arXiv subjects

Anna Sajina

Publications and source records attributed to Anna Sajina.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

The local luminosity function of star-forming galaxies derived from the Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue

The Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalog (ERCSC) has offered the first opportunity to accurately determine the luminosity function of dusty galaxies in the very local Universe (i.e. distances <~ 100 Mpc), at several (sub-)millimetre wavelengths, using blindly selected samples of low redshift sources, unaffected by cosmological evolution. This project, however, requires careful consideration of a variety of issues including the choice of the appropriate flux density measurement, the separation of dusty galaxies from radio sources and from Galactic sources, the correction for the CO emission, the effect of density inhomogeneities, and more. We present estimates of the local luminosity functions at 857 GHz (350 microns), 545 GHz (550 microns) and 353 GHz (850 microns) extending across the characteristic luminosity L_star, and a preliminary estimate over a limited luminosity range at 217 GHz (1382 microns). At 850 microns and for luminosities L >~ L_star our results agree with previous estimates, derived from the SCUBA Local Universe Galaxy Survey (SLUGS), but are higher than the latter at L <~ L_star. We also find good agreement with estimates at 350 and 500 microns based on preliminary Herschel survey data.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

PAH Emission in Powerful High-Redshift Radio Galaxies

We present the mid-infrared spectra of seven of the most powerful radio-galaxies known to exist at 1.5 < z < 2.6. The radio emission of these sources is dominated by the AGN with 500 MHz luminosities in the range 10^27.8 - 10^29.1 W/Hz. The AGN signature is clearly evident in the mid-infrared spectra, however, we also detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emission, indicative of prodigious star formation at a rate of up to ~1000 Msun/yr. Interestingly, we observe no significant correlation between AGN power and star formation in the host galaxy. We also find most of these radio galaxies to have weak 9.7 um silicate absorption features (tau_{9.7 um} < 0.8) which implies that their mid-IR obscuration is predominantly due to the dusty torus that surrounds the central engine, rather than the host galaxy. The tori are likely to have an inhomogeneous distribution with the obscuring structure consisting of individual clouds. We estimate that these radio galaxies have already formed the bulk of their stellar mass and appear to lie at a stage in their evolution where the obscured AGN dominates the energy output of the system but star formation is also prevalent.

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arXiv2012

The Nature of LoBAL QSOs: I. SEDs and mid-infrared spectral properties

We have obtained Spitzer IRS spectra and MIPS 24, 70, and 160 micron photometry for a volume-limited sample of 22 SDSS-selected Low-ionization Broad Absorption Line QSOs (LoBALs) at 0.5 < z < 0.6. By comparing their mid-IR spectral properties and far-IR SEDs with those of a control sample of 35 non-LoBALs matched in M_i, we investigate the differences between the two populations in terms of their infrared emission and star formation activity. Twenty five percent of the LoBALs show PAH features and 45% have weak 9.7 micron silicate dust emission. We model the SEDs and decouple the AGN and starburst contributions to the far-infrared luminosity in LoBALs and in non-LoBALs. Their median total, starburst, and AGN infrared luminosities are comparable. Twenty percent (but no more than 60%) of the LoBALs and 26% of the non-LoBALs are ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L_IR>10^12*L_sun). We estimate star formation rates (SFRs) corrected for the AGN contribution to the FIR flux and find that LoBALs have comparable levels of star formation activity to non-LoBALs when considering the entire samples. However, the SFRs of the IR-luminous LoBALs are 80% higher than those of their counterparts in the control sample. The median contribution of star formation to the total far-infrared flux in LoBALs and in non-LoBALs is estimated to be 40-50%, in agreement with previous results for PG QSOs. Overall, our results show that there is no strong evidence from the mid- and far-IR properties that LoBALs are drawn from a different parent population than non-LoBALs.

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arXiv2012

Spectral energy distributions of quasars selected in the mid-infrared

We present preliminary results on fitting of SEDs to 142 z>1 quasars selected in the mid-infrared. Our quasar selection finds objects ranging in extinction from highly obscured, type-2 quasars, through more lightly reddened type-1 quasars and normal type-1s. We find a weak tendency for the objects with the highest far-infrared emission to be obscured quasars, but no bulk systematic offset between the far-infrared properties of dusty and normal quasars as might be expected in the most naive evolutionary schemes. The hosts of the type-2 quasars have stellar masses comparable to those of radio galaxies at similar redshifts. Many of the type-1s, and possibly one of the type-2s require a very hot dust component in addition to the normal torus emission.

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arXiv2011

The stellar, molecular gas and dust content of the host galaxies of two z~2.8 dust obscured quasars

We present optical through radio observations of the host galaxies of two dust obscured, luminous quasars selected in the mid-infrared, at z=2.62 and z=2.99, including a search for CO emission. Our limits on the CO luminosities are consistent with these objects having masses of molecular gas <~10^10 solar masses, several times less than those of luminous submillimeter-detected galaxies (SMGs) at comparable redshifts. Their near-infrared spectral energy distributions, however, imply that these galaxies have high stellar masses (~10^11-12 solar masses). The relatively small reservoirs of molecular gas and low dust masses are consistent with them being relatively mature systems at high-z.

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arXiv2011

High frequency radio SEDs and polarization fractions of sources in an ACT survey field

We present flux densities and polarization percentages of 159 radio galaxies based on nearly simultaneous VLA observations at four frequencies from 5 to 43GHz. This sample is selected from the high-frequency Australia Telescope 20GHz (AT20G) survey and consists of all sources with S_{20GHz}>40mJy in an equatorial field of the ACT survey. For a subset of 25 of these sources we used the GBT to obtain 90GHz data. The goals of this program are: 1) a characterization of the spectra, polarization and variability of high frequency-selected radio sources; 2) extrapolating from the few GHz regime to the ~150GHz regime of the ACT survey, allowing for more accurate removal of the radio source signal in our particular field; and 3) providing a data set that will allow more accurate modeling of the high-frequency radio source contamination in current and future SZ and CMB experiments. We find that, as expected, this sample consists of flatter spectrum and more compact or point-like sources than low frequency-selected samples. In the K-band, variability is typically <~20%, although there are exceptions. The higher frequency data is well suited to the detection of extreme Giga-Hertz Peak spectrum Sources (GPS). The inclusion of the 43GHz data causes the relative fraction of inverted spectrum sources to go down and of peaked spectrum sources to go up when compared with the AT20G survey results. The trend largely continues with the inclusion of the 90GHz data, although ~10% of the sources with GBT data show a spectral upturn from 43GHz to 90GHz. The measured polarization fractions are typically <5%, although in some cases they are measured to be up to ~20%. For the ~40% of the sample with detected polarized flux in all four bands, the polarization fractions typically increase with frequency. This trend is stronger for steeper spectrum sources as well as for the lower flux density sources.

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arXiv2011

HST/NICMOS Imaging of Bright High-Redshift 24μm-selected Galaxies: Merging Properties

We present new results on the physical nature of infrared-luminous sources at 0.5 0.9 mJy. We find many (~60%) of our sources to possess an important bulge and/or central point source component, most of which reveal additional underlying structures after subtraction of a best-fit sersic (or sersic+PSF) profile. Based on visual inspection of the NIC2 images and their residuals, we estimate that ~80% of all our sources are mergers. We calculate lower and upper limits on the merger fraction to be 62% and 91% respectively. At z < 1.5, we observe objects in early (pre-coalescence) merging stages to be mostly disk and star formation dominated, while we find mergers to be mainly bulge-dominated and AGN-starburst composites during coalescence and then AGN-dominated in late stages. This is analogous to what is observed in local ULIRGs. At z \geq 1.5, we find a dramatic rise in the number of objects in pre-coalescence phases of merging, despite an increase in the preponderance of AGN signatures in their mid-IR spectra and luminosities above 10^12.5 L_sun. We further find the majority of mergers at those redshifts to retain a disk-dominated profile during coalescence. We conclude that, albeit still driven by mergers, these high-z ULIRGs are substantially different in nature from their local counterparts and speculate that this is likely due to their higher gas content. Finally, we observe obscured (τ_{9.7\mum} > 3.36) quasars to live in faint and compact hosts and show that these are likely high-redshift analogs of local dense-core mergers. We find late-stage mergers to show predominantly unobscured AGN spectra, but do not observe other morphological classes to occupy any one specific region in the Spoon diagram. [abridged]

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arXiv2010

Star formation and dust obscuration in the tidally distorted galaxy NGC 2442

Abridged: We present a detailed investigation of the morphological distribution and level of star formation and dust obscuration in the nearby tidally distorted galaxy NGC2442. Spitzer images in the IR at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0um, and 24um and GALEX images at 1500Å and 2300Å allow us to resolve the galaxy on scales between 240-600pc. We supplement these with archival data in the B, J, H, and K bands. We use the 8um, 24um and FUV (1500Å) emission to study the star formation rate (SFR). We find that globally, these tracers of star formation give a range of results of ~6-11\msun/yr, with the dust-corrected FUV giving the highest value of SFR. We can reconcile the UV and IR-based estimates by adopting a steeper UV extinction curve that lies in between the starburst (Calzetti) and SMC extinction curves. However, the regions of highest SFR intensity along the spiral arms are consistent with a starburst-like extinction. Overall, the level of star-formation we find is higher than previously published for this galaxy, by about a factor of two, which, contrary to previous conclusions, implies that the interaction that caused the distorted morphology of NGC2442 likely also triggered increased levels of star-formation activity. Outside of the spiral arms, we discover what appears to be a superbubble, ~1.7kpc across in the IRAC images. Significant Hα, UV and IR emission in the area also suggest vigorous ongoing star-formation. A known, recent supernova (SN1999ga) is located at the edge of this superbubble. Although speculative at this stage, this area suggests a large star-forming region with a morphology shaped by generations of supernovae. Lastly, we discover an 8um (PAH) circumnuclear ring with an ~0.8kpc radius. The Hα emission is largely concentrated inside that ring and shows a vague spiral structure in the rest of the galaxy.

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arXiv2009

An Infrared Comparison of Type-1 and Type-2 Quasars

We model the optical to far-infrared SEDs of a sample of six type-1 and six type-2 quasars selected in the mid-infrared. The objects in our sample are matched in mid-IR luminosity and selected based on their Spitzer IRAC colors. We obtained new targeted Spitzer IRS and MIPS observations and used archival photometry to examine the optical to far-IR SEDs. We investigate whether the observed differences between samples are consistent with orientation-based unification schemes. The type-1 objects show significant emission at 3 micron. They do not show strong PAH emission and have less far-IR emission on average when compared to the type-2 objects. The SEDs of the type-2 objects show a wide assortment of silicate features, ranging from weak emission to deep silicate absorption. Some also show strong PAH features. In comparison, silicate is only seen in emission in the type-1 objects. This is consistent with some of the type-2s being reddened by a foreground screen of cooler dust, perhaps in the host galaxy itself. We investigate the AGN contribution to the far-IR emission and find it to be significant. We also estimate the star formation rate for each of the objects by integrating the modeled far-IR flux and compare this with the SFR found from PAH emission. We find the type-2 quasars have a higher average SFR than the type-1 quasars based on both methods, though this could be due to differences in bolometric luminosities of the objects. While we find pronounced differences between the two types of objects, none of them are inconsistent with orientation-based unification schemes.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

The ~0.9 mJy sample: A mid-infrared spectroscopic catalog of 150 infrared-luminous, 24 micron selected galaxies at 0.3<z<3.5

We present a catalog of mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of 150 infrared (IR) luminous galaxies in the Spitzer extragalactic first look survey obtained with IRS on board Spitzer. The sample is selected to be brighter than ~0.9 mJy at 24 micron and it has a z distribution in the range [0.3,3.5] with a peak at z=1. It primarily comprises ultraluminous IR galaxies at z>1 and luminous IR galaxies at z<1, as estimated from their monochromatic 14 micron luminosities. The number of sources with spectra that are dominated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN) continuum is 49, while 39 sources have strong, star-formation related features. For this classification, we used the equivalent width (EW) of the 11.3 micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature. Several intermediate/high z starbursts have higher PAH EW than local ULIRGs. An increase in the AGN activity is observed with increasing z and luminosity, based on the decreasing EW of PAHs and the increasing [NeIII]/[NeII] ratio. Spectral stacking leads to the detection of the 3.3 micron PAH, the H2 0-0 S(1) and S(3) lines, and the [NeV] line. We observe differences in the flux ratios of PAHs in the stacked spectra of IR-luminous galaxies with z or luminosity, which are not due to extinction effects. When placing the observed galaxies on IR color-color diagrams, we find that the wedge defining AGN comprises most sources with continuum-dominated spectra, but also contains many starbursts. The comparison of the 11.3 micron PAH EW and the H-band effective radius, measured from HST data, indicates that sources with EW>2 micron, are typically more extended than ~3 kpc. However, there is no strong correlation between the MIR spectral type and the near-IR extent of the sources. [Abridged].

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arXiv2008

HST NICMOS imaging of z~2, 24 micron-selected Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

We present Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS H-band imaging of 33 Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) at z~2 that were selected from the 24 micron catalog of the Spitzer Extragalactic First Look Survey. The images reveal that at least 17 of the 33 objects are associated with interactions. Up to one fifth of the sources in our sample could be minor mergers whereas only 2 systems are merging binaries with luminosity ratio <=3:1, which is characteristic of local ULIRGs. The rest-frame optical luminosities of the sources are of the order 10^10-10^11 L_sun and their effective radii range from 1.4 to 4.9 kpc. The most compact sources are either those with a strong active nucleus continuum or those with a heavy obscuration in the mid-infrared regime, as determined from Spitzer Infra-Red Spectrograph data. The luminosity of the 7.7 micron feature produced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules varies significantly among compact systems whereas it is typically large for extended systems. A bulge-to-disk decomposition performed for the 6 brightest (m_H<20) sources in our sample indicates that they are best fit by disk-like profiles with small or negligible bulges, unlike the bulge-dominated remnants of local ULIRGs. Our results provide evidence that the interactions associated with ultraluminous infrared activity at z~2 can differ from those at z~0.

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arXiv2008

Spitzer Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Infrared Luminous Galaxies at z~2 III: Far-IR to Radio Properties and Optical Spectral Diagnostics

We present the far-IR, millimeter, and radio photometry as well as optical and near-IR spectroscopy of a sample of 48 z~1-3 Spitzer-selected ULIRGs with IRS mid-IR spectra. Our goals are to compute their bolometric emission, and to determine both the presence and relative strength of their AGN and starburst components. We find that strong-PAH sources tend to have higher 160um and 1.2mm fluxes than weak-PAH sources. The depth of the 9.7um silicate feature does not affect MAMBO detectability. We fit the far-IR SEDs of our sample and find an average ~7x10^{12}Lsun for our z>1.5 sources. Spectral decomposition suggests that strong-PAH sources typically have ~20-30% AGN fractions. Weak-PAH sources by contrast tend to have >~70% AGN fractions, with a few sources having comparable contributions of AGN and starbursts. The optical line diagnostics support the presence of AGN in the bulk of the weak-PAH sources. With one exception, our sources are narrow-line sources, show no obvious correspondence between the optical extinction and the silicate feature depth, and, in two cases, show evidence for outflows. Radio AGN are present in both strong-PAH and weak-PAH sources. This is supported by our sample's far-IR-to-radio ratios (q) being consistently below the average value of 2.34 for local star-forming galaxies. We use survival analysis to include the lower-limits given by the radio-undetected sources, arriving at =2.07+/-0.01 for our z>1.5 sample. In total, radio and, where available, optical line diagnostics support the presence of AGN in 57% of the z>1.5 sources, independent of IR-based diagnostics. For higher-z sources, the AGN luminosities alone are estimated to be >10^{12}Lsun, which, supported by the [OIII] luminosities, implies that the bulk of our sources host obscured quasars.

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arXiv2007

Mid-infrared spectroscopy of high-redshift obscured quasars

We present mid-infrared observations of 18 sources from a sample of 21 z~2 radio-intermediate obscured quasars. The mid-infrared spectra of the sources are continuum dominated, and 12 sources show deep silicate absorption with tau_9.7~1-2. Combining mid-infrared and optical spectra, we achieve 86% spectroscopic completeness which allows us to confirm that most (63 +14 -22 %) z~2 radio-intermediate quasars are obscured. The new spectra also prove that many high-redshift type-2 quasars do not show any rest-frame ultraviolet emission lines. From the 18 individual mid-infrared spectra, we classify most of the sources into three subsamples: those with hints of the 7.7 and 6.2 micron polyaromatic hydrocarbons (3/18 sources show PAHs, subsample A), those with an excess of emission around 8 micron but no hint of the 6.2 micron PAH (7/18 cases, subsample B) and pure-continuum sources with no visible excess (4/18 sources, subsample C). The remaining 4/18 sources have spectra that are featureless or too noisy for any features to be visible. In subsample A, averaging the spectra leads to a statistical detection of both 6.2 and 7.7 micron PAHs over the continuum, with the strength of the 7.7 micron PAH comparable to that of submillimetre-selected galaxies (SMGs) at similar redshifts. These sources are in a phase of coeval growth of a supermassive black hole and a host galaxy.

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arXiv2007

Discovery of Radio Jets in z~2 ULIRGs with Deep 9.7um Silicate Absorption

Recent Spitzer observations have revealed a substantial population of z~2 ULIRGs with deep silicate absorption (τ_{9.7}>1). This paper reports a 20cm radio study of such a sample to elucidate their physical nature. We discover that a substantial fraction (40%) of deep silicate absorption ULIRGs at z~2 are moderately radio-loud with L_{1.4GHz}=10^{25}--10^{26}WHz^{-1}. This is in strong contrast with z<1 radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars where none of the sources with available IRS spectra have τ_{9.7}>1. In addition, we observe radio jets in two of our sources where one has a double lobe structure ~200kpc in extent, and another shows a one-sided jet extending ~90kpc from the nucleus. The likely high inclination of the latter, coupled with its deep silicate absorption, implies the mid-IR obscuration does not share an axis with the radio jets. These sources are highly obscured quasars, observed in the transition stage after the birth of the radio source, but before feedback effects dispel the ISM and halt the black hole accretion and starburst activity.

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arXiv2007

Spitzer Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Infrared Luminous Galaxies at z~2 II: Diagnostics

We present mid-IR spectral decomposition of a sample of 48 Spitzer-selected ULIRGs spanning z~1-3 and likely L_IR~10^12-10^13Lsun. Our study aims at quantifying the star-formation and AGN processes in these sources which recent results suggest have evolved strongly between the observed epoch and today. To do this, we study the mid-IR contribution of PAH emission, continuum, and extinction. About 3/4 of our sample are continuum- (i.e. AGN) dominated sources, but ~60% of these show PAH emission, suggesting the presence of star-formation activity. These sources have redder mid-IR colors than typical optically-selected quasars. About 25% of our sample have strong PAH emission, but none are likely to be pure starbursts as reflected in their relatively high 5um hot dust continua. However, their steep 30um-to-14um slopes suggest that star-formation might dominate the total infrared luminosity. Six of our z~2 sources have EW6.2>~0.3um and L_14um>~10^12Lsun (implying L_IR>~10^13Lsun). At these luminosities, such high EW6.2 ULIRGs do not exist in the local Universe. We find a median optical depth at 9.7um of =1.4. This is consistent with local IRAS-selected ULIRGs, but differs from early results on SCUBA-selected z~2 ULIRGs. Similar to local ULIRGs about 25% of our sample show extreme obscuration (tau_9.7>~3) suggesting buried nuclei. In general, we find that our sources are similar to local ULIRGs, but are an order of magnitude more luminous. It is not clear whether our z~2 ULIRGs are simply scaled-up versions of local ULIRGs, or subject to fundamentally different physical processes.

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arXiv2006

Spitzer Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Infrared Luminous Galaxies at z~2 I: the Spectra

We present the mid-infrared (MIR) spectra obtained with the Spitzer InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) for a sample of 52 sources, selected as infrared luminous, z>1 candidates in the Extragalactic First Look Survey (XFLS). The sample selection criteria are f(24um) > 0.9mJy, nu fnu(24um)/nu fnu(8um) > 3.16 and nu fnu(24um)/nu fnu(0.7um) > 10. Of the 52 spectra, 47 (90%) produced measurable redshifts based solely on the mid-IR spectral features, with the majority (35/47=74%) at 1.5 1. Their $L_{1600Å}$ and $L_{\rm IR}$ suggest that our sample is among the most luminous and most dust enshrouded systems of its epoch . Our study has revealed a significant population of dust enshrouded galaxies at z~2, whose enormous energy output, comparable to that of quasars, is generated by AGN as well as starburst. This IR luminous population has very little overlap with sub-mm and UV-selected populations (Abridged).

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arXiv2006

The Hubble Deep Field North SCUBA Super-map IV - Characterizing submillimetre galaxies using deep Spitzer imaging

We present SEDs, Spitzer colours, and IR luminosities for 850 micron selected galaxies in the GOODS-N field. Using the deep Spitzer Legacy images and new data and reductions of the VLA-HDF radio data, we find statistically secure counterparts for 60 per cent (21/35) of our submm sample, and identify tentative counterparts for another 12 objects. This is the largest sample of submm galaxies with statistically secure counterparts detected in the radio and with Spitzer. We find that in most cases the 850 micron emission is dominated by a single 24 micron source. A composite rest-frame SED shows that the submm sources peak at longer wavelengths than those of local ULIRGs of the same luminosity and therefore appear to be cooler. The SEDs of submm galaxies are also different from those of their high redshift neighbours, the near-IR selected BzK galaxies, whose mid-IR to radio SEDs are more like those of local ULIRGs. Using 24 micron. 850 micron and 1.4 GHz observations, we fit templates that span the mid-IR through radio to derived the integrated IR luminosity of the submm galaxies. By themselves, 24 micron and radio fluxes are able to predict LIR reasonably well because they are relatively insensitive to temperature. However, the submm flux by itself consistently overpredicts LIR when using spectral templates which obey the local ULIRG temperature-luminosity relation. The shorter Spitzer wavelengths sample the stellar bump at the redshifts of the submm sources, and we find that the Spitzer photometry alone provides a model independent estimate of the redshift. Using X-ray and mid-IR data, only 5 per cent of our secure counterparts show strong evidence for an active galactic nucleus dominating the IR luminosity.

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arXiv2006

Using Spitzer to probe the nature of submillimetre galaxies in GOODS-N

How does the submm galaxy population detected by SCUBA fit into galaxy evolution? How do these rare starbursting systems, which contribute significantly to high redshift star-formation, relate to other galaxy populations? Deep radio observations have been most useful for studying these systems, but still leave a significant fraction of the population unidentified. Now with the deep IRAC and MIPS images from the GOODS Spitzer Legacy program and a re-analysis of the deep radio data, we are able to identify counterparts for a large fraction of SCUBA galaxies in GOODS-N. All of these counterparts are detected by Spitzer. Given the vast multi-wavelength data in this field, we can study the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these systems and determine what is fueling their intense infrared luminosities. A rest-frame composite optical-to-radio SED for all spectroscopically identified submm sources shows that the average SCUBA galaxy is consistent with models of ultraluminous starburst galaxies, although cooler than those observed locally. Because of this, the submm flux alone consistently overestimates IR when using spectral templates which obey the local ULIRG temperature-luminosity relation. The wide range of 24/850 micron flux ratios as a function of redshift indicates the presence of strong mid-IR features, to be confirmed with deep IRS spectroscopy. The IRAC colours of the submm systems provide useful redshift constraints, since, at these redshifts, IRAC samples the stellar bump. The Spitzer photometry of this large sample of submm galaxies has allowed us to put constraints on many of the outstanding issues in submm astronomy.

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