arXiv subjects

E. J. Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to E. J. Murphy.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

The Star Formation in Radio Survey: 3 - 33 GHz Imaging of Nearby Galaxy Nuclei and Extranuclear Star-forming Regions

We present 3, 15, and 33 GHz imaging towards galaxy nuclei and extranuclear star-forming regions using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array as part of the Star Formation in Radio Survey. With $3-33$ GHz radio spectra, we measured the spectral indices and corresponding thermal (free-free) emission fractions for a sample of 335 discrete regions having significant detections in at least two radio bands. After removing 14 likely background galaxies, we find that the median thermal fraction at 33 GHz is $92 \pm 0.8\%$ with a median absolute deviation of $11\%$, when a two-component power-law model is adopted to fit the radio spectrum. Limiting the sample to 238 sources that are confidently identified as star-forming regions, and not affected by potential AGN contamination (i.e., having galactocentric radii $r_{\rm G} \geq 250$ pc), results in a median thermal fraction of $93 \pm 0.8 \%$ with a median absolute deviation of $10\%$. We further measure the thermal fraction at 33 GHz for 163 regions identified at 7" resolution to be $94 \pm 0.8 \%$ with a median absolute deviation of $8\%$. Together, these results confirm that free-free emission dominates the radio spectra of star-forming regions on scales up to $\sim$500 pc in normal star-forming galaxies. We additionally find a factor of $\sim$1.6 increase in the scatter of the measured spectral index and thermal fraction distributions as a function of decreasing galactocentric radius. This trend is likely reflective of the continuous star-formation activity occurring in the galaxy centers, resulting a larger contribution of diffuse nonthermal emission relative to star-forming regions in the disk.

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arXiv2019

The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). Science case and survey design

The Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) is a synoptic, all-sky radio sky survey with a unique combination of high angular resolution ($\approx$2.5"), sensitivity (a 1$σ$ goal of 70 $μ$Jy/beam in the coadded data), full linear Stokes polarimetry, time domain coverage, and wide bandwidth (2-4 GHz). The first observations began in September 2017, and observing for the survey will finish in 2024. VLASS will use approximately 5500 hours of time on the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to cover the whole sky visible to the VLA (Declination $>-40^{\circ}$), a total of 33,885 deg$^2$. The data will be taken in three epochs to allow the discovery of variable and transient radio sources. The survey is designed to engage radio astronomy experts, multi-wavelength astronomers, and citizen scientists alike. By utilizing an "on the fly" interferometry mode, the observing overheads are much reduced compared to a conventional pointed survey. In this paper, we present the science case and observational strategy for the survey, and also results from early survey observations.

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arXiv2019

Modeling Dust and Starlight in Galaxies Observed by Spitzer and Herschel: The KINGFISH Sample

Dust and starlight are modeled for the KINGFISH project galaxies. With data from 3.6 micron to 500 micron, models are strongly constrained. For each pixel in each galaxy we estimate (1) dust surface density; (2) q_PAH, the dust mass fraction in PAHs; (3) distribution of starlight intensities heating the dust; (4) luminosity emitted by the dust; and (5) dust luminosity from regions with high starlight intensity. The models successfully reproduce both global and resolved spectral energy distributions. We provide well-resolved maps for the dust properties. As in previous studies, we find q_PAH to be an increasing function of metallicity, above a threshold Z/Z_sol approx 0.15. Dust masses are obtained by summing the dust mass over the map pixels; these "resolved" dust masses are consistent with the masses inferred from model fits to the global photometry. The global dust-to-gas ratios obtained from this study correlate with galaxy metallicities. Systems with Z/Z_sol > 0.5 have most of their refractory elements locked up in dust, whereas when Z/Z_sol < 0.3 most of these elements tend to remain in the gas phase. Within galaxies, we find that q_PAH is suppressed in regions with unusually warm dust with nu L_nu(70 um) > 0.4L_dust. With knowledge of one long-wavelength flux density ratio (e.g., f_{160}/f_{500}), the minimum starlight intensity heating the dust (U_min) can be estimated to within ~50%. For the adopted dust model, dust masses can be estimated to within ~0.07 dex accuracy using the 500 micron luminosity nu L_nu(500) alone. There are additional systematic errors arising from the choice of dust model, but these are hard to estimate. These calibrated prescriptions may be useful for studies of high-redshift galaxies.

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arXiv2019

Star-forming Clumps in Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies

We present $HST$ narrow-band near-infrared imaging of Pa$α$ and Pa$β$ emission of 48 local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) from the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). These data allow us to measure the properties of 810 spatially resolved star-forming regions (59 nuclei and 751 extra-nuclear clumps), and directly compare their properties to those found in both local and high-redshift star-forming galaxies. We find that in LIRGs, the star-forming clumps have radii ranging from $\sim90-900$ pc and star formation rates (SFRs) of $\sim1\times10^{-3}$ to 10 M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$, with median values for extra-nuclear clumps of 170 pc and 0.03 M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$. The detected star-forming clumps are young, with a median stellar age of $8.7$ Myrs, and a median stellar mass of $5\times10^{5}$ M$_\odot$. The SFRs span the range of those found in normal local star-forming galaxies to those found in high-redshift star-forming galaxies at $\rm{z}=1-3$. The luminosity function of the LIRG clumps has a flatter slope than found in lower-luminosity, star-forming galaxies, indicating a relative excess of luminous star-forming clumps. In order to predict the possible range of star-forming histories and gas fractions, we compare the star-forming clumps to those measured in the MassiveFIRE high-resolution cosmological simulation. The star-forming clumps in MassiveFIRE cover the same range of SFRs and sizes found in the local LIRGs and have total gas fractions that extend from 10 to 90%. If local LIRGs are similar to these simulated galaxies, we expect future observations with ALMA will find a large range of gas fractions, and corresponding star formation efficiencies, among the star-forming clumps in LIRGs.

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arXiv2019

Radio spectra and sizes of ALMA-identified submillimetre galaxies: evidence of age-related spectral curvature and cosmic ray diffusion?

We analyse the multi-frequency radio spectral properties of $41$ 6GHz-detected ALMA-identified, submillimetre galaxies (SMGs), observed at 610MHz, 1.4GHz, 6GHz with GMRT and the VLA. Combining high-resolution ($\sim0.5''$) 6GHz radio and ALMA $870\,μ$m imaging (tracing rest-frame $\sim20$GHz, and $\sim250\,μ$m dust continuum), we study the far-infrared/radio correlation via the logarithmic flux ratio $q_{\rm IR}$, measuring $\langle q_{\rm IR}\rangle=2.20\pm 0.06$ for our sample. We show that the high-frequency radio sizes of SMGs are $\sim1.9\pm 0.4\times$ ($\sim2$-$3$kpc) larger than those of the cool dust emission, and find evidence for a subset of our sources being extended on $\sim 10$kpc scales at 1.4GHz. By combining radio flux densities measured at three frequencies, we can move beyond simple linear fits to the radio spectra of high-redshift star-forming galaxies, and search for spectral curvature, which has been observed in local starburst galaxies. At least a quarter (10/41) of our sample show evidence of a spectral break, with a median $\langleα^{1.4\,{\rm GHz}}_{610\,{\rm GHz}}\rangle=-0.60\pm 0.06$, but $\langleα^{6\,{\rm GHz}}_{1.4\,{\rm GHz}}\rangle=-1.06\pm 0.04$ -- a high-frequency flux deficit relative to simple extrapolations from the low-frequency data. We explore this result within this subset of sources in the context of age-related synchrotron losses, showing that a combination of weak magnetic fields ($B\sim35\,μ$G) and young ages ($t_{\rm SB}\sim40$--$80\,$Myr) for the central starburst can reproduce the observed spectral break. Assuming these represent evolved (but ongoing) starbursts and we are observing these systems roughly half-way through their current episode of star formation, this implies starburst durations of $\lesssim100$Myr, in reasonable agreement with estimates derived via gas depletion timescales.

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arXiv2019

A Very Large Array Survey of Luminous Extranuclear Star-forming Regions in Luminous Infrared Galaxies in GOALS

We present the first results of a high-resolution Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) imaging survey of luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). From the full sample of 68 galaxies, we have selected 25 LIRGs that show resolved extended emission at sufficient sensitivity to image individual regions of star-formation activity beyond the nucleus.~With wideband radio continuum observations, which sample the frequency range from $3-33$ GHz, we have made extinction-free measurements of the luminosities and spectral indicies for a total of 48 individual star-forming regions identified as having de-projected galactocentric radii ($r_{G}$) that lie outside the 13.2$μ$m core of the galaxy.~The median $3-33$ GHz spectral index and 33 GHz thermal fraction measured for these "extranuclear" regions is $-0.51 \pm 0.13$ and $65 \pm 11\%$ respectively.~These values are consistent with measurements made on matched spatial scales in normal star-forming galaxies, and suggests that these regions are more heavily-dominated by thermal free-free emission relative to the centers of local ULIRGs.~Further, we find that the median star-formation rate derived for these regions is $\sim 1 M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, and when we place them on the sub-galactic star-forming main sequence of galaxies (SFMS), we find they are offset from their host galaxies' globally-averaged specific star-formation rates (sSFRs).~We conclude that while nuclear starburst activity drives LIRGs above the SFMS, extranuclear star-formation still proceeds in a more extreme fashion relative to what is seen in local spiral galaxies.

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arXiv2018

Science with an ngVLA: [CII] 158$μ$m Emission from $z \ge 10$ Galaxies

We consider the capabilities of ALMA and the ngVLA to detect and image the[CII] 158\,$μ$m line from galaxies into the cosmic `dark ages' ($z \sim 10$ to 20). The [CII] line may prove to be a powerful tool in determining spectroscopic redshifts, and galaxy dynamics, for the first galaxies. In 40\,hr, ALMA has the sensitivity to detect the integrated [CII] line emission from a moderate metallicity, active star-forming galaxy [$Z_A = 0.2\,Z_{\odot}$; star formation rate (SFR)= 5\,$M_\odot$\,yr$^{-1}$], at $z = 10$ at a significance of 6$σ$. The ngVLA will detect the integrated [CII] line emission from a Milky-Way like star formation rate galaxy ($Z_{A} = 0.2\,Z_{\odot}$, SFR = 1\,$M_\odot$\,yr$^{-1}$), at $z = 15$ at a significance of 6$σ$. Imaging simulations show that the ngVLA can determine rotation dynamics for active star-forming galaxies at $z \sim 15$, if they exist. The [CII] detection rate in blind surveys will be slow (of order unity per 40\,hr pointing.

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arXiv2018

Linear radio size evolution of $μ$Jy populations

We investigate the linear radio size properties of the $μ$Jy populations of radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star-forming galaxies (SFGs) using a multi-resolution catalog based on the original VLA-COSMOS 3\,GHz 0\farcs75 resolution mosaic and its convolved images (up to a resolution of 2\farcs2). The final catalog contains 6\,399 radio sources above a 3\,GHz total flux density of $S_T>20$ $μ$Jy (median $ =37$ $μ$Jy), with redshift information (median $ =1.0$), and multi-wavelength classification as SFGs, radio-excess AGN (RX-AGN), or non-radio-excess AGN (NRX-AGN). RX-AGN are those whose radio emission exceeds the star formation rate derived by fitting the global spectral energy distribution. We derive the evolution with redshift and luminosity of the median linear sizes of each class of objects. We find that RX-AGN are compact, with median sizes of $\sim$ 1-2 kpc and increasing with redshift, corresponding to an almost constant angular size of 0\farcs25. NRX-AGN typically have radio sizes a factor of 2 larger than the RX-AGN. The median radio size of SFGs is about 5 kpc up to $z\sim 0.7$, and it decreases beyond this redshift. Using luminosity-complete subsamples of objects, we separately investigate the effect of redshift and luminosity dependance. We compare the radio sizes of SFGs with those derived in the rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) and UV bands. We find that SFGs have comparable sizes (within 15\%) in the radio and rest-frame FIR, while the sizes measured in the UV-band are systematically larger than the radio sizes.

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arXiv2018

A New Detection of Extragalactic Anomalous Microwave Emission in a Compact, Optically-Faint Region of NGC\,4725

We discuss the nature of a discrete, compact radio source (NGC 4725 B) located $\approx$1.9 kpc from the nucleus in the nearby star-forming galaxy NGC 4725, which we believe to be a new detection of extragalactic Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME). Based on detections at 3, 15, 22, 33, and 44 GHz, NGC 4725 B is a $μ$Jy radio source peaking at $\approx$33 GHz. While the source is not identified in $BVRI$ photometry, we detect counterparts in the mid-infrared $Spitzer$/IRAC bands (3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0 $μ$m) that appear to be associated with dust emission in the central region of NGC 4725. Consequently, we conclude that NGC 4725 B is a new detection of AME, and very similar to a recent detection of AME in an outer-disk star-forming region in NGC 6946. We find that models of electric dipole emission from rapidly rotating ultra-small grains are able to reproduce the radio spectrum for reasonable interstellar medium conditions. Given the lack of an optical counterpart and the shape of the radio spectrum, NGC 4725 B appears consistent with a nascent star-forming region in which young ($\lesssim 3$ Myr) massive stars are still highly enshrouded by their natal cocoons of gas and dust with insufficient supernovae occurring to produce a measurable amount of synchrotron emission.

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arXiv2018

A massive core for a cluster of galaxies at a redshift of 4.3

Massive galaxy clusters are now found as early as 3 billion years after the Big Bang, containing stars that formed at even earlier epochs. The high-redshift progenitors of these galaxy clusters, termed 'protoclusters', are identified in cosmological simulations with the highest dark matter overdensities. While their observational signatures are less well defined compared to virialized clusters with a substantial hot intra-cluster medium (ICM), protoclusters are expected to contain extremely massive galaxies that can be observed as luminous starbursts. Recent claimed detections of protoclusters hosting such starbursts do not support the kind of rapid cluster core formation expected in simulations because these structures contain only a handful of starbursting galaxies spread throughout a broad structure, with poor evidence for eventual collapse into a protocluster. Here we report that the source SPT2349-56 consists of at least 14 gas-rich galaxies all lying at z = 4.31 based on sensitive observations of carbon monoxide and ionized carbon. We demonstrate that each of these galaxies is forming stars between 50 and 1000 times faster than our own Milky Way, and all are located within a projected region only $\sim$ 130 kiloparsecs in diameter. This galaxy surface density is more than 10 times the average blank field value (integrated over all redshifts) and $>$1000 times the average field volume density. The velocity dispersion ($\sim$ 410 km s$^{-1}$) of these galaxies and enormous gas and star formation densities suggest that this system represents a galaxy cluster core at an advanced stage of formation when the Universe was only 1.4 billion years old. A comparison with other known protoclusters at high redshifts shows that SPT2349-56 is a uniquely massive and dense system that could be building one of the most massive structures in the Universe today.

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arXiv2018

The State-of-Play of Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) Research

Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) is a component of diffuse Galactic radiation observed at frequencies in the range $\approx 10$-60 GHz. AME was first detected in 1996 and recognised as an additional component of emission in 1997. Since then, AME has been observed by a range of experiments and in a variety of environments. AME is spatially correlated with far-IR thermal dust emission but cannot be explained by synchrotron or free-free emission mechanisms, and is far in excess of the emission contributed by thermal dust emission with the power-law opacity consistent with the observed emission at sub-mm wavelengths. Polarization observations have shown that AME is very weakly polarized ($\lesssim 1$%). The most natural explanation for AME is rotational emission from ultra-small dust grains ("spinning dust"), first postulated in 1957. Magnetic dipole radiation from thermal fluctuations in the magnetization of magnetic grain materials may also be contributing to the AME, particularly at higher frequencies ($\gtrsim 50$ GHz). AME is also an important foreground for Cosmic Microwave Background analyses. This paper presents a review and the current state-of-play in AME research, which was discussed in an AME workshop held at ESTEC, The Netherlands, June 2016.

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arXiv2018

Full-disc $^{13}$CO(1-0) mapping across nearby galaxies of the EMPIRE survey and the CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor

Carbon monoxide (CO) provides crucial information about the molecular gas properties of galaxies. While $^{12}$CO has been targeted extensively, isotopologues such as $^{13}$CO have the advantage of being less optically thick and observations have recently become accessible across full galaxy discs. We present a comprehensive new dataset of $^{13}$CO(1-0) observations with the IRAM 30-m telescope of the full discs of 9 nearby spiral galaxies from the EMPIRE survey at a spatial resolution of $\sim$1.5kpc. $^{13}$CO(1-0) is mapped out to $0.7-1r_{25}$ and detected at high signal-to-noise throughout our maps. We analyse the $^{12}$CO(1-0)-to-$^{13}$CO(1-0) ratio ($\Re$) as a function of galactocentric radius and other parameters such as the $^{12}$CO(2-1)-to-$^{12}$CO(1-0) intensity ratio, the 70-to-160$μ$m flux density ratio, the star-formation rate surface density, the star-formation efficiency, and the CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor. We find that $\Re$ varies by a factor of 2 at most within and amongst galaxies, with a median value of 11 and larger variations in the galaxy centres than in the discs. We argue that optical depth effects, most likely due to changes in the mixture of diffuse/dense gas, are favored explanations for the observed $\Re$ variations, while abundance changes may also be at play. We calculate a spatially-resolved $^{13}$CO(1-0)-to-H$_2$ conversion factor and find an average value of $1.0\times10^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$ (K.km/s)$^{-1}$ over our sample with a standard deviation of a factor of 2. We find that $^{13}$CO(1-0) does not appear to be a good predictor of the bulk molecular gas mass in normal galaxy discs due to the presence of a large diffuse phase, but it may be a better tracer of the mass than $^{12}$CO(1-0) in the galaxy centres where the fraction of dense gas is larger.

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arXiv2017

Galaxy growth in a massive halo in the first billion years of cosmic history

According to the current understanding of cosmic structure formation, the precursors of the most massive structures in the Universe began to form shortly after the Big Bang, in regions corresponding to the largest fluctuations in the cosmic density field. Observing these structures during their period of active growth and assembly - the first few hundred million years of the Universe - is challenging because it requires surveys that are sensitive enough to detect the distant galaxies that act as signposts for these structures and wide enough to capture the rarest objects. As a result, very few such objects have been detected so far. Here we report observations of a far-infrared-luminous object at redshift 6.900 (less than 800 Myr after the Big Bang) that was discovered in a wide-field survey. High-resolution imaging reveals this source to be a pair of extremely massive star-forming galaxies. The larger of these galaxies is forming stars at a rate of 2900 solar masses per year, contains 270 billion solar masses of gas and 2.5 billion solar masses of dust, and is more massive than any other known object at a redshift of more than 6. Its rapid star formation is probably triggered by its companion galaxy at a projected separation of just 8 kiloparsecs. This merging companion hosts 35 billion solar masses of stars and has a star-formation rate of 540 solar masses per year, but has an order of magnitude less gas and dust than its neighbor and physical conditions akin to those observed in lower-metallicity galaxies in the nearby Universe. These objects suggest the presence of a dark-matter halo with a mass of more than 400 billion solar masses, making it among the rarest dark-matter haloes that should exist in the Universe at this epoch.

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arXiv2017

Host galaxies and relativistic ejecta of compact binary mergers in the ngVLA era

We present the results of a community study aimed at exploring some of the scientific opportunities that the next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) could open in the field of multi-messenger time-domain astronomy. We focus on compact binary mergers, golden astrophysical targets of ground-based gravitational wave (GW) detectors such as advanced LIGO. A decade from now, a large number of these mergers is likely to be discovered by a world-wide network of GW detectors. This will enable the identification of host galaxies, either directly through detection of electromagnetic (EM) counterparts, or indirectly by probing potential anisotropies in the spatial distribution of mergers. Identifying the host galaxy population of GW mergers would provide a way to constrain the efficiency of various binary neutron star (NS) or black hole (BH) formation scenarios, and the merger timescale distributions as linked to merger rates in early- and late-type galaxies. We discuss how a radio array with ~10x the sensitivity of the current Karl G. Jansky VLA and ~10x the resolution, would enable resolved radio continuum studies of binary merger hosts, probing regions of the galaxy undergoing star formation (which can be heavily obscured by dust and gas), AGN components, and mapping the offset distribution of the mergers with respect to the host galaxy light. For compact binary mergers containing at least one NS and with associated EM counterparts, we show how the ngVLA would enable direct size measurements of the relativistic merger ejecta and probe, for the first time directly, their dynamics.

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arXiv2017

The Star Formation in Radio Survey: Jansky Very Large Array 33 GHz Observations of Nearby Galaxy Nuclei and Extranuclear Star-Forming Regions

We present 33 GHz imaging for 112 pointings towards galaxy nuclei and extranuclear star-forming regions at $\approx$2" resolution using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) as part of the Star Formation in Radio Survey. A comparison with 33 GHz Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope single-dish observations indicates that the interferometric VLA observations recover $78\pm4 %$ of the total flux density over 25" regions ($\approx$ kpc-scales) among all fields. On these scales, the emission being resolved out is most likely diffuse non-thermal synchrotron emission. Consequently, on the $\approx30-300$ pc scales sampled by our VLA observations, the bulk of the 33 GHz emission is recovered and primarily powered by free-free emission from discrete HII regions, making it an excellent tracer of massive star formation. Of the 225 discrete regions used for aperture photometry, 162 are extranuclear (i.e., having galactocentric radii $r_{\rm G} \geq 250$ pc) and detected at $>3σ$ significance at 33 GHz and in H$α$. Assuming a typical 33 GHz thermal fraction of 90 %, the ratio of optically-thin 33 GHz-to-uncorrected H$α$ star formation rates indicate a median extinction value on $\approx30-300$ pc scales of $A_{\rm Hα} \approx 1.26\pm0.09$ mag with an associated median absolute deviation of 0.87 mag. We find that 10 % of these sources are "highly embedded" (i.e., $A_{\rm Hα}\gtrsim3.3$ mag), suggesting that on average HII regions remain embedded for $\lesssim1$ Myr. Finally, we find the median 33 GHz continuum-to-H$α$ line flux ratio to be statistically larger within $r_{\rm G}<250$ pc relative the outer-disk regions by a factor of $1.82\pm0.39$, while the ratio of 33 GHz-to-24 $μ$m flux densities are lower by a factor of $0.45\pm0.08$, which may suggest increased extinction in the central regions.

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arXiv2017

Galaxies into the Dark Ages

We consider the capabilities of current and future large facilities operating at 2\,mm to 3\,mm wavelength to detect and image the [CII] 158\,$μ$m line from galaxies into the cosmic "dark ages" ($z \sim 10$ to 20). The [CII] line may prove to be a powerful tool in determining spectroscopic redshifts, and galaxy dynamics, for the first galaxies. We emphasize that the nature, and even existence, of such extreme redshift galaxies, remains at the frontier of open questions in galaxy formation. In 40\,hr, ALMA has the sensitivity to detect the integrated [CII] line emission from a moderate metallicity, active star-forming galaxy [$Z_A = 0.2\,Z_{\odot}$; star formation rate (SFR) = 5\,$M_\odot$\,yr$^{-1}$], at $z = 10$ at a significance of 6$σ$. The next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) will detect the integrated [CII] line emission from a Milky-Way like star formation rate galaxy ($Z_{A} = 0.2\,Z_{\odot}$, SFR = 1\,$M_\odot$\,yr$^{-1}$), at $z = 15$ at a significance of 6$σ$. Imaging simulations show that the ngVLA can determine rotation dynamics for active star-forming galaxies at $z \sim 15$, if they exist. Based on our very limited knowledge of the extreme redshift Universe, we calculate the count rate in blind, volumetric surveys for [CII] emission at $z \sim 10$ to 20. The detection rates in blind surveys will be slow (of order unity per 40\,hr pointing). However, the observations are well suited to commensal searches. We compare [CII] with the [OIII] 88$μ$m line, and other ancillary information in high $z$ galaxies that would aid these studies.

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arXiv2017

A Herschel/PACS Far Infrared Line Emission Survey of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies

We present an analysis of [OI]63, [OIII]88, [NII]122 and [CII]158 far-infrared (FIR) fine-structure line observations obtained with Herschel/PACS, for ~240 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). We find pronounced declines -deficits- of line-to-FIR-continuum emission for [NII]122, [OI]63 and [CII]158 as a function of FIR color and infrared luminosity surface density, $Σ_{\rm IR}$. The median electron density of the ionized gas in LIRGs, based on the [NII]122/[NII]205 ratio, is $n_{\rm e}$ = 41 cm$^{-3}$. We find that the dispersion in the [CII]158 deficit of LIRGs is attributed to a varying fractional contribution of photo-dissociation-regions (PDRs) to the observed [CII]158 emission, f([CII]PDR) = [CII]PDR/[CII], which increases from ~60% to ~95% in the warmest LIRGs. The [OI]63/[CII]158PDR ratio is tightly correlated with the PDR gas kinetic temperature in sources where [OI]63 is not optically-thick or self-absorbed. For each galaxy, we derive the average PDR hydrogen density, $n_{\rm H}$, and intensity of the interstellar radiation field, in units of G$_0$, and find G$_0$/$n_{\rm H}$ ratios ~0.1-50 cm$^3$, with ULIRGs populating the upper end of the distribution. There is a relation between G$_0$/$n_{\rm H}$ and $Σ_{\rm IR}$, showing a critical break at $Σ_{\rm IR}^{\star}$ ~ 5 x 10$^{10}$ Lsun/kpc$^2$. Below $Σ_{\rm IR}^{\star}$, G$_0$/$n_{\rm H}$ remains constant, ~0.32 cm$^3$, and variations in $Σ_{\rm IR}$ are driven by the number density of star-forming regions within a galaxy, with no change in their PDR properties. Above $Σ_{\rm IR}^{\star}$, G$_0$/$n_{\rm H}$ increases rapidly with $Σ_{\rm IR}$, signaling a departure from the typical PDR conditions found in normal star-forming galaxies towards more intense/harder radiation fields and compact geometries typical of starbursting sources.

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arXiv2017

A 33 GHz Survey of Local Major Mergers: Estimating the Sizes of the Energetically Dominant Regions from High Resolution Measurements of the Radio Continuum

We present Very Large Array observations of the 33 GHz radio continuum emission from 22 local ultraluminous and luminous infrared (IR) galaxies (U/LIRGs). These observations have spatial (angular) resolutions of 30--720 pc (0.07"-0.67") in a part of the spectrum that is likely to be optically thin. This allows us to estimate the size of the energetically dominant regions. We find half-light radii from 30 pc to 1.7 kpc. The 33 GHz flux density correlates well with the IR emission, and we take these sizes as indicative of the size of the region that produces most of the energy. Combining our 33 GHz sizes with unresolved measurements, we estimate the IR luminosity and star formation rate per area, and the molecular gas surface and volume densities. These quantities span a wide range (4 dex) and include some of the highest values measured for any galaxy (e.g., $\mathrm{Σ_{SFR}^{33GHz} \leq 10^{4.1} M_{\odot} yr^{-1} kpc^{-2}}$). At least $13$ sources appear Compton thick ($\mathrm{N_{H}^{33GHz} \geq 10^{24} cm^{-2}}$). Consistent with previous work, contrasting these data with observations of normal disk galaxies suggests a nonlinear and likely multi-valued relation between SFR and molecular gas surface density, though this result depends on the adopted CO-to-H$_{2}$ conversion factor and the assumption that our 33 GHz sizes apply to the gas. 11 sources appear to exceed the luminosity surface density predicted for starbursts supported by radiation pressure and supernovae feedback, however we note the need for more detailed observations of the inner disk structure. U/LIRGs with higher surface brightness exhibit stronger [{\sc Cii}] 158$μ$m deficits, consistent with the suggestion that high energy densities drive this phenomenon.

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