1. The far infra-red SEDs of main sequence and starburst galaxies
- Author
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Cedric G. Lacey, W. I. Cowley, Matthieu Béthermin, Carlton M. Baugh, Shaun Cole, Claudia del P. Lagos, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC), Durham University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES), and Astronomy
- Subjects
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO) ,Radio galaxy ,[SDU.ASTR.CO]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.CO] ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,education ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Astrophysics ,SPECTRAL ENERGY-DISTRIBUTIONS ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,Galaxy merger ,complex mixtures ,01 natural sciences ,STAR-FORMATION EFFICIENCY ,Peculiar galaxy ,infrared: galaxies ,0103 physical sciences ,galaxies: formation ,Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics ,Brightest cluster galaxy ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,Lenticular galaxy ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics ,Luminous infrared galaxy ,Physics ,MASS FUNCTION ,FORMING GALAXIES ,SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES ,010308 nuclear & particles physics ,DARK-MATTER MODEL ,Astronomy ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies ,Galaxy ,respiratory tract diseases ,LYMAN-BREAK GALAXIES ,Space and Planetary Science ,STELLAR POPULATION SYNTHESIS ,LUMINOSITY FUNCTION ,Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) ,Elliptical galaxy ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,[SDU.ASTR.GA]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.GA] ,galaxies: evolution ,INTERSTELLAR DUST ,Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics - Abstract
We compare observed far infra-red/sub-millimetre (FIR/sub-mm) galaxy spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of massive galaxies ($M_{\star}\gtrsim10^{10}$ $h^{-1}$M$_{\odot}$) derived through a stacking analysis with predictions from a new model of galaxy formation. The FIR SEDs of the model galaxies are calculated using a self-consistent model for the absorption and re-emission of radiation by interstellar dust based on radiative transfer calculations and global energy balance arguments. Galaxies are selected based on their position on the specific star formation rate (sSFR) - stellar mass ($M_{\star}$) plane. We identify a main sequence of star-forming galaxies in the model, i.e. a well defined relationship between sSFR and $M_\star$, up to redshift $z\sim6$. The scatter of this relationship evolves such that it is generally larger at higher stellar masses and higher redshifts. There is remarkable agreement between the predicted and observed average SEDs across a broad range of redshifts ($0.5\lesssim z\lesssim4$) for galaxies on the main sequence. However, the agreement is less good for starburst galaxies at $z\gtrsim2$, selected here to have elevated sSFRs$>10\times$ the main sequence value. We find that the predicted average SEDs are robust to changing the parameters of our dust model within physically plausible values. We also show that the dust temperature evolution of main sequence galaxies in the model is driven by star formation on the main sequence being more burst-dominated at higher redshifts., 20 pages, 13 figures. Accepted to MNRAS
- Published
- 2017