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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TL;DR: The most powerful radio galaxies are strong emitters in the far infrared as mentioned in this paper, which is consistent with recent results implying that the host galaxies of radio sources are not normal giant elliptical and that galaxy-galaxy interactions may power luminous radio sources.
Abstract: IRAS measurements at 25, 60, and 100 microns have been used to analyze the far-infrared properties of radio galaxies. Fifty-eight of the 131 objects surveyed were detected at the level of better than 300 mJy at 60 microns. The most powerful radio galaxies are strong emitters in the far infrared. Large infrared emission is shown to be correlated with the presence of strong emission lines in the optical spectra. The infrared colors of the strong radio galaxies are similar to those of Markarian Seyferts. The results are shown to be consistent with recent results implying that the host galaxies of radio sources are not normal giant ellipticals and that galaxy-galaxy interactions may power luminous radio sources. Finally, some similarities between powerful radio galaxies and powerful infrared galaxies are noted and briefly discussed.
114 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: In this paper, theoretical and observational views of star formation, spectroscopic constraints on the evolution of massive stars, very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, asteroseismology, globular clusters as tests of stellar evolution, observational tests, and mass loss from cool evolved giant stars.
Abstract: The present conference discusses theoretical and observational views of star formation, spectroscopic constraints on the evolution of massive stars, very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, asteroseismology, globular clusters as tests of stellar evolution, observational tests of stellar evolution, and mass loss from cool evolved giant stars. Also discussed are white dwarfs and hot subdwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, supernovae from single stars, close binaries with evolved components, accretion disks in interacting binaries, supernovae in binary systems, stellar evolution and galactic chemical evolution, and interacting binaries containing compact components.
110 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, Monte Carlo simulations of dusty spiral galaxies, modelled as bulge + disk systems, aimed to study their extinction and polarization properties are presented, showing that the effect of scattering is to reduce substantially the extinction for a given optical depth, in particular for what concerns the obscuration of bright bulge cores.
Abstract: We present Monte Carlo simulations of dusty spiral galaxies, modelled as bulge + disk systems, aimed to study their extinction and polarization properties. The extinction parameters (absorption and scattering) of dust grains are calculated from Mie's theory for a full distribution of sizes and materials; the radiation transfer is carried on for the four Stokes parameters. Photometric and polarimetric maps of galaxies of different optical depths, inclinations and bulge-to-total ratios have been produced in the B and I bandpasses. As expected, the effect of scattering is to reduce substantially the extinction for a given optical depth, in particular for what concerns the obscuration of bright bulge cores. For the same reason, scattering reduces also the reddening, as evaluated from B-I maps. On the other hand the bluing directly due to forward scattering is hardly appreciable. Radial color gradients are often found. A comparison with ``sandwich'' models shows that they fail dramatically to reproduce the extinction - optical depth relation. The degree of linear polarization produced by scattering is usually of the order of a few percent; it increases with optical depth, and with inclination (less than 80 degrees). The polarization pattern is always perpendicular to the major axis, unless the dust distribution is drastically modified. There is little local correlation between extinction and polarization degree and there is a trend of increasing polarization from the B to the I band. We discuss implications and relevance of the results for studies of the structure and morphology of spiral galaxies and of their interstellar medium.
107 citations
107 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe far-infrared observations of early-type galaxies selected from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) archive, which includes 39 giant elliptical galaxies and 14 S0 (or later) galaxies.
Abstract: We describe far-infrared observations of early-type galaxies selected from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) archive. This rather inhomogeneous sample includes 39 giant elliptical galaxies and 14 S0 (or later) galaxies. These galaxies were observed with the array photometer PHOT on-board the ISO satellite using a variety of different observing modes—sparse maps, mini-maps, oversampled maps, and single pointings—each of which requires different and often rather elaborate photometric reduction procedures. The ISO background data agree well with the COBE-DIRBE results to which we have renormalized our calibrations. As a further check, the ISO fluxes from galaxies at 60 and 100 μm agree very well with those previously observed with IRAS at these wavelengths. The spatial resolution of ISO is several times greater than that of IRAS, and the ISO observations extend out to 200 μm, which views a significantly greater mass of colder dust not assessable to IRAS. Most of the galaxies are essentially point sources at ISO resolution, but a few are clearly extended at FIR wavelengths with image sizes that increase with FIR wavelength. The integrated far-infrared luminosities do not correlate with optical luminosities, suggesting that the dust may have an external, merger-related origin. In general, the far-infrared spectral energy distributions can be modeled with dust at two temperatures, ~43 and ~20 K, which probably represent limits of a continuous range of temperatures. The colder dust component dominates the total mass of dust, 106-107 M⊙, which is typically more than 10 times larger than the dust masses previously estimated for the same galaxies using IRAS observations. For S0 galaxies we find that the optically normalized far-infrared luminosity LFIR/LB correlates strongly with the mid-infrared luminosity L15 μm/LB, but that correlation is weaker for elliptical galaxies.
105 citations