Radio Properties of Infrared-selected Galaxies in the IRAS 2 Jy Sample

TLDR: In this article, the radio counterparts to the IRAS Redshift Survey galaxies are identified in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) catalog, and their radio and far-IR properties of galaxies in the local volume are used directly to infer the extinction-free star formation rate.

Abstract: The radio counterparts to the IRAS Redshift Survey galaxies are identified in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) catalog. Our new catalog of the IR flux-limited (S60 μm ≥ 2 Jy) complete sample of 1809 galaxies lists accurate radio positions, redshifts, and 1.4 GHz radio and IRAS fluxes. This sample is 6 times larger in size and 5 times deeper in redshift coverage (to z ≈ 0.15) than those used in earlier studies of the radio and far-IR (FIR) properties of galaxies in the local volume. The well-known radio-FIR correlation is obeyed by the overwhelming majority (≥98%) of the IR-selected galaxies, and the radio AGNs identified by their excess radio emission constitute only about 1% of the sample, independent of the IR luminosity. These FIR-selected galaxies can account for the entire population of late-type field galaxies in the local volume, and their radio continuum may be used directly to infer the extinction-free star formation rate in most cases. Both the 1.4 GHz radio and 60 μm IR luminosity functions are reasonably well described by linear sums of two Schechter functions, one representing normal, late-type field galaxies and the other representing starbursts and other luminous IR galaxies. The integrated FIR luminosity density for the local volume is (4.8 ± 0.5) × 107 L☉ Mpc-3, less than 10% of which is contributed by the luminous IR galaxies with LFIR ≥ 1011 L☉. The inferred extinction-free star formation density for the local volume is 0.015 ± 0.005 M☉ yr-1 Mpc-3.