arXiv subjects

Alexandra Pope

Publications and source records attributed to Alexandra Pope.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The Origins Space Telescope

The Origins Space Telescope, one of four large Mission Concept studies sponsored by NASA for review in the 2020 US Astrophysics Decadal Survey, will open unprecedented discovery space in the infrared, unveiling our cosmic origins. We briefly describe in this article the key science themes and architecture for OST. With a sensitivity gain of up to a factor of 1,000 over any previous or planned mission, OST will open unprecedented discovery space, allow us to peer through an infrared window teeming with possibility. OST will fundamentally change our understanding of our cosmic origins - from the growth of galaxies and black holes, to uncovering the trail of water, to life signs in nearby Earth-size planets, and discoveries never imagined. Built to be highly adaptable, while addressing key science across many areas of astrophysics, OST will usher in a new era of infrared astronomy.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

The Constant Average Relationship between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from $z=0$ to $z=2.5$

The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends on stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at $0 1$. For log(M/M$_{\odot}$)$>$10.5, $>$90\% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, $f_{\mathrm{obscured}}$ is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in $f_{\mathrm{obscured}}$ with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models to reproduce, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The X-ray and Mid-Infrared luminosities in Luminous Type 1 Quasars

Several recent studies have reported different intrinsic correlations between the AGN mid-IR luminosity ($L_{MIR}$) and the rest-frame 2-10 keV luminosity ($L_{X}$) for luminous quasars. To understand the origin of the difference in the observed $L_{X}-L_{MIR}$ relations, we study a sample of 3,247 spectroscopically confirmed type 1 AGNs collected from Boötes, XMM-COSMOS, XMM-XXL-North, and the SDSS quasars in the Swift/XRT footprint spanning over four orders of magnitude in luminosity. We carefully examine how different observational constraints impact the observed $L_{X}-L_{MIR}$ relations, including the inclusion of X-ray non-detected objects, possible X-ray absorption in type 1 AGNs, X-ray flux limits, and star formation contamination. We find that the primary factor driving the different $L_{X}-L_{MIR}$ relations reported in the literature is the X-ray flux limits for different studies. When taking these effects into account, we find that the X-ray luminosity and mid-IR luminosity (measured at rest-frame $6μm$, or $L_{6μm}$) of our sample of type 1 AGNs follow a bilinear relation in the log-log plane: $\log L_X =(0.84\pm0.03)\times\log L_{6μm}/10^{45}{\rm erg\;s^{-1}} + (44.60\pm0.01)$ for $L_{6μm} < 10^{44.79}{\rm erg\;s^{-1}} $, and $\log L_X = (0.40\pm0.03)\times\log L_{6μm}/10^{45}{\rm erg\;s^{-1}} +(44.51\pm0.01)$ for $L_{6μm} \geq 10^{44.79}{\rm erg\;s^{-1}} $. This suggests that the luminous type 1 quasars have a shallower $L_{X}-L_{MIR}$ correlation than the approximately linear relations found in local Seyfert galaxies. This result is consistent with previous studies reporting a luminosity-dependent $L_{X}-L_{MIR}$ relation, and implies that assuming a linear $L_{X}-L_{MIR}$ relation to infer the neutral gas column density for X-ray absorption might overestimate the column densities in luminous quasars.

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arXiv2017

The AGN-Star Formation Connection: Future Prospects with JWST

The bulk of the stellar growth over cosmic time is dominated by IR luminous galaxies at cosmic noon (z=1-2), many of which harbor a hidden active galactic nucleus (AGN). We use state of the art infrared color diagnostics, combining Spitzer and Herschel observations, to separate dust-obscured AGN from dusty star forming galaxies (SFGs) in the CANDELS and COSMOS surveys. We calculate 24 micron counts of SFGs, AGN/star forming "Composites", and AGN. AGN and Composites dominate the counts above 0.8 mJy at 24 micron, and Composites form at least 25% of an IR sample even to faint detection limits. We develop methods to use the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on JWST to identify dust-obscured AGN and Composite galaxies from z~1-2. With the sensitivity and spacing of MIRI filters, we will detect >4 times as many AGN hosts than with Spitzer/IRAC criteria. Any star formation rates based on the 7.7 micron PAH feature (likely to be applied to MIRI photometry) must be corrected for the contribution of the AGN, or the SFR will be overestimated by ~35% for cases where the AGN provides half the IR luminosity and ~50% when the AGN accounts for 90% of the luminosity. Finally, we demonstrate that our MIRI color technique can select AGN with an Eddington ratio of $λ_{\rm Edd}\sim0.01$ and will identify AGN hosts with a higher sSFR than X-ray techniques alone. JWST/MIRI will enable critical steps forward in identifying and understanding dust-obscured AGN and the link to their host galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

A controlled study of cold dust content in galaxies from $z=0-2$

At $z=1-3$, the formation of new stars is dominated by dusty galaxies whose far-IR emission indicates they contain colder dust than local galaxies of a similar luminosity. We explore the reasons for the evolving IR emission of similar galaxies over cosmic time using: 1) Local galaxies from GOALS $(L_{\rm IR}=10^{11}-10^{12}\,L_\odot)$; 2) Galaxies at $z\sim0.1-0.5$ from the 5MUSES ($L_{\rm IR}=10^{10}-10^{12}\,L_\odot$); 3) IR luminous galaxies spanning $z=0.5-3$ from GOODS and Spitzer xFLS ($L_{\rm IR}>10^{11}\,L_\odot$). All samples have Spitzer mid-IR spectra, and Herschel and ground-based submillimeter imaging covering the full IR spectral energy distribution, allowing us to robustly measure $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}$, $T_{\rm dust}$, and $M_{\rm dust}$ for every galaxy. Despite similar infrared luminosities, $z>0.5$ dusty star forming galaxies have a factor of 5 higher dust masses and 5K colder temperatures. The increase in dust mass is linked with an increase in the gas fractions with redshift, and we do not observe a similar increase in stellar mass or star formation efficiency. $L_{160}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/L_{70}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}$, a proxy for $T_{\rm dust}$, is strongly correlated with $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/M_{\rm dust}$ independently of redshift. We measure merger classification and galaxy size for a subsample, and there is no obvious correlation between these parameters and $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm \scriptscriptstyle SF}/M_{\rm dust}$ or $L_{160}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/L_{70}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}$. In dusty star forming galaxies, the change in $L_{\rm IR}^{\rm\scriptscriptstyle SF}/M_{\rm dust}$ can fully account for the observed colder dust temperatures, suggesting that any change in the spatial extent of the interstellar medium is a second order effect.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Early Science with the Large Millimeter Telescope: Detection of dust emission in multiple images of a normal galaxy at $z>4$ lensed by a Frontier Fields cluster

We directly detect dust emission in an optically-detected, multiply-imaged galaxy lensed by the Frontier Fields cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745. We detect two images of the same galaxy at 1.1mm with the AzTEC camera on the Large Millimeter Telescope leaving no ambiguity in the counterpart identification. This galaxy, MACS071_Az9, is at z>4 and the strong lensing model (mu=7.5) allows us to calculate an intrinsic IR luminosity of 9.7e10 Lsun and an obscured star formation rate of 14.6 +/- 4.5 Msun/yr. The unobscured star formation rate from the UV is only 4.1 +/- 0.3 Msun/yr which means the total star formation rate (18.7 +/- 4.5 Msun/yr) is dominated (75-80%) by the obscured component. With an intrinsic stellar mass of only 6.9e9Msun, MACS0717_Az9 is one of only a handful of z>4 galaxies at these lower masses that is detected in dust emission. This galaxy lies close to the estimated star formation sequence at this epoch. However, it does not lie on the dust obscuration relation (IRX-beta) for local starburst galaxies and is instead consistent with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) attenuation law. This remarkable lower mass galaxy showing signs of both low metallicity and high dust content may challenge our picture of dust production in the early Universe.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Exploring the evolution of star formation and dwarf galaxy properties with JWST/MIRI serendipitous spectroscopic surveys

The James Webb Space Telescope's Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS), will offer nearly 2 orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity and >3X improvement in spectral resolution over our previous space-based mid-IR spectrometer, the Spitzer IRS. In this paper, we make predictions for spectroscopic pointed observations and serendipitous detections with the MRS. Specifically, pointed observations of Herschel sources require only a few minutes on source integration for detections of several star-forming and active galactic nucleus lines, out to z$=$3 and beyond. But the same data will also include tens of serendipitous 0$\lesssim$z$\lesssim$4 galaxies per field with infrared luminosities ranging $\sim10^6-10^{13}$L$_{\odot}$. In particular, for the first time and for free we will be able to explore the $L_{IR}<10^{9}L_{\odot}$ regime out to $z\sim3$. We estimate that with $\sim$100 such fields, statistics of these detections will be sufficient to constrain the evolution of the low-$L$ end of the infrared luminosity function, and hence the star formation rate function. The above conclusions hold for a wide range in potential low-$L$ end of the IR luminosity function, and accounting for the PAH deficit in low-$L$, low-metallicity galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The Role of Star-Formation and AGN in Dust Heating of z=0.3-2.8 Galaxies - II. Informing IR AGN fraction estimates through simulations

A key question in extragalactic studies is the determination of the relative roles of stars and AGN in powering dusty galaxies at $z\sim$1-3 where the bulk of star-formation and AGN activity took place. In Paper I, we present a sample of $336$ 24$μ$m-selected (Ultra)Luminous Infrared Galaxies, (U)LIRGs, at $z \sim 0.3$-$2.8$, where we focus on determining the AGN contribution to the IR luminosity. Here, we use hydrodynamic simulations with dust radiative transfer of isolated and merging galaxies, to investigate how well the simulations reproduce our empirical IR AGN fraction estimates and determine how IR AGN fractions relate to the UV-mm AGN fraction. We find that: 1) IR AGN fraction estimates based on simulations are in qualitative agreement with the empirical values when host reprocessing of the AGN light is considered; 2) for star-forming galaxy-AGN composites our empirical methods may be underestimating the role of AGN, as our simulations imply $>$50% AGN fractions, $\sim$3$\times$ higher than previous estimates; 3) 6% of our empirically classified "SFG" have AGN fractions $\gtrsim$50%. While this is a small percentage of SFGs, if confirmed, would imply the true number density of AGN may be underestimated; 4) this comparison depends on the adopted AGN template -- those that neglect the contribution of warm dust lower the empirical fractions by up to 2$\times$; and 5) the IR AGN fraction is only a good proxy for the intrinsic UV-mm AGN fraction when the extinction is high ($A_V\gtrsim 1$ or up to and including coalescence in a merger).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Star Formation and AGN Activity in Galaxy Clusters from $z=1-2$: a Multi-wavelength Analysis Featuring $Herschel$/PACS

We present a detailed, multi-wavelength study of star formation (SF) and AGN activity in 11 near-infrared (IR) selected, spectroscopically confirmed, massive ($\gtrsim10^{14}\,\rm{M_{\odot}}$) galaxy clusters at $1<z<1.75$. Using new, deep $Herschel$/PACS imaging, we characterize the optical to far-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for IR-luminous cluster galaxies, finding that they can, on average, be well described by field galaxy templates. Identification and decomposition of AGN through SED fittings allows us to include the contribution to cluster SF from AGN host galaxies. We quantify the star-forming fraction, dust-obscured SF rates (SFRs), and specific-SFRs for cluster galaxies as a function of cluster-centric radius and redshift. In good agreement with previous studies, we find that SF in cluster galaxies at $z\gtrsim1.4$ is largely consistent with field galaxies at similar epochs, indicating an era before significant quenching in the cluster cores ($r<0.5\,$Mpc). This is followed by a transition to lower SF activity as environmental quenching dominates by $z\sim1$. Enhanced SFRs are found in lower mass ($10.1< \log \rm{M_{\star}}/\rm{M_{\odot}}<10.8$) cluster galaxies. We find significant variation in SF from cluster-to-cluster within our uniformly selected sample, indicating that caution should be taken when evaluating individual clusters. We examine AGN in clusters from $z=0.5-2$, finding an excess AGN fraction at $z\gtrsim1$, suggesting environmental triggering of AGN during this epoch. We argue that our results $-$ a transition from field-like to quenched SF, enhanced SF in lower mass galaxies in the cluster cores, and excess AGN $-$ are consistent with a co-evolution between SF and AGN in clusters and an increased merger rate in massive haloes at high redshift.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

The role of star-formation and AGN in dust heating of z = 0.3-2.8 galaxies - I. Evolution with redshift and luminosity

We characterize infrared spectral energy distributions of 343 (Ultra) Luminous Infrared Galaxies from $z=0.3-2.8$. We diagnose the presence of an AGN by decomposing individual Spitzer mid-IR spectroscopy into emission from star-formation and an AGN-powered continuum; we classify sources as star-forming galaxies (SFGs), AGN, or composites. Composites comprise 30% of our sample and are prevalent at faint and bright $S_{24}$, making them an important source of IR AGN emission. We combine spectroscopy with multiwavelength photometry, including Herschel imaging, to create three libraries of publicly available templates (2-1000 $μ$m). We fit the far-IR emission using a two temperature modified blackbody to measure cold and warm dust temperatures ($T_c$ and $T_w$). We find that $T_c$ does not depend on mid-IR classification, while $T_w$ shows a notable increase as the AGN grows more luminous. We measure a quadratic relationship between mid-IR AGN emission and total AGN contribution to $L_{\rm IR}$. AGN, composites, and SFGs separate in $S_8/S_{3.6}$ and $S_{250}/S_{24}$, providing a useful diagnostic for estimating relative amounts of these sources. We estimate that >40% of IR selected samples host an AGN, even at faint selection thresholds ($S_{24}$>100 $μ$Jy). Our decomposition technique and color diagnostics are relevant given upcoming observations with the James Webb Space Telescope.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

An Extreme Starburst in Close Proximity to the Central Galaxy of a Rich Galaxy Cluster at z=1.7

We have discovered an optically rich galaxy cluster at z=1.7089 with star formation occurring in close proximity to the central galaxy. The system, SpARCS104922.6+564032.5, was detected within the Spitzer Adaptation of the red-sequence Cluster Survey, (SpARCS), and confirmed through Keck-MOSFIRE spectroscopy. The rest-frame optical richness of Ngal(500kpc) = 30+/-8 implies a total halo mass, within 500kpc, of ~3.8+/-1.2 x 10^14 Msun, comparable to other clusters at or above this redshift. There is a wealth of ancillary data available, including Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope optical, UKIRT-K, Spitzer-IRAC/MIPS, and Herschel-SPIRE. This work adds submillimeter imaging with the SCUBA2 camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and near-infrared imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The mid/far-infrared (M/FIR) data detect an Ultra-luminous Infrared Galaxy spatially coincident with the central galaxy, with LIR = 6.2+/-0.9 x 10^12 Lsun. The detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at z=1.7 in a Spitzer-IRS spectrum of the source implies the FIR luminosity is dominated by star formation (an Active Galactic Nucleus contribution of 20%) with a rate of ~860+/-30 Msun/yr. The optical source corresponding to the IR emission is likely a chain of of > 10 individual clumps arranged as "beads on a string" over a linear scale of 66 kpc. Its morphology and proximity to the Brightest Cluster Galaxy imply a gas-rich interaction at the center of the cluster triggered the star formation. This system indicates that wet mergers may be an important process in forming the stellar mass of BCGs at early times.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Dusty galaxies and the degeneracy between their dust distributions and the attenuation formula

Do spatial distributions of dust grains in galaxies have typical forms, as do spatial distributions of stars? We investigate whether or not the distributions resemble uniform foreground screens, as commonly assumed by the high-redshift galaxy community. We use rest-frame infrared, ultraviolet, and H$α$ line luminosities of dust-poor and dusty galaxies at z ~ 0 and z ~ 1 to compare measured H$α$ escape fractions with those predicted by the Calzetti attenuation formula. The predictions, based on UV escape fractions, overestimate the measured H$α$ escape fractions for all samples. The interpretation of this result for dust-poor z ~ 0 galaxies is that regions with ionizing stars have more dust than regions with nonionizing UV-emitting stars. Dust distributions for these galaxies are nonuniform. The interpretation of the overestimates for dusty galaxies at both redshifts is less clear. If the attenuation formula is inapplicable to these galaxies, perhaps the disagreements are unphysical; perhaps dust distributions in these galaxies are uniform. If the attenuation formula does apply, then dusty galaxies have nonuniform dust distributions; the distributions are more uniform than they are in dust-poor galaxies. A broad range of H$α$ escape fractions at a given UV escape fraction for z ~ 1 dusty galaxies, if real, indicates diverse dust morphologies and the implausibility of the screen assumption.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

A Connection between Obscuration and Star Formation in Luminous Quasars

We present a measurement of the star formation properties of a uniform sample of mid-IR selected, unobscured and obscured quasars (QSO1s and QSO2s) in the Boötes survey region. We use an spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis for photometric data spanning optical to far-IR wavelengths to decompose AGN and host galaxy components. We find that when compared to a matched sample of QSO1s, the QSO2s have higher far-IR detection fractions, far-IR fluxes and infrared star formation luminosities ($L_{\rm IR}^{\rm SF}$) by a factor of $\sim2$. Correspondingly, we show that the AGN obscured fraction rises from 0.3 to 0.7 between $4-40\times10^{11}L_\odot$. We also find evidence associating the absorption in the X-ray emission with the presence of far-IR emitting dust. Overall, these results are consistent with galaxy evolution models in which quasar obscurations can be associated with a dust-enshrouded starburst galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Star Formation in High-Redshift Cluster Ellipticals

We measure the star formation rates (SFRs) of massive ($M_{\star}>10^{10.1}M_{\odot}$) early-type galaxies (ETGs) in a sample of 11 high-redshift ($1.0 < z < 1.5$) galaxy clusters drawn from the IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey (ISCS). We identify ETGs visually from Hubble Space Telescope imaging and select likely cluster members as having either an appropriate spectroscopic redshift or red sequence color. Mid-infrared SFRs are measured using Spitzer 24 $μ$m data for isolated cluster galaxies for which contamination by neighbors, and active galactic nuclei, can be ruled out. Cluster ETGs show enhanced specific star formation rates (sSFRs) compared to cluster galaxies in the local Universe, but have sSFRs more than four times lower than that of field ETGs at $1 < z < 1.5$. Relative to the late-type cluster population, isolated ETGs show substantially quenched mean SFRs, yet still contribute 12% of the overall star formation activity measured in $1 < z < 1.5$ clusters. We find that new ETGs are likely being formed in ISCS clusters; the fraction of cluster galaxies identified as ETGs increases from 34% to 56% from $z \sim 1.5 \rightarrow 1.25$. While the fraction of cluster ETGs that are highly star-forming ($\textrm{SFR}\geq26\ M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$) drops from 27% to 10% over the same period, their sSFRs are roughly constant. All these factors taken together suggest that, particularly at $z\gtrsim1.25$, the events that created these distant cluster ETGs$-$likely mergers, at least among the most massive$-$were both recent and gas-rich.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Mid-Infrared Continuum Emission in a z>4 Submillimeter Galaxy

We report the detection of 6.2um polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and rest-frame 4-7um continuum emission in the z=4.055 submillimeter galaxy GN20, using the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. This represents the first detection of PAH emission at z>4. The strength of the PAH emission feature is consistent with a very high star formation rate of ~1600Msun/yr. We find that this intense starburst powers at least ~1/3 of the faint underlying 6um continuum emission, with an additional, significant (and perhaps dominant) contribution due to a power-law-like hot dust source, which we interpret to likely be a faint, dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN). The inferred 6um AGN continuum luminosity is consistent with a sensitive upper limit on the hard X-ray emission as measured by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory if the previously undetected AGN is Compton-thick. This is in agreement with the finding at optical/infrared wavelengths that the galaxy and its nucleus are heavily dust-obscured. Despite the strong power-law component enhancing the mid-infrared continuum emission, the intense starburst associated with the photon-dominated regions that give rise to the PAH emission appears to dominate the total energy output in the infrared. GN20 is one of the most luminous starburst galaxies known at any redshift, embedded in a rich protocluster of star-forming galaxies. This investigation provides an improved understanding of the energy sources that power such exceptional systems, which represent the extreme end of massive galaxy formation at early cosmic times.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The evolution of dust-obscured star formation activity in galaxy clusters relative to the field over the last 9 billion years

We compare the star formation (SF) activity in cluster galaxies to the field from z=0.3-1.5 using $Herschel$ SPIRE 250$μ$m imaging. We utilize 274 clusters from the IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey (ISCS) selected as rest-frame near-infrared overdensities over the 9 square degree Bootes field . This analysis allows us to quantify the evolution of SF in clusters over a long redshift baseline without bias against active cluster systems. Using a stacking analysis, we determine the average star formation rates (SFRs) and specific-SFRs (SSFR=SFR/M$_{\star}$) of stellar mass-limited (M>1.3x10$^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$), statistical samples of cluster and field galaxies, probing both the star forming and quiescent populations. We find a clear indication that the average SF in cluster galaxies is evolving more rapidly than in the field, with field SF levels at z>1.2 in the cluster cores (r<0.5 Mpc), in good agreement with previous ISCS studies. By quantifying the SF in cluster and field galaxies as an exponential function of cosmic time, we determine that cluster galaxies are evolving ~2 times faster than the field. Additionally, we see enhanced SF above the field level at z~1.4 in the cluster outskirts (r>0.5 Mpc). These general trends in the cluster cores and outskirts are driven by the lower mass galaxies in our sample. Blue cluster galaxies have systematically lower SSFRs than blue field galaxies, but otherwise show no strong differential evolution with respect to the field over our redshift range. This suggests that the cluster environment is both suppressing the star formation in blue galaxies on long time-scales and rapidly transitioning some fraction of blue galaxies to the quiescent galaxy population on short time-scales. We argue that our results are consistent with both strangulation and ram pressure stripping acting in these clusters, with merger activity occurring in the cluster outskirts.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Probing the Interstellar Medium of z~1 Ultra-luminous Infrared Galaxies through Interferometric Observations of CO and Spitzer Mid-infrared Spectroscopy

We explore the relationship between gas, dust and star formation in a sample of 12 ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at high redshift compared to a similar sample of local galaxies. We present new CO observations and/or Spitzer mid-IR spectroscopy for 6 70 micron selected galaxies at z~1 in order to quantify the properties of the molecular gas reservoir, the contribution of an active galactic nuclei (AGN) to the mid-IR luminosity and the star formation efficiency (SFE=LIR/L'CO). The mid-IR spectra show strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and our spectral decomposition suggests that the AGN makes a minimal contribution (<25%) to the mid-IR luminosity. The 70 micron selected ULIRGs which we find to be spectroscopic close pairs, are observed to have high SFE, similar to local ULIRGs and high redshift submillimeter galaxies, consistent with enhanced IR luminosity due to an ongoing major merger. Combined with existing observations of local and high redshift ULIRGs, we further compare the PAH, IR and CO luminosities. We show that the ratio LPAH6.2/LIR decreases with increasing IR luminosity for both local and high redshift galaxies but the trend for high redshift galaxies is shifted to higher IR luminosities; the average LPAH6.2/LIR ratio at a given LIR is ~3 times higher at high redshift. When we normalize by the molecular gas, we find this trend to be uniform for galaxies at all redshifts and that the molecular gas is correlated with the PAH dust emission.The similar trends seen in the [CII] to molecular gas ratios in other studies suggests that PAH emission, like [CII], continues to be a good tracer of photodissociation regions even at high redshift. Together the CO, PAH and far-IR fine structure lines should be useful for constraining the interstellar medium conditions in high redshift galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

A correlation between star formation rate and average black hole accretion in star forming galaxies

We present a measurement of the average supermassive black hole accretion rate (BHAR) as a function of star formation rate (SFR) for galaxies in the redshift range 0.25<z<0.8. We study a sample of 1,767 far-IR selected star-forming galaxies in the 9 deg^2 Boötes multiwavelength survey field. The SFR is estimated using 250 micron observations from the Herschel Space Observatory, for which the contribution from the AGN is minimal. In this sample, 121 AGNs are directly identified using X-ray or mid-IR selection criteria. We combined these detected AGNs and an X-ray stacking analysis for undetected sources to study the average BHAR for all of the star-forming galaxies in our sample. We find an almost linear relation between the average BHAR (in M_sun/year) and the SFR (in M_sun/year) for galaxies across a wide SFR range 0.85<log SFR<2.56 : log BHAR=(-3.72\pm0.52)+(1.05\pm0.33) log SFR. This global correlation between SFR and average BHAR is consistent with a simple picture in which SFR and AGN activity are tightly linked over galaxy evolution timescales.

astro-ph.CO↗