Modelling galaxy spectra in presence of interstellar dust – II. From the ultraviolet to the far-infrared
11 Aug 2006-Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (Oxford University Press)-Vol. 370, Iss: 3, pp 1454-1478
TL;DR: In this article, the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of different morphological types of galaxies are derived by using a simple geometrical model for each type of galaxy, based on a robust model of chemical evolution that assumes a suitable prescription for gas infall, initial mass function, star formation rate and stellar ejecta.
Abstract: In this paper, we present spectrophotometric models for galaxies of different morphological type whose spectral energy distributions (SEDs) take into account the effect of dust in absorbing UV-optical light and re-emitting it in the infrared (IR). The models contain three main components: (i) the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) composed of gas and dust whose emission and extinction properties have already been studied in detail by Piovan et al. (2006), (ii) the large complexes of molecular clouds (MCs) in which new stars are formed and (iii) the stars of any age and chemical composition. The galaxy models stand on a robust model of chemical evolution that assuming a suitable prescription for gas infall, initial mass function, star formation rate and stellar ejecta provides the total amounts of gas and stars present at any age together with their chemical history. The chemical models are taylored in such a way to match the gross properties of galaxies of different morphological type. In order to describe the interaction between stars and ISM in building up the total SED of a galaxy, one has to know the spatial distribution of gas and stars. This is made adopting a simple geometrical model for each type of galaxy. The total gas and star mass provided by the chemical model are distributed over the whole volume by means of suitable density profiles, one for each component and depending on the galaxy type (spheroidal, disk and disk plus bulge). The galaxy is then split in suitable volume elements to each of which the appropriate amounts of stars, MCs and ISM are assigned. Each elemental volume bin is at the same time source of radiation from the stars inside and absorber and emitter of radiation from and to all other volume bins and the ISM in between. They are the elemental seeds to calculate the total SED. Using the results for the properties of the ISM and the Single Stellar Populations (SSPs) presented by Piovan et al. (2006) we derive the SEDs of galaxies of different morphological type. First the technical details of the method are described and the basic relations driving the interaction between the physical components of the galaxy are presented. Second, the main parameters are examined and their effects on the SED of three prototype galaxies (a disk, an elliptical and a starburster) are highlighted. The final part of the paper is devoted to assess the ability of our galaxy models in reproducing the SEDs of a few real galaxies of the Local Universe.
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TL;DR: The GALEV (Galev Evolutionary Evolutionary Models for Galaxies) model as mentioned in this paper describes the evolution of stellar populations in general, of star clusters as well as of galaxies, both in terms of resolved stellar populations and of integrated light properties over cosmological time-scales of ≥13 Gyr.
Abstract: GALEV (GALaxy EVolution) evolutionary synthesis models describe the evolution of stellar populations in general, of star clusters as well as of galaxies, both in terms of resolved stellar populations and of integrated light properties over cosmological time-scales of ≥13 Gyr from the onset of star formation shortly after the big bang until today. For galaxies, GALEV includes a simultaneous treatment of the chemical evolution of the gas and the spectral evolution of the stellar content, allowing for what we call a chemically consistent treatment: we use input physics (stellar evolutionary tracks, stellar yields and model atmospheres) for a large range of metallicities and consistently account for the increasing initial abundances of successive stellar generations. Here we present the latest version of the GALEV evolutionary synthesis models that are now interactively available at http://www.galev.org. We review the currently used input physics, and also give details on how this physics is implemented in practice. We explain how to use the interactive web interface to generate models for user-defined parameters and also give a range of applications that can be studied using GALEV, ranging from star clusters, undisturbed galaxies of various types E–Sd to starburst and dwarf galaxies, both in the local and the high-redshift Universe.
288 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the stellar spectral synthesis code Starburst99, the nebular modeling code MAPPINGS III and a one-dimensional dynamical evolution model of H II regions around massive clusters of young stars were combined to generate improved models of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of starburst galaxies.
Abstract: We combine the stellar spectral synthesis code Starburst99, the nebular modeling code MAPPINGS III and a one-dimensional dynamical evolution model of H II regions around massive clusters of young stars to generate improved models of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of starburst galaxies. We introduce a compactness parameter, , which characterizes the specific intensity of the radiation field at ionization fronts in H II regions and which controls the shape of the far-infrared (IR) dust reemission, often referred to loosely as the dust temperature. We also investigate the effect of metallicity on the overall SED and in particular, on the strength of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features. We provide templates for the mean emission produced by the young compact H II regions, the older (10-100 Myr) stars and for the wavelength-dependent attenuation produced by a foreground screen of the dust used in our model. We demonstrate that these components may be combined to produce a excellent fit to the observed SEDs of star formation-dominated galaxies which are often used as templates (Arp 220 and NGC 6240). This fit extends from the Lyman limit to wavelengths of about 1 mm. The methods presented in both this paper and in the previous papers of this series allow the extraction of the physical parameters of the starburst region (star formation rates, star formation rate history, mean cluster mass, metallicity, dust attenuation, and pressure) from the analysis of the pan-spectral SED.
252 citations
Max Planck Society1, INAF2, Cornell University3, University of California, Irvine4, University of Padua5, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory6, Paris Diderot University7, Tel Aviv University8, University of Sussex9, University College London10, University of Bologna11, Ames Research Center12, University of Edinburgh13, University of British Columbia14, California Institute of Technology15
TL;DR: In this article, the authors combine far-infrared Herschel photometry from the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) and Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) guaranteed time programs with ancillary datasets in the GOODS-N, COSMOS fields, and it is possible to sample the 8-500μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies with at least 7-10 bands.
Abstract: Combining far-infrared Herschel photometry from the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) and Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) guaranteed time programs with ancillary datasets in the GOODS-N, GOODS-S, and COSMOS fields, it is possible to sample the 8–500 μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies with at least 7–10 bands. Extending to the UV, optical, and near-infrared, the number of bands increases up to 43. We reproduce the distribution of galaxies in a carefully selected restframe ten colors space, based on this rich data-set, using a superposition of multivariate Gaussian modes. We use this model to classify galaxies and build median SEDs of each class, which are then fitted with a modified version of the magphys code that combines stellar light, emission from dust heated by stars and a possible warm dust contribution heated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The color distribution of galaxies in each of the considered fields can be well described with the combination of 6–9 classes, spanning a large range of far- to near-infrared luminosity ratios, as well as different strength of the AGN contribution to bolometric luminosities. The defined Gaussian grouping is used to identify rare or odd sources. The zoology of outliers includes Herschel-detected ellipticals, very blue z ~ 1 Ly-break galaxies, quiescent spirals, and torus-dominated AGN with star formation. Out of these groups and outliers, a new template library is assembled, consisting of 32 SEDs describing the intrinsic scatter in the restframe UV-to-submm colors of infrared galaxies. This library is tested against L(IR) estimates with and without Herschel data included, and compared to eightother popular methods often adopted in the literature. When implementing Herschel photometry, these approaches produce L(IR) values consistent with each other within a median absolute deviation of 10–20%, the scatter being dominated more by fine tuning of the codes, rather than by the choice of SED templates. Finally, the library is used to classify 24 μm detected sources in PEP GOODS fields on the basis of AGN content, L(60)/L(100) color and L(160)/L(1.6) luminosity ratio. AGN appear to be distributed in the stellar mass (M_∗) vs. star formation rate (SFR) space along with all other galaxies, regardless of the amount of infrared luminosity they are powering, with the tendency to lie on the high SFR side of the “main sequence”. The incidence of warmer star-forming sources grows for objects with higher specific star formation rates (sSFR), and they tend to populate the “off-sequence” region of the M_∗ − SFR − z space.
203 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the dependence of the total-infrared to UV luminosity ratio method for calculating the UV dust attenuation A(UV) from the age of the underlying stellar populations by using a library of spectral energy distributions for galaxies with different star formation histories.
Abstract: We investigate the dependence of the total-infrared (TIR) to UV luminosity ratio method for calculating the UV dust attenuation A(UV) from the age of the underlying stellar populations by using a library of spectral energy distributions for galaxies with different star formation histories. Our analysis confirms that the TIR/UV vs. A(UV) relation varies significantly with the age of the underlying stellar population: i.e. for the same TIR/UV ratio, systems with low specific star formation rate (SSFR) suffer a lower UV attenuation than starbursts. Using a sample of nearby field and cluster spiral galaxies we show that the use of a standard (i.e. age independent) TIR/UV vs. A(UV) relation leads to a systematic overestimate up to 2 magnitudes of the amount of UV dust attenuation suffered by objects with low SSFR and in particular HI-deficient star forming cluster galaxies. This result points out that the age independent $TIR/UV$ vs. $A(UV)$ relation cannot be used to study the UV properties of large samples of galaxies including low star-forming systems and passive spirals. Therefore we give some simple empirical relations from which the UV attenuation can be estimated taking into account its dependence on the age of the stellar populations, providing a less biased view of UV properties of galaxies.
164 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use the latest Padova isochrones, with detailed modelling of the Thermally Pulsing AGB phase, to update theoretical colour-M/L relations in the optical and NIR and discuss the consequences for the estimated stellar masses in external galaxies.
Abstract: Colour-M/L (mass-to-light) relations are a popular recipe to derive stellar mass in external galaxies. Stellar mass estimates often rely on near infrared (NIR) photometry, considered an optimal tracer since it is little affected by dust and by the "frosting" effect of recent star formation episodes. However, recent literature has highlighted that theoretical estimates of the NIR M/L ratio strongly depend on the modelling of the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase. We use the latest Padova isochrones, with detailed modelling of the Thermally Pulsing AGB phase, to update theoretical colour-M/L relations in the optical and NIR and discuss the consequences for the estimated stellar masses in external galaxies. We also discuss the effect of attenuation by interstellar dust on colour-M/L relations in the statistical case of large galaxy samples.
157 citations
References
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01 Jan 1988
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors estimate that neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) constitutes about 4.4% of the mass of the visible matter in the galaxy, and that HI dominates H2 in mass beyond Galactocentric radius 8 kpc.
Abstract: Neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) is an important component of the interstellar medium (ISM). The Galaxy has been estimated to contain about 4.8 x 109 M⊙ of HI (Henderson et al. 1982)*. Estimates for the total amount of H2 range from 3.5 x 109 M⊙ (Sanders et al. 1984), nearly equal to the HI estimate, to a value that is only 25% of the HI estimate (Bloemen et al. 1986). Galactic HI constitutes about 4.4% of the mass of the visible matter (Bahcall et al. 1983). The mean surface density distribution of HI is roughly constant from about 4 kpc to 20 kpc; however, HI dominates H2 in mass beyond Galactocentric radius 8 kpc (Blitz et al. 1983). Unlike H2, HI is not concentrated in a small number of giant clouds. Estimates of the “filling factor”, the fraction of the Galactic interstellar space occupied by hydrogen, range from 20% to 90%. These factors establish the preeminence of atomic hydrogen in the dynamics and evolution of the ISM.
247 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model of the stars and dust in starburst galaxies and applied it to 30 observed starburst spectral energy distributions (SEDs) was constructed by combining two stellar evolutionary synthesis models with a model describing the radiative transfer of stellar photons through dust.
Abstract: To investigate the nature of starburst dust, we constructed a model of the stars and dust in starburst galaxies and applied it to 30 observed starburst spectral energy distributions (SEDs). The starburst model was constructed by combining two stellar evolutionary synthesis models with a model describing the radiative transfer of stellar photons through dust. The stellar evolutionary synthesis models were used to compute the dust-free SEDs for stellar populations with ages between 1 ? 106 and 15 ? 109 yr. Using a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model, the effects of dust were computed for average Milky Way (MW) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) dust, two different star/dust geometries, and locally homogeneous or clumpy dust. Using color-color plots, the starburst model was used to interpret the behavior of 30 starbursts with aperture-matched UV and optical SEDs (and IR for 19 of the 30) from previous studies. From the color-color plots, it was evident that the dust in starbursts has an extinction curve lacking a 2175 ? bump, like the SMC curve, and a steep far-UV rise, intermediate between the MW and SMC curves. The star/dust geometry that is able to explain the distribution of the 30 starbursts in various color-color plots has an inner dust-free sphere of stars surrounded by an outer star-free shell of clumpy dust. When combined with other work from the literature on the Orion region and the 30 Dor region of the Large Magellanic Cloud, this work implies a trend in dust properties with star formation intensity.
245 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported the detection of emission from dust and carbon monoxide in the radio-quiet quasar BR1202-0725, at redshift z = 4.69.
Abstract: GALAXIES are believed to have formed a large proportion of their stars in giant bursts of star formation early in their lives, but when and how this took place are still very uncertain. The presence1–6 of large amounts of dust in quasars and radio galaxies at redshifts z > 4 shows that some synthesis of heavy elements had already occurred at this time. This implies that molecular gas—the building material of stars—should also be present, as it is in galaxies at lower redshifts (z ≈ 2.5, refs 7–10). Here we report the detection of emission from dust and carbon monoxide in the radio-quiet quasar BR1202 – 0725, at redshift z = 4.69. Maps of these emissions reveal two objects, separated by a few arc seconds, which could indicate either the presence of a companion to the quasar or gravitational lensing of the quasar itself. Regardless of the precise interpretation of the maps, the detection of carbon monoxide confirms the presence of a large mass of molecular gas in one of the most distant galaxies known, and shows that conditions conducive to huge bursts of star formation existed in the very early Universe.
244 citations
01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) project as discussed by the authors was the first to map the entire sky in the J (1.13−1.37 νm), H (1,50−1,1.50 μm), and K s (2.00−2.32 μm) photometric bands to a 3σ limiting sensitivity of 17.1, 16.4 and 15.6 niag, respectively.
Abstract: Beginning in early 1997, the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) project will map the entire sky in the J (1.13–1.37 νm), H (1.50–1.50 μm), and K s (2.00–2.32 μm) photometric bands to a 3σ limiting sensitivity of 17.1, 16.4 and 15.6 niag, respectively. Often these flux limits are presented as 10σ values (15.8, 15.1, and 14.3 mag, respectively) since this flux level sets the point source completeness (0.99) and reliability (0.9995) regnirernents. The pixel size for the survey is 2.0“. The survey cameras (one for each hemisphere) each contain three NICMOS3 arrays which similtaneously image an 8.5’×8.5’ field in all three survey wavebands. The 1.3 ni survey telescopes scan steadily in declination at a rate of about one arcminute per second while the telescope secondary mirror tilts in the opposite direction to freeze the focal plane position on the sky. Subsequent frames overlap by 84% so that each pixel on the sky is exposed at six dithered positions relative to pixel centers. The frame exposure time is 1.3 seconds.
234 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared the UV properties of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs) and compared them to the rest-frame properties of high red-shift submillimeter and Lyman-break galaxies.
Abstract: In an effort to better understand the UV properties of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs), and compare them to the rest-frame UV properties of high redshift submillimeter and Lyman-break galaxies, we have obtained far- and near-UV imaging observations (λeff = 1457 and 2364 A, respectively) of two luminous infrared galaxies (LIGs-VV 114 and IC 883) and five ULIGs (IRAS 08572+3915, Mrk 273, IRAS 15250+3609, Arp 220, and IRAS 19254-7245) using the Hubble Space Telescope. All the galaxies were detected in both channels. UV light, both diffuse and from star clusters, can be traced to within the inner kiloparsec of the dominant near-IR nuclei. However, in general, the brightest UV sources are clearly displaced from the I-band and near-IR peaks by at least hundreds of parsecs. Furthermore, only 0.07%-7.3% of the total near-UV light is projected within the inner 500 pc radius, even though this is the same region where most of the bolometric energy is generated. All nuclei are highly obscured by dust. Even after correction for dust reddening, the global UV emission fails to account for the total bolometric luminosities of these systems by factors of 3-75. The discrepancy is much worse if only the central regions, where the bolometric luminosities are generated, are included. In two cases (VV 114 and IRAS 08572+3915), the merging companion galaxies are more prominent in the UV than the more IR luminous member. While all our galaxies show possible signatures of active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity, only IRAS 19254-7245 yields even a possible detection of an AGN in our UV images. Simple calculations show that all but one of our galaxies would be expected to drop below the detection thresholds of, e.g., the Hubble Deep Fields at redshifts between 1.5 and 3, and we find that ~2 of our five ULIGs would be selected as extremely red objects in this redshift range. A typical ULIG in our sample would be too faint to be detected at high redshift in the deepest current optical or submillimeter deep surveys. Only VV 114 has UV luminosity and color similar to Lyman-break galaxies at z ~ 3; the other galaxies would be too faint and/or red to be selected by current surveys. The low UV brightnesses of our ULIGs mean that they would not appear as optically bright (or bright ERO) submillimeter galaxy counterparts, although they might be similar to the fainter submillimeter galaxy counterparts.
222 citations