Search

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission has long been proposed to be a potential star formation rate indicator, as it arises from the photodissociation region bordering the Strömgren sphere of young, massive stars. We apply a recently developed technique of mid-infrared spectral decomposition to obtain a uniform set of PAH measurements from Spitzer low-resolution spectra of a large sample of star-forming galaxies spanning a wide range in stellar mass (M⋆ ≈ 106–1011.4M⊙) and star formation rate (∼0.1–2000 M⊙ yr−1). High-resolution spectra are also analyzed to measure [Ne ii] 12.8 μm and [Ne iii] 15.6 μm, which effectively trace the Lyman continuum. We present a new relation between PAH luminosity and star formation rate based on the [Ne ii] and [Ne iii] lines. Calibrations are given for the integrated 5–15 μm PAH emission, the individual features at 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 μm, as well as several mid-infrared bandpasses sensitive to PAH. We confirm that PAH emission is suppressed in low-mass dwarf galaxies, and we discuss the possible physical origin of this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interstellar medium is a key ingredient that governs star formation in galaxies. We present a detailed study of the infrared (∼1–500 μm) spectral energy distributions of a large sample of 193 nearby () luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) covering a wide range of evolutionary stages along the merger sequence. The entire sample has been observed uniformly by 2MASS, WISE, Spitzer, and Herschel. We perform a multicomponent decomposition of the spectra to derive physical parameters of the interstellar medium, including the intensity of the interstellar radiation field and the mass and luminosity of the dust. We also constrain the presence and strength of nuclear dust heated by active galactic nuclei. The radiation field of LIRGs tends to have much higher intensity than that of quiescent galaxies, and it increases toward advanced merger stages as a result of the central concentration of the interstellar medium and star formation. The total gas mass is derived from the dust mass and the galaxy stellar mass. We find that the gas fraction of LIRGs is on average ∼0.3 dex higher than that of main-sequence star-forming galaxies, rising moderately toward advanced merger stages. All LIRGs have star formation rates that place them above the galaxy star formation main sequence. Consistent with recent observations and numerical simulations, the global star formation efficiency of the sample spans a wide range, filling the gap between normal star-forming galaxies and extreme starburst systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interstellar dust spans a wide range in size distribution, ranging from ultrasmall grains of a few Ångströms to micrometer-size grains. While the presence of nanometer-size dust grains in the Galactic interstellar medium was speculated six decades ago and was previously suggested based on early infrared observations, systematic and direct analysis of their properties over a wide range of environments has been lacking. Here we report the detection of nanometer-size dust grains that appear to be universally present in a wide variety of astronomical environments, from Galactic high-latitude clouds to nearby star-forming galaxies and galaxies with low levels of nuclear activity. The prevalence of such a grain population is revealed conclusively as prominent mid-infrared continuum emission at λ ≲ 10 μm seen in the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph data, characterized by temperatures of ∼300–400 K that are significantly higher than the equilibrium temperatures of common, submicron-size grains in typical galactic environments. We propose that the optimal carriers of this pervasive, featureless hot dust component are very small carbonaceous (e.g., graphite) grains of nanometer size that are transiently heated by single-photon absorption. This grain population accounts for ∼1.4% of the total infrared emission at ∼5–3000 μm and ∼0.4% of the total interstellar dust mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new method to decompose the emission features of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from mid-infrared spectra using theoretical PAH templates in conjunction with modified blackbody components for the dust continuum and an extinction term. The primary goal is to obtain robust measurements of the PAH features, which are sensitive to the star formation rate, in a variety of extragalactic environments. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique, starting with the simplest Galactic high-latitude clouds to extragalactic systems of ever-increasing complexity, from normal star-forming galaxies to low-luminosity active galaxies, quasars, and heavily obscured infrared-luminous galaxies. In addition to providing accurate measurements of the PAH emission, including the upper limits thereof, our fits can reproduce reasonably well the overall continuum shape and constrain the line-of-sight extinction. Our new PAH line flux measurements differ systematically and significantly from those of previous methods by ∼15% to as much as a factor of ∼6. The decomposed PAH spectra show remarkable similarity among different systems, suggesting a uniform set of conditions responsible for their excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interstellar medium is crucial to understanding the physics of active galaxies and the coevolution between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. However, direct gas measurements are limited by sensitivity and other uncertainties. Dust provides an efficient indirect probe of the total gas. We apply this technique to a large sample of quasars, whose total gas content would be prohibitively expensive to measure. We present a comprehensive study of the full (1 to 500 μm) infrared spectral energy distributions of 87 redshift <0.5 quasars selected from the Palomar-Green sample, using photometric measurements from 2MASS, WISE, and Herschel, combined with Spitzer mid-infrared (5–40 μm) spectra. With a newly developed Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting method, we decompose various overlapping contributions to the integrated spectral energy distribution, including starlight, warm dust from the torus, and cooler dust on galaxy scales. This procedure yields a robust dust mass, which we use to infer the gas mass, using a gas-to-dust ratio constrained by the host galaxy stellar mass. Most (90%) quasar hosts have gas fractions similar to those of massive, star-forming galaxies, although a minority (10%) seem genuinely gas-deficient, resembling present-day massive early-type galaxies. This result indicates that “quasar mode” feedback does not occur or is ineffective in the host galaxies of low-redshift quasars. We also find that quasars can boost the interstellar radiation field and heat dust on galactic scales. This cautions against the common practice of using the far-infrared luminosity to estimate the host galaxy star formation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]