arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A. Alonso-Herrero.
We use the source counts measured with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) at 24, 70, and 160 microns to determine the 5-sigma confusion limits due to extragalactic sources: 56 micro-Jy, 3.2 and 40 mJy at 24, 70 and 160 microns, respectively. We also make predictions for confusion limits for a number of proposed far infrared missions of larger aperture (3.5 to 10m diameter).
We present sub-millimeter statistical detections of galaxies discovered in the 5'x5' Spitzer Early Release Observations (to 4-15 microJy 5 sigma at 3.6-8 microns, 170 microJy at 24 microns) through a stacking analysis of our reanalysed SCUBA 8mJy survey maps, and a Spitzer identification of a new sub-millimeter point source in the 8mJy survey region. For sources detected at 5.8 or 8 microns (154 and 111 sources respectively), we detect positive skews in the sub-millimeter flux distributions at 99.2-99.8% confidence using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, at both 850 microns and 450 microns. We also marginally detect the Spitzer 24 micron galaxies at 850 microns at 97% confidence, and place limits on the mean sub-millimeter fluxes of the 3.6 and 4.5 micron sources. Integrating the sub-millimeter fluxes of the Spitzer populations, we find the 5.8 micron galaxies contribute 0.12 +/- 0.05 nW/m^2/sr to the 850 micron background, and 2.4 +/- 0.7 nW/m^2/sr to the 450 micron background; similar contributions are made by the 8 micron-selected sample. We infer that the populations dominating the 5.8 and 8 micron extragalactic background light also contribute around a quarter of the 850 micron background and the majority of the 450 micron background.
Galaxy source counts in the infrared provide strong constraints on the evolution of the bolometric energy output from distant galaxy populations. We present the results from deep 24 micron imaging from Spitzer surveys, which include approximately 50,000 sources to an 80% completeness of 60 uJy. The 24 micron counts rapidly rise at near-Euclidean rates down to 5 mJy, increase with a super-Euclidean rate between 0.4 - 4 mJy, and converge below 0.3 mJy. The 24 micron counts exceed expectations from non-evolving models by a factor >10 at 0.1 mJy. The peak in the differential number counts corresponds to a population of faint sources that is not expected from predictions based on 15 micron counts from ISO. We argue that this implies the existence of a previously undetected population of infrared-luminous galaxies at z ~ 1-3. Integrating the counts to 60 uJy, we derive a lower limit on the 24 micron background intensity of 1.9 +/- 0.6 nW m-2 sr-1 of which the majority (~ 60%) stems from sources fainter than 0.4 mJy. Extrapolating to fainter flux densities, sources below 60 uJy contribute 0.8 {+0.9/-0.4} nW m-2 sr-1 to the background, which provides an estimate of the total 24 micron background of 2.7 {+1.1/-0.7} nW m-2 sr-1.
We investigate Extremely Red Objects (EROs) using near- and mid-infrared observations in five passbands (3.6 to 24 micron) obtained from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and deep ground-based R and K imaging. The great sensitivity of the IRAC camera allows us to detect 64 EROs in only 12 minutes of IRAC exposure time, by means of an R-[3.6] color cut (analogous to the traditional red R-K cut). A pure infrared K-[3.6] red cut detects a somewhat different population and may be more effective at selecting z > 1.3 EROs. We find 17% of all galaxies detected by IRAC at 3.6 or 4.5 micron to be EROs. These percentages rise to about 40% at 5.8 micron, and about 60% at 8.0 micron. We utilize the spectral bump at 1.6 micron to divide the EROs into broad redshift slices using only near-infrared colors (2.2/3.6/4.5 micron). We conclude that two-thirds of all EROs lie at redshift z > 1.3. Detections at 24 micron imply that at least 11% of 0.6 < z < 1.3 EROs and at least 22% of z > 1.3 EROs are dusty star-forming galaxies.
We examine the spatial offsets between X-ray point sources and star clusters in three starburst galaxies. We find that the X-ray sources are preferentially located near the star clusters. Because the star clusters are very good tracers of the star formation activity in the galaxies, this indicates that the X-ray sources are young objects associated with current star formation. We find significant displacements of the X-ray sources from the clusters. These displacements are likely due to motion of the X-ray sources and indicates that they are X-ray binaries. We find that brighter X-ray sources preferentially occur closer to clusters. The absence of very bright sources at large displacements from clusters may help constrain models of the sources.
We present the optical and near-infrared luminosity and mass functions of the local star-forming galaxies in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid Survey. A bivariate method which explicitly deals with the Halpha selection of the survey is used when estimating these functions. Total stellar masses have been calculated on a galaxy-by-galaxy basis taking into account differences in star formation histories. The main difference between the luminosity distributions of the UCM sample and the luminosity functions of the local galaxy population is a lower normalization (phi^*), indicating a lower global volume density of UCM galaxies. The typical near-infrared luminosity (L^*) of local star-forming galaxies is fainter than that of normal galaxies. This is a direct consequence of the lower stellar masses of our objects. However, at optical wavelengths (B and r) the luminosity enhancement arising from the young stars leads to M^* values that are similar to those of normal galaxies. The fraction of the total optical and near infrared luminosity density in the local Universe associated with star-forming galaxies is 10-20%. Fitting the total stellar mass function using a Schechter parametrization we obtain alpha=-1.15+/-0.15, log({M}^*)=10.82+/-0.17 Msun and log(phi^*)=-3.04+/-0.20 Mpc^{-3}. This gives an integrated total stellar mass density of 10^{7.83+/-0.07} Msun Mpc^{-3} in local star-forming galaxies (H_0=70 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}, Omega_M=0.3, Lambda=0.7). The volume-averaged burst strength of the UCM galaxies is b=0.04+/-0.01, defined as the ratio of the mass density of stars formed in recent bursts (age<10 Myr) to the total stellar mass density in UCM galaxies. Finally, we derive that, in the local Universe, (13+/-3)% of the total baryon mass density in the form of stars is associated with star-forming galaxies.
We report the results of our ongoing search for extincted supernovae (SNe) at near-infrared wavelengths. We have monitored at 2.2 micron a sample of 46 Luminous Infrared Galaxies and detected 4 SNe. The number of detections is still small but sufficient to provide the first estimate of supernova rate at near-infrared wavelengths. We measure a SN rate ofv 7.6+/-3.8 SNu which is an order of magnitude larger than observed in quiescent galaxies. On the other hand, the observed near-infrared rate is still a factor 3-10 smaller than that estimated from the far-infrared luminosity of the galaxies. Among various possibilities, the most likely scenario is that dust extinction is so high (Av>30) to obscure most SNe even in the near-IR. The role of type Ia SNe is also discussed within this context. We derive the type Ia SN rate as a function of the stellar mass of the galaxy and find a sharp increase toward galaxies with higher activity of star formation. This suggests that a significant fraction of type Ia SNe are associated with young stellar populations. Finally, as a by-product, we give the average K-band light curve of core-collapse SNe based on all the existing data, and review the relation between SN rate and far-infrared luminosity.
We present an analysis of the integrated properties of the stellar populations in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid Survey of Halpha-selected galaxies. In this paper, the first of a series, we describe in detail the techniques developed to model star-forming galaxies using a mixture of stellar populations, and taking into account the observational uncertainties. We assume a recent burst of star formation superimposed on a more evolved population. The effects of the nebular continuum, line emission and dust attenuation are taken into account. We also test different model assumptions including the choice of specific evolutionary synthesis model, initial mass function, star formation scenario and the treatment of dust extinction. Quantitative tests are applied to determine how well these models fit our multi-wavelength observations for the UCM sample. Our observations span the optical and near infrared, including both photometric and spectroscopic data. Our results indicate that extinction plays a key role in this kind of studies, revealing that low- and high-extinction objects may require very different extinction laws and must be treated differently. We also demonstrate that the UCM Survey galaxies are best described by a short burst of star formation occurring within a quiescent galaxy, rather than by continuous star formation. A detailed discussion on the inferred parameters, such as the age, burst strength, metallicity, star formation rate, extinction and total stellar mass for individual objects, is presented in paper II of this series.
We present the integrated properties of the stellar populations in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid Survey galaxies. Applying the techniques described in the first paper of this series, we derive ages, burst masses and metallicities of the newly-formed stars in our sample galaxies. The population of young stars is responsible for the Halpha emission used to detect the objects in the UCM Survey. We also infer total stellar masses and star formation rates in a consistent way taking into account the evolutionary history of each galaxy. We find that an average UCM galaxy has a total stellar mass of ~1E10 Msun, of which about 5% has been formed in an instantaneous burst occurred about 5 Myr ago, and sub-solar metallicity. Less than 10% of the sample shows massive starbursts involving more than half of the total mass of the galaxy. Several correlations are found among the derived properties. The burst strength is correlated with the extinction and with the integrated optical colours for galaxies with low obscuration. The current star formation rate is correlated with the gas content. A stellar mass-metallicity relation is also found. Our analysis indicates that the UCM Survey galaxies span a broad range in properties between those of galaxies completely dominated by current/recent star formation and those of normal quiescent spirals. We also find evidence indicating that star-formation in the local universe is dominated by galaxies considerably less massive than L*.
We present HST/NICMOS observations of a sample of LIRGs. We show that active star formation appears to be occurring not only in the bright nuclei of these galaxies, but also in luminous super-star clusters and giant HII regions with ages of up to 20-40Myr. This population of bright clusters and HII regions is unprecedented in normal galaxies and emphasizes the effects of the extreme star formation in LIRGs.
The [OII]3727 emission line is frequently used as an indicator of the star formation rate (SFR) despite its complex dependence on metallicity and excitation conditions. We have analysed the properties of the [OII] and Halpha emission lines for a complete sample of local Halpha-selected galaxies, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) survey. We find a large scatter in the [OII]/Halpha line ratios, although the scatter in the extinction-corrected [OII]^0/Halpha^0 ratio is considerably smaller. We also find that the [OII]/Halpha ratios are reasonably well correlated with the absolute B- and K-band magnitudes and with EW([OII]). However, the extinction-corrected [OII]^0/Halpha^0 ratio is largely independent of these quantities, indicating that extinction is the main driver of the correlations. These correlations allow us to statistically predict--with varying degrees of accuracy--the observed and extinction-corrected Halpha fluxes from the observed [OII] flux using the information contained in EW([OII]) and/or the absolute magnitudes, but extreme caution is needed to make sure that the sample selection effects are correctly taken into account.
We use a large, heterogeneous sample of local active galactic nuclei (AGN) that includes Seyfert 1s, Seyfert 2s and PG quasars to investigate for the first time the relation between black hole mass (M_BH) and mid-infrared nuclear emission. We find a clear relation between M_BH and the 10 micron nuclear luminosity for these local AGNs. There are no significant differences between type 1 and type 2 objects, implying that the reprocessing of the 10 micron nuclear emission is not severely affected by geometric and optical depth effects. We also confirm that M_BH is related to the 2-10keV X-ray luminosity, but only for the Compton thin galaxies. We present a theoretical basis for these empirical relations and discuss possible reasons for the observed scatter. Our results show that rest-frame 10 micron and hard X-ray luminosities (especially the former, which is applicable to all AGN types) can be powerful tools for conducting a census of black hole masses at high redshift and for probing their cosmological evolution.
We present a detailed analysis of high-resolution Chandra observations of the merger system NGC3256, the most IR luminous galaxy in the nearby universe. The X-ray data show that several discrete sources embedded in complex diffuse emission contribute ~>20 of the total emission (L_x^tot ~8E41 ergs/s in the 0.5-10 keV energy range). The compact sources are hard and extremely bright and their emission is probably dominated by accretion driven processes. Both galaxy nuclei are detected with L_x ~3-10E40 ergs/s. No evidence is found for the presence of an active nucleus in the southern nucleus, contrary to previous speculation. Once the discrete sources are removed, the diffuse component has a soft spectrum which can be modelled by the superposition of 3 thermal plasma components with temperatures kT = 0.6, 0.9 and 3.9 keV. Alternatively, the latter component can be described as a power-law with index Gamma ~3. Some evidence is found for a radial gradient of the amount of absorption and temperature of the diffuse component. We compare the X-ray emission with optical, Halpha and NICMOS images of NGC3256 and find a good correlation between the inferred optical/near-IR and X-ray extinctions. Although Inverse Compton scattering could be important in explaining the hard X-rays seen in the compact sources associated with the nuclei, the observed diffuse emission is probably of thermal origin. The observed X-ray characteristics support a scenario in which the powerful X-ray emission is driven solely by the current episode of star formation.
One of the most popular explanations for the so-called alignment effect in high redshift (z>0.7) radio galaxies is the scattering by dust of the hidden quasar light. As shown by De Young (1998) a problem with the dust scattering model is that the short destruction time-scale for dust grains means that they will not survive the passage of the radio jet. We investigate the survival of dust in the extended ionised gas of nearby active galaxies with jet/gas interactions. We discuss the implications on the alignment effect of high redshift (>0.7) radio galaxies. We conclude that although shocks are likely to destroy dust grains in regions of interaction, dust might survive in enough quantities to scatter light from the active nucleus and produce alignment between scattered light and the radio structures. We propose an observational test to investigate the existence of dust in shocked regions based on the sensitivity of calcium to depletion onto dust grains.
JHKL'M (1-5 micron) imaging of a sample of Seyfert (Sy) 2 galaxies is presented. We confirm that the 1-2.2 micron nuclear continuum of some Sy 2s is dominated by stellar emission, whereas the continuum emission at longer wavelengths (3-5 micron) is almost entirely non-stellar in origin. The IR non-stellar spectral energy distributions (SED) (up to 15 micron) of Sy galaxies show a variety of shapes, and they are well reproduced with the tapered disk models of Efstathiou & Rowan-Robinson (1995). We have used two models, one including an optically thin cone component and a coneless model. Although our modelling of the SEDs does not allow us to favor either model to account for all the observed SEDs, we find that the viewing angle towards the central source is well constrained by both models. We have also investigated non-stellar color-color diagrams. The colors of the Sy galaxies with viewing angles theta < 30 degree are better reproduced with the cone model. These diagrams provide a good means to separate Sy 2s with moderate obscuration (A_V < 20 mag, from hard X-ray observations) from those with high obscuration. The ground-based 4.8 micron and ISO 9.6 micron luminosities are well correlated with the hard X-ray luminosities of Sy 1s and 2s. These continuum emissions appear as a good indicator of the AGN luminosity, at least in the cases of hard X-ray Compton-thin Sy galaxies. We finally stress the finding that some Compton thick galaxies show bright non-stellar emission at 5 micron. This suggests that the near-IR emission in Sys is produced in an extended component illuminated by the central source, that is more visible from all viewing angles. We discuss possible implications of mid-IR surveys for the search of counterparts of highly obscured hard X-ray sources. (Abridged)
We present high-resolution near-infrared imaging obtained using adaptive optics and HST/NICMOS, and ground-based spectroscopy of the hot-spot galaxy NGC2903. Our near-infrared resolution imaging enables us to resolve the infrared hot spots into individual young stellar clusters or groups of these. The spatial distribution of the stellar clusters is not coincident with that of the bright HII regions, as revealed by the HST/NICMOS Pa_alpha image. Overall, the circumnuclear star formation in NGC2903 shows a ring-like morphology with an approximate diameter of 625pc. The SF properties of the stellar clusters and HII regions have been studied using the photometric and spectroscopic information in conjunction with evolutionary synthesis models. The population of bright stellar clusters shows a very narrow range of ages, 4-7 X 10^6 yr after the peak of star formation, or absolute ages 6.5-9.5 X 10^6yr (for the assumed short-duration Gaussian bursts), and luminosities similar to the clusters found in the Antennae interacting galaxy. This population of young stellar clusters accounts for some 7-12% of the total stellar mass in the central 625pc of NGC2903. The HII regions in the ring of star formation have luminosities close to that of the super-giant HII region 30 Doradus, they are younger than the stellar clusters, and will probably evolve into bright infrared stellar clusters similar to those observed today. We find that the star formation efficiency in the central regions of NGC2903 is higher than in normal galaxies, approaching the lower end of infrared luminous galaxies.
The nature of the extreme kinematics in the extended gas of distant radio galaxies (z>0.7) is still an open question. With the advent of the 8-10 m telescope generation and the development of NIR arrays we are in the position for the first time to develop a more detailed study by using lines other than Lya and [OII]3727 depending on redshift. In this paper we review the main sources of uncertainty in the interpretation of the emission line kinematics: the presence of several kinematic components, Lya absorption by neutral gas/dust and the contribution of scattered light to some of the lines. As an example, several kinematic components can produce apparent, false rotation curves. We propose methods to solve these uncertainties. We propose to extend the methods applied to low redshift radio galaxies to investigate the nature of the kinematics in distant radio galaxies: by means of the spectral decomposition of the strong optical emission lines (redshifted into the NIR) we can isolate the different kinematic components and study the emission line ratios for the individual components. If shocks are responsible for the extreme kinematics, we should be able to isolate a kinematic component (the shocked gas) with large FWHM (>900 km/s), low ionization level [OIII]5007/Hb~2-4 and weak HeII4686/Hb<0.07, together with a narrow component (~few hundred km/s) with higher ionization level and strong HeII emission (HeII/Hb~0.5)
The modest extinction and reasonably face-on viewing geometry make the luminous IR galaxy NGC1614 an ideal laboratory for study of a powerful starburst. HST/NICMOS observations show: 1.) deep CO stellar absorption, tracing a starburst nucleus about 45 pc in diameter; 2.) surrounded by a ~600 pc diameter ring of supergiant HII regions revealed in Pa$α$ line emission; 3.) lying within a molecular ring indicated by its extinction shadow in H-K; 4.) all at the center of a disturbed spiral galaxy. The luminosities of the giant HII regions in the ring are extremely high, an order of magnitude brighter than 30 Doradus. The relation of deep stellar CO bands to surrounding ionized gas ring to molecular gas indicates that the luminous starburst started in the nucleus and is propagating outward into the surrounding molecular ring. This hypothesis is supported by evolutionary starburst modeling that shows that the properties of NGC1614 can be fitted with two short-lived bursts of star formation separated by 5 Myr. The total dynamical mass of the starburst region of 1.3x10^9 Msol is mostly accounted for by the old pre-star burst stellar population. Although our starburst models use a modified Salpeter IMF, the tight mass budget suggests that the IMF may contain relatively more 10-30 Msol stars and fewer low mass stars than the Salpeter function. The dynamical mass is nearly 4 times smaller than the mass of molecular gas estimated from the standard ratio of 12CO(1-0) to H2. A number of arguments place the mass of gas in the starburst region at ~25% of the dynamical mass, nominally about 1/15 and with an upper limit of 1/10 of the amount estimated from 12CO and the standard ratio. (Abridged)