arXiv subjects

K. A. Misselt

Publications and source records attributed to K. A. Misselt.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

The 24-Micron View of Embedded Star Formation in NGC 7129

We present observations of the star formation region NGC 7129 taken with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS). A significant population of sources, likely pre-main sequence members of the young stellar cluster, is revealed outside the central photoionization region. Combining with Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and ground-based near-infrared images, we have obtained colors and spectral energy distributions for some 60 objects. The [3.6]-[4.5] vs. [8]-[24] color-color plane shows sources clustered at several different loci, which roughly correspond to the archetypal evolutionary sequence Class 0, I, II, and III. We obtain preliminary classifications for 36 objects, and find significant numbers of both Class I and II objects. Most of the pre-main sequence candidates are associated with the densest part of the molecular cloud surrounding the photoionization region, indicating active star formation over a broad area outside the central cluster. We discuss three Class II candidates that exhibit evidence of inner disk clearing, which would be some of the youngest known examples of a transition from accretion to optically thin quiescent disks.

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arXiv2004

Spatially Resolved Ultraviolet, H-alpha, Infrared, and Radio Star Formation in M81

We present Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) observations of M81 at 24, 70, and 160 micron. The grand design nature of M81 is clearly seen, showing two well resolved spiral arms containing numerous bright star forming regions. The MIPS images reveal a significant amount of cold dust associated with the spiral arms. We investigate the variation of the ultraviolet (UV), H-alpha, and infrared (IR) luminosities and star formation rate (SFR) indicators across the face of M81 using the MIPS images and archival UV and H-alpha images. For regions in M81, we find that UV and H-alpha SFRs (uncorrected for dust attenuation) are always lower than the IR SFR. The cause of this behavior is dust attenuation and/or using SFR calibrations appropriate for entire galaxies, not regions in galaxies. The characteristics of the dust attenuation for the regions indicate the dust grains and/or geometry are different from those in starburst galaxies. The behavior of the infrared-radio correlation in M81 is seen to vary from the global average, with variations correlated with the morphology of M81.

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arXiv2004

PAHs contribution to the infrared output energy of the Universe at z~2

We present an updated phenomenological galaxy evolution model to fit the Spitzer 24, 70 and 160 microns number counts as well as all the previous mid and far infrared observations. Only a minor change of the co-moving luminosity density distribution in the previous model (Lagache, Dole, Puget 2003), combined with a slight modification of the starburst template spectra mainly between 12 and 30 microns, are required to fit all the data available. We show that the peak in the MIPS 24 micron counts is dominated by galaxies with redshift between 1 and 2, with a non negligible contribution from the z>2 galaxies (~30% at S=0.2 mJy). The very close agreement between the model and number counts at 15 and 24 microns strikingly implies that (1) the PAHs (Policyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) features remain prominent in the redshift band 0.5 to 2.5 and (2) the IR energy output has to be dominated by ~3 10^11 Lo to ~3 10^12 Lo galaxies from redshift 0.5 to 2.5. Combining Spitzer with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) deep cosmological surveys gives for the first time an unbiased view of the infrared Universe from z=0 to z=2.5.

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arXiv2004

Confusion in the infrared: Spitzer and beyond

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).

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arXiv2004

Sub-millimeter detections of Spitzer Space Telescope galaxy populations

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.

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arXiv2004

The 24 Micron Source Counts in Deep Spitzer Surveys

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.

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arXiv2004

Extremely Red Objects in The Lockman Hole

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.

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arXiv2003

A Quantitative Comparison of SMC, LMC, and Milky Way UV to NIR Extinction Curves

We present an exhaustive, quantitative comparison of all of the known extinction curves in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC) with our understanding of the general behavior of Milky Way extinction curves. The R_V dependent CCM relationship and the sample of extinction curves used to derive this relationship is used to describe the general behavior of Milky Way extinction curves. The ultraviolet portion of the SMC and LMC extinction curves are derived from archival IUE data, except for one new SMC extinction curve which was measured using HST/STIS observations. The optical extinction curves are derived from new (for the SMC) and literature UBVRI photometry (for the LMC). The near-infrared extinction curves are calculated mainly from 2MASS photometry supplemented with DENIS and new JHK photometry. For each extinction curve, we give R_V = A(V)/E(B-V) and N(HI) values which probe the same dust column as the extinction curve. We compare the properties of the SMC and LMC extinction curves with the CCM relationship three different ways: each curve by itself, the behavior of extinction at different wavelengths with R_V, and behavior of the extinction curve FM fit parameters with R_V. As has been found previously, we find that a small number of LMC extinction curves are consistent with the CCM relationship, but majority of the LMC and all of the SMC curves do not follow the CCM relationship. For the first time, we find that the CCM relationship seems to form a bound on the properties of all of the LMC and SMC extinction curves. This result strengthens the picture of dust extinction curves exhibit a continuum of properties between those found in the Milky Way and the SMC Bar. (abridged)

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arXiv2003

Dust Grain-Size Distributions From MRN to MEM

Employing the Maximum Entropy Method algorithm, we fit interstellar extinction measurements which span the wavelength range 0.125-3 micron. We present a uniform set of MEM model fits, all using the same grain materials, optical constants and abundance constraints. In addition, we are taking advantage of improved UV and IR data and better estimates of the gas-to-dust ratio. The model fits cover the entire range of extinction properties that have been seen in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. The grain models employed for this presentation are the simplistic homogeneous spheres models (i.e., Mathis, Rumpl, & Nordsieck 1977) with two (graphite, silicate) or three (graphite, silicate, amorphous carbon) components. Though such usage is only a first step, the results do provide interesting insight into the use of grain size as a diagnostic of dust environment. We find that the SMC Bar extinction curve cannot be fit using carbon grains alone. This is a challenge to the recent observational result indicating little silicon depletion in the SMC.

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arXiv2001

The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory: X. The R Coronae Borealis Stars

We report the discovery of eight new R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the MACHO project photometry database. The discovery of these new stars increases the number of known RCB stars in the LMC to thirteen. We have also discovered four stars similar to the Galactic variable DY Per. These stars decline much more slowly and are cooler than the RCB stars. The absolute luminosities of the Galactic RCB stars are unknown since there is no direct measurement of the distance to any Galactic RCB star. Hence, the importance of the LMC RCB stars. We find a much larger range of absolute magnitudes (M(V) = -2.5 to -5 mag) than inferred from the small pre-MACHO sample of LMC RCB stars. It is likely that there is a temperature - M(V)relationship with the cooler stars being intrinsically fainter. Cool (~5000 K) RCB stars are much more common than previously thought based on the Galactic RCB star sample. Using the fairly complete sample of RCB stars discovered in the MACHO fields, we have estimated the likely number of RCB stars in the Galaxy to be ~3,200. The SMC MACHO fields were also searched for RCB stars but none were found.

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arXiv2000

The DIRTY Model. I. Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Through Dust

We present the DIRTY radiative transfer model in this paper and a companion paper. This model computes the polarized radiative transfer of photons from arbitrary distributions of stars through arbitrary distributions of dust using Monte Carlo techniques. The dust re-emission is done self-consistently with the dust absorption and scattering and includes all three important emission paths: equilibrium thermal emission, non-equilibrium thermal emission, and the aromatic features emission. The algorithm used for the radiative transfer allows for the efficient computation of the appearance of a model system as seen from any viewing direction. We present a simple method for computing an upper limit on the output quantity uncertainties for Monte Carlo radiative transfer models which use the weighted photon approach.

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arXiv2000

The DIRTY Model II: Self-Consistent Treatment of Dust Heating and Emission in a 3-D Radiative Transfer Code

In this paper and a companion paper we present the DIRTY model, a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code, self-consistently including dust heating and emission, and accounting for the effects of the transient heating of small grains. The code is completely general; the density structure of the dust, the number and type of heating sources, and their geometric configurations can be specified arbitrarily within the model space. Source photons are tracked through the scattering and absorbing medium using Monte Carlo techniques and the effects of multiple scattering are included. The dust scattering, absorbing, and emitting properties are calculated from realistic dust models derived by fitting observed extinction curves in Local Group galaxies including the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way. The dust temperature and the emitted dust spectrum are calculated self consistently from the absorbed energy including the effects of temperature fluctuations in small grains. Dust self-absorption is also accounted for, allowing the treatment of high optical depths, by treating photons emitted by the dust as an additional heating source and adopting an iterative radiative transfer scheme. As an illustrative case, we apply the DIRTY radiative transfer code to starburst galaxies wherein the heating sources are derived from stellar evolutionary synthesis models. Within the context of the starburst model, we examine the dependence of the UV to FIR SED, dust temperatures, and dust masses predicted by DIRTY on variations of the input parameters.

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arXiv2000

Dust Emission Features in NGC 7023 between 0.35 and 2.5 micron: Extended Red Emission (0.7 micron) and Two New Emission Features (1.15 and 1.5 micron)

We present 0.35 to 2.5 micron spectra of the south and northwest filaments in the reflection nebula NGC 7023. These spectra were used to test the theory of Seahra & Duley that carbon nanoparticles are responsible for Extended Red Emission (ERE). Our spectra fail to show their predicted second emission band at 1.0 micron even though both filaments exhibit strong emission in the familiar 0.7 micron ERE band. The northwest filament spectrum does show one, and possibly two, new dust emission features in the near-infrared. We clearly detect a strong emission band at 1.5 micron which we tentatively attribute to beta-FeSi_2 grains. We tentatively detect a weaker emission band at 1.15 micron which coincides with the location expected for transitions from the conduction band to mid-gap defect states of silicon nanoparticles. This is added evidence that silicon nanoparticles are responsible for ERE as they already can explain the observed behavior of the main visible ERE band.

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arXiv1999

The Flux Ratio Method for Determining the Dust Attenuation of Starburst Galaxies

The presence of dust in starburst galaxies complicates the study of their stellar populations as the dust's effects are similar to those associated with changes in the galaxies' stellar age and metallicity. This degeneracy can be overcome for starburst galaxies if UV/optical/near-infrared observations are combined with far-infrared observations. We present the calibration of the flux ratio method for calculating the dust attenuation at a particular wavelength, Att(λ), based on the measurement of F(IR)/F(λ) flux ratio. Our calibration is based on spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from the PEGASE stellar evolutionary synthesis model and the effects of dust (absorption and scattering) as calculated from our Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. We tested the attenuations predicted from this method for the Balmer emission lines of a sample starburst galaxies against those calculated using radio observations and found good agreement. The UV attenuation curves for a handful of starburst galaxies were calculated using the flux ratio method, and they compare favorably with past work. The relationship between Att(λ) and F(IR)/F(λ) is almost completely independent of the assumed dust properties (grain type, distribution, and clumpiness). For the UV, the relationship is also independent of the assumed stellar properties (age, metallicity, etc) accept for the case of very old burst populations. However at longer wavelengths, the relationship is dependent on the assumed stellar properties.

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arXiv1999

The Dusty Starburst Nucleus of M33

We have thoroughly characterized the ultraviolet to near-infrared (0.15 - 2.2 micron) spectral energy distribution (SED) of the central parsec of the M33 nucleus through new infrared photometry and optical/near-infrared spectroscopy, combined with ultraviolet/optical observations from the literature and the HST archive. The SED shows evidence for a significant level of attenuation, which we model through a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code as a shell of clumpy Milky Way-type dust (tau_V ~ 2 +/- 1). The discovery of Milky Way-type dust (with a strong 2175 A bump) internal to the M33 nucleus is different from previous work which has found SMC-like dust (no bump) near starburst regions. The amount by which dust can be processed may be related to the mass and age of the starburst as well as the extent to which the dust can shield itself. Our starburst models include the effects of this dust and can fit the SED if the nucleus was the site of a moderate (~10^8 L_sun at 10 Myrs) episode of coeval star formation about 70 Myrs ago. This result is quite different from previous studies which resorted to multiple stellar populations (between 2 and 7) attenuated by either no or very little internal dust. The M33 nuclear starburst is remarkably similar to an older version (70 Myr versus 10 Myr) of the ultra-compact starburst in the center of the Milky Way.

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arXiv1998

A Reanalysis of theUltraviolet Extinction from Interstellar Dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We have reanalyzed the Large Magellanic Cloud's (LMC) ultraviolet (UV) extinction using data from the IUE final archive. Our new analysis takes advantage of the improved signal--to--noise of the IUE NEWSIPS reduction, the exclusion of stars with very low reddening, the careful selection of well matched comparison stars, and an analysis of the effects of Galactic foreground dust. Differences between the average extinction curves of the 30 Dor region and the rest of the LMC are reduced compared to previous studies. We find that there is a group of stars with very weak 2175 Ang. bumps that lie in or near the region occupied by the supergiant shell, LMC 2, on the southeast side of 30 Dor. The average extinction curves inside and outside LMC 2 show a very significant difference in 2175 Ang. bump strength, but their far--UV extinctions are similar. While it is unclear whether or not the extinction outside the LMC 2 region can be fit with the relation of Cardelli, Clayton and Mathis (CCM), sightlines near LMC 2 cannot be fit with CCM due to their weak 2175 Ang. bumps. While the extinction properties seen in the LMC lie within the range of properties seen in the Galaxy, the correlations of UV extinction properties with environment seen in the Galaxy do not appear to hold in the LMC.

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arXiv1997

HST Observations of IP Pegasi in Quiescence: The Pre-Eclipse Spectrum

We present time-resolved HST UV spectroscopy and ground-based optical photometry of the dwarf nova IP Peg in a quiescent state. The observations were obtained prior to an eclipse, when the bright spot caused by the impact of the accretion stream with the edge of the disk dominates the light output. The optical light curve is strongly correlated with the UV spectrophotometric flux curve. An emission-like feature near 1820 A in the UV spectrum is likely to be a manifestation of the ``Fe II curtain.'' Composite spectra constructed from the peaks and troughs of flickers in the light curve show substantial differences. The spectrum of the flickers is not adequately modelled by a simple blackbody, suggesting that a more sophisticated model is appropriate. We perform a cross-correlation analysis of the variability in spectrophotometric flux curves of the UV continuum and prominent UV emission lines (C II 1335, Si IV 1400, C IV 1550). The continuum and lines are not correlated, suggesting that they are produced separately. The C II and Si IV lines are moderately correlated with each other, but neither line is correlated with C IV, suggesting that the latter forms in a different region than the former. We briefly discuss a qualitative model for the geometry of the emission regions in IP Peg that is consistent with the observed behavior of the UV lines and continuum.

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