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The dust mass absorption coefficient, κd is the conversion function used to infer physical dust masses from observations of dust emission. However, it is notoriously poorly constrained, and it is highly uncertain how it varies, either between or within galaxies. Here we present the results of a proof-of-concept study, using the DustPedia data for two nearby face-on spiral galaxies M 74 (NGC 628) and M 83 (NGC 5236), to create the first ever maps of κd in galaxies. We determine κd using an empirical method that exploits the fact that the dust-to-metals ratio of the interstellar medium is constrained by direct measurements of the depletion of gas-phase metals. We apply this method pixel-by-pixel within M 74 and M 83, to create maps of κd. We also demonstrate a novel method of producing metallicity maps for galaxies with irregularly sampled measurements, using the machine learning technique of Gaussian process regression. We find strong evidence for significant variation in κd. We find values of κd at 500  |$\mu$| m spanning the range 0.11–0.25  |${\rm m^{2}\, kg^{-1}}$| in M 74, and 0.15–0.80  |${\rm m^{2}\, kg^{-1}}$| in M 83. Surprisingly, we find that κd shows a distinct inverse correlation with the local density of the interstellar medium. This inverse correlation is the opposite of what is predicted by standard dust models. However, we find this relationship to be robust against a large range of changes to our method – only the adoption of unphysical or highly unusual assumptions would be able to suppress it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. We compare the far-infrared to sub-millimetre dust emission properties measured in high Galactic latitude cirrus with those determined in a sample of 204 late-type DustPedia galaxies. The aim is to verify if it is appropriate to use Milky Way dust properties to derive dust masses in external galaxies. Methods. We used Herschel observations and atomic and molecular gas masses to estimate ϵ(250 μm), the disc-averaged dust emissivity at 250 μm, and from this, the absorption cross section per H atom σ(250 μm) and per dust mass κ(250 μm). The emissivity ϵ(250 μm) requires one assumption, which is the CO-to-H2 conversion factor, and the dust temperature is additionally required for σ(250 μm); yet another constraint on the dust-to-hydrogen ratio D/H, depending on metallicity, is required for κ(250 μm). Results. We find ϵ(250 μm) = 0.82 ± 0.07 MJy sr−1 (1020 H cm−2)−1 for galaxies with 4 <  F(250 μm)/F(500 μm) < 5. This depends only weakly on the adopted CO-to-H2 conversion factor. The value is almost the same as that for the Milky Way at the same colour ratio. Instead, for F(250 μm)/F(500 μm) > 6, ϵ(250 μm) is lower than predicted by its dependence on the heating conditions. The reduction suggests a variation in dust emission properties for spirals of earlier type, higher metallicity, and with a higher fraction of molecular gas. When the standard emission properties of Galactic cirrus are used for these galaxies, their dust masses might be underestimated by up to a factor of two. Values for σ(250 μm) and κ(250 μm) at the Milky Way metallicity are also close to those of the cirrus. Mild trends of the absorption cross sections with metallicity are found, although the results depend on the assumptions made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Within the framework of the DustPedia project we investigate the properties of cosmic dust and its interaction with stellar radiation (originating from different stellar populations) for 814 galaxies in the nearby Universe, all observed by the Herschel Space Observatory. Methods. We take advantage of the widely used fitting code CIGALE, properly adapted to include the state-of-the-art dust model THEMIS. For comparison purposes, an estimation of the dust properties is provided by approximating the emission at far-infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths with a modified blackbody. Using the DustPedia photometry we determine the physical properties of the galaxies, such as the dust and stellar mass, the star-formation rate, the bolometric luminosity, the unattenuated and the absorbed by dust stellar light, for both the old (> 200 Myr) and young (≤200 Myr) stellar populations. Results. We show how the mass of stars, dust, and atomic gas, as well as the star-formation rate and the dust temperature vary between galaxies of different morphologies and provide recipes to estimate these parameters given their Hubble stage (T). We find a mild correlation between the mass fraction of the small a-C(:H) grains with the specific star-formation rate. On average, young stars are very efficient in heating the dust, with absorption fractions reaching as high as ∼77% of the total unattenuated luminosity of this population. On the other hand, the maximum absorption fraction of old stars is ∼24%. Dust heating in early-type galaxies is mainly due to old stars, up to a level of ∼90%. Young stars progressively contribute more for "typical" spiral galaxies and they become the dominant source of dust heating for Sm-type and irregular galaxies, with ∼60% of their luminosity contributing to that purpose. Finally, we find a strong correlation of the dust heating fraction by young stars with morphology and the specific star-formation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of evolution in the dust-to-metal ratio allow us to constrain the dominant dust processing mechanisms. In this work, we present a study of the dust-to-metal and dust-to-gas ratios in a sub-sample of ~500 DustPedia galaxies. Using literature and MUSE emission line fluxes, we derived gas-phase metallicities (oxygen abundances) for over 10 000 individual regions and determine characteristic metallicities for each galaxy. We study how the relative dust, gas, and metal contents of galaxies evolve by using metallicity and gas fraction as proxies for evolutionary state. The global oxygen abundance and nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio are found to increase monotonically as galaxies evolve. Additionally, unevolved galaxies (gas fraction >60%, metallicity 12 + log(O∕H) < 8.2) have dust-to-metal ratios that are about a factor of 2.1 lower (a factor of six lower for galaxies with gas fraction >80%) than the typical dust-to-metal ratio (Md∕MZ ~ 0.214) for more evolved sources. However, for high gas fractions, the scatter is larger due to larger observational uncertainties as well as a potential dependence of the dust grain growth timescale and supernova dust yield on local conditions and star formation histories. We find chemical evolution models with a strong contribution from dust grain growth describe these observations reasonably well. The dust-to-metal ratio is also found to be lower for low stellar masses and high specific star formation rates (with the exception of some sources undergoing a starburst). Finally, the metallicity gradient correlates weakly with the HI-to-stellar mass ratio, the effective radius and the dust-to-stellar mass ratio, but not with stellar mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the wavelength dependence of the dust emission as a function of position and environment across the disk of M33 using Spitzer and Herschel photometric data. M33 is a Local Group spiral with slightly subsolar metallicity, which makes it an ideal stepping-stone to less regular and lower-metallicity objects such as dwarf galaxies and, probably, young-universe objects. Expressing the emissivity of the dust as a power law, the power-law exponent (ß) was estimated from two independent approaches designed to properly treat the degeneracy between ß and the dust temperature (T). Both ß and T are higher in the inner than in the outer disk, contrary to reported ß - T anti-correlations found in other sources. In the cold + warm dust model, the warm component and the ionized gas (Ha) have a very similar distribution across the galaxy, demonstrating that the model separates the components in an appropriate way. Both cold- and warm-dust column densities are high in star-forming regions and reach their maxima toward the giant star-forming complexes NGC 604 and NGC595. ß declines from close to 2 in the center to about 1.3 in the outer disk. ß is positively correlated with star formation and with the molecular gas column, as traced by the Ha and CO emission. The lower dust-emissivity index in the outer parts of M33 is most likely related to the reduced metallicity (different grain composition) and possibly to a different size distribution. It is not due to the decrease in stellar radiation field or temperature in a simple way because the far-infrared-bright regions in the outer disk also have a low ß. Like most spirals, M33 has a (decreasing) radial gradient in star formation and molecular-to-atomic gas ratio such that the regions bright in Ha or CO tend to trace the inner disk, which makes it difficult to distinguish between their effects on the dust. The assumption of a constant emissivity index ß is obviously not appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Within the framework of the Herschel M 33 extended survey HerM33es and in combination with multi-wavelength data we study the spectral energy distribution (SED) of a set of H II regions in the Local Group galaxy M 33 as a function of the morphology. We analyse the emission distribution in regions with different morphologies and present models to infer the Ha emission measure observed for H II regions with well defined morphology. Methods. We present a catalogue of 119 Hu regions morphologically classified: 9 filled, 47 mixed, 36 shell, and 27 clear shell H ii regions. For each object we extracted the photometry at twelve available wavelength bands, covering a wide wavelength range from FUV-1516 Å (GALEX) to IR-250 pm (Herschel), and we obtained the SED for each object. We also obtained emission line profiles in vertical and horizontal directions across the regions to study the location of the stellar, ionised gas, and dust components. We constructed a simple geometrical model for the clear shell regions, whose properties allowed us to infer the electron density of these regions. Results. We find trends for the SEDs related to the morphology of the regions, showing that the star and gas-dust configuration affects the ratios of the emission in different bands. The mixed and filled regions show higher emission at 24 µm, corresponding to warm dust, than the shells and clear shells. This could be due to the proximity of the dust to the stellar clusters in the case of filled and mixed regions. The far-JR peak for shells and clear shells seems to be located towards longer wavelengths, indicating that the dust is colder for this type of object. The logarithmic 100 µm/7O µm ratio for filled and mixed regions remains constant over one order of magnitude in Ha and FUV surface brightness, while the shells and clear shells exhibit a wider range of values of almost two orders of magnitude. We derive dust masses and dust temperatures for each H LI region by fitting the individual SEDs with dust models proposed in the literature. The derived dust mass range is between 102-104 M⊙ and the cold dust temperature spans Tcold ~ 12-27K. The spherical geometrical model proposed for the Ha clear shells is confirmed by the emission profile obtained from the observations and is used to infer the electron density within the envelope: the typical electron density is 0.7 ± 0.3 cm-3, while filled regions can reach values that are two to five times higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. We study the dust content of a large optical input sample of 910 early-type galaxies (ETG) in the Virgo cluster, also extending to the dwarf ETG, and examine the results in relation to those on the other cold ISM components. Methods. We have searched for far-infrared emission in all galaxies in the input sample using the 250 μm image of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS). This image covers a large fraction of the cluster with an area of ∼55 square degrees. For the detected ETG we measured fluxes in five bands from 100 to 500 μm, and estimated the dust mass and temperature with modified black-body fits. Results. Dust is detected above the completeness limit of 25.4 mJy at 250 μm in 46 ETG, 43 of which are in the optically complete part of the input sample. In addition, dust is present at fainter levels in another six ETG. We detect dust in the four ETG with synchrotron emission, including M 87. Dust appears to be much more concentrated than stars and more luminous ETG have higher dust temperatures. Considering only the optically complete input sample and correcting for the contamination by background galaxies, dust detection rates down to the 25.4 mJy limit are 17% for ellipticals, about 40% for lenticulars (S0 + S0a), and around 3% for dwarf ETG. Dust mass does not correlate clearly with stellar mass and is often much greater than expected for a passive galaxy in a closedbox model. The dust-to-stars mass ratio anticorrelates with galaxy luminosity, and for some dwarf ETG reaches values as high as for dusty late-type galaxies. In the Virgo cluster slow rotators appear more likely to contain dust than fast ones. Comparing the dust results with those on Hi there are only eight ETG detected both in dust and in Hi in the HeViCS area; 39 have dust but only an upper limit on Hi, and eight have Hi but only an upper limit on dust. The locations of these galaxies in the cluster are different, with the dusty ETG concentrated in the densest regions, while the Hi rich ETG are at the periphery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Herschel Space Telescope observations of the nearby Fornax cluster at 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 µm with a spatial resolution of 7-36 arcsec (10 arcsec 1 kpc at dFornax = 17.9Mpc). We define a sample of 11 bright galaxies, selected at 500 µm, that can be directly compared with our past work on the Virgo cluster. We check and compare our results with previous observations made by IRAS and Planck, finding good agreement. The far-infrared luminosity density is higher, by about a factor of 3, in Fornax compared toVirgo, consistent with the higher number density of galaxies. The 100 µm (42.5-122.5 µm) luminosity is two orders of magnitude larger in Fornax than in the local field as measured by IRAS.We calculate stellar (L0.4-2.5) and far-infrared (L100-500) luminosities for each galaxy and use these to estimate a mean optical depth of t = 0.4 ± 0.1 - the same value as we previously found for Virgo cluster galaxies. For 10 of the 11 galaxies (NGC 1399 excepted), we fit a modified blackbody curve (ß = 2.0) to our observed flux densities to derive dust masses and temperatures of 106.54-8.35 M... and T =14.6-24.2 K, respectively, values comparable to those found for Virgo. The derived stars-to-gas(atomic) and gas(atomic)-to-dust ratios vary from 1.1-67.6 to 9.8-436.5, respectively, again broadly consistent with values for Virgo. Fornax is a mass overdensity in stars and dust of about 120 when compared to the local field (30 for Virgo). Fornax and Virgo are both a factor of 6 lower overdensities in gas(atomic) than in stars and dust indicating loss of gas, but not dust and stars, in the cluster environment. We consider in more detail two of the sample galaxies. As the brightest source in either Fornax or Virgo, NGC 1365 is also detected by Planck. The Planck data fit the PACS/SPIRE spectral energy distribution out to 1382 µm with no evidence of other sources of emission ('spinning dust', free-free, synchrotron). At the opposite end of the scale, NGC 1399 is detected only at 500 µm with the emission probably arising from the nuclear radio source rather than interstellar dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We report results from a large molecular line survey of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs; [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of the open-time key program "Herschel M33 extended survey (HerM33es)", we study the far-infrared emission from the nearby spiral galaxyM33 in order to investigate the physical properties of the dust such as its temperature and luminosity density across the galaxy. Taking advantage of the unique wavelength coverage (100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm) of the Herschel Space Observatory and complementing our dataset with Spitzer-IRAC 5.8 and 8 μm and Spitzer-MIPS 24 and 70 μm data, we construct temperature and luminosity density maps by fitting two modified blackbodies of a fixed emissivity index of 1.5. We find that the "cool" dust grains are heated to temperatures of between 11 K and 28 K, with the lowest temperatures being found in the outskirts of the galaxy and the highest ones both at the center and in the bright HII regions. The infrared/submillimeter total luminosity (5-1000 μm) is estimated to be 1.9 × 109 +4.0×108 -4.4×108 L☉. Fifty-nine percent of the total infrared/submillimeter luminosity of the galaxy is produced by the "cool" dust grains (∼15K), while the remaining 41% is produced by "warm" dust grains (∼55K). The ratio of the cool-to-warm dust luminosity is close to unity (within the computed uncertainties), throughout the galaxy, with the luminosity of the cool dust being slightly higher at the center than the outer parts of the galaxy. Decomposing the emission of the dust into two components (one emitted by the diffuse disk of the galaxy and one emitted by the spiral arms), we find that the fraction of the emission from the disk in the mid-infrared (24 μm) is 21%, while it gradually rises up to 57% in the submillimeter (500 μm).We find that the bulk of the luminosity comes from the spiral arm network that produces 70% of the total luminosity of the galaxy with the rest coming from the diffuse dust disk. The "cool" dust inside the disk is heated to temperatures in a narrow range between 18 K and 15 K (going from the center to the outer parts of the galaxy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power spectra of deprojected images of late-type galaxies in gas or dust emission are very useful diagnostics of the dynamics and stability of their interstellar medium. Previous studies have shown that the power spectra can be approximated as two power laws, a shallow one on large scales (larger than 500 pc) and a steeper one on small scales, with the break between the two corresponding to the line-of-sight thickness of the galaxy disk. The break separates the 3D behavior of the interstellar medium on small scales, controlled by star formation and feedback, from the 2D behavior on large scales, driven by density waves in the disk. The break between these two regimes depends on the thickness of the plane, which is determined by the natural self-gravitating scale of the interstellar medium. We present a thorough analysis of the power spectra of the dust and gas emission at several wavelengths in the nearby galaxy M 33. In particular, we use the recently obtained images at five wavelengths by PACS and SPIRE onboard Herschel. The wide dynamical range (2-3 dex in scale) of most images allows us to clearly determine the change in slopes from -1.5 to -4, with some variations with wavelength. The break scale increases with wavelength from 100 pc at 24 and 100 μm to 350 pc at 500 μm, suggesting that the cool dust lies in a thicker disk than the warm dust, perhaps because of star formation that is more confined to the plane. The slope on small scales tends to be steeper at longer wavelength, meaning that the warmer dust is more concentrated in clumps. Numerical simulations of an isolated late-type galaxy, rich in gas and with no bulge, such as M 33, are carried out to better interpret these observed results. Varying the star formation and feedback parameters, it is possible to obtain a range of power spectra, with two power-law slopes and breaks, that nicely bracket the data. The small-scale power-law does indeed reflect the 3D behavior of the gas layer, steepening strongly while the feedback smoothes the structures by increasing the gas turbulence. M 33 appears to correspond to a fiducial model with an SFR of ∼0.7 M☉/yr, with 10% supernovae energy coupled to the gas kinematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of evolution in the dust-to-metal ratio allow us to constrain the dominant dust processing mechanisms. In this work, we present a study of the dust-to-metal and dust-to-gas ratios in a sub-sample of ~500 DustPedia galaxies. Using literature and MUSE emission line fluxes, we derived gas-phase metallicities (oxygen abundances) for over 10 000 individual regions and determine characteristic metallicities for each galaxy. We study how the relative dust, gas, and metal contents of galaxies evolve by using metallicity and gas fraction as proxies for evolutionary state. The global oxygen abundance and nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio are found to increase monotonically as galaxies evolve. Additionally, unevolved galaxies (gas fraction >60%, metallicity 12 + log(O∕H) < 8.2) have dust-to-metal ratios that are about a factor of 2.1 lower (a factor of six lower for galaxies with gas fraction >80%) than the typical dust-to-metal ratio (Md∕MZ ~ 0.214) for more evolved sources. However, for high gas fractions, the scatter is larger due to larger observational uncertainties as well as a potential dependence of the dust grain growth timescale and supernova dust yield on local conditions and star formation histories. We find chemical evolution models with a strong contribution from dust grain growth describe these observations reasonably well. The dust-to-metal ratio is also found to be lower for low stellar masses and high specific star formation rates (with the exception of some sources undergoing a starburst). Finally, the metallicity gradient correlates weakly with the HI-to-stellar mass ratio, the effective radius and the dust-to-stellar mass ratio, but not with stellar mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]