that filaments appear to dominate the mass budget of dense gas at , our findings also suggest that the physics of prestellar core formation within filaments is responsible for a characteristic âefficiencyâ ~ for the star formation process in dense gas
Hi-GAL: The Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey
Hi-GAL, the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey, is an Open Time Key Project of the Herschel Space Observatory. It will make an unbiased photometric survey of the inner Galactic plane by mapping a 2° wide strip in the longitude range âŁl⣠< 60° in five wavebands between 70 ÎŒm and 500 ÎŒm. The aim of Hi-GAL is to detect the earliest phases of the formation of molecular clouds and high-mass stars and to use the optimum combination of Herschel wavelength coverage, sensitivity, mapping strategy, and speed to deliver a homogeneous census of star-forming regions and cold structures in the interstellar medium. The resulting representative samples will yield the variation of source temperature, luminosity, mass and age in a wide range of Galactic environments at all scales from massive YSOs in protoclusters to entire spiral arms, providing an evolutionary sequence for the formation of intermediate and high-mass stars. This information is essential to the formulation of a predictive global model of the role of environment and feedback in regulating the star-formation process. Such a model is vital to understanding star formation on galactic scales and in the early universe. Hi-GAL will also provide a science legacy for decades to come with incalculable potential for systematic and serendipitous science in a wide range of astronomical fields, enabling the optimum use of future major facilities such as JWST and ALMA