J. R. Mullaney

GOODS–Herschel: an infrared main sequence for star-forming galaxies

We present the deepest 100 to 500 μm far-infrared observations obtained with the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the GOODS-Herschel key program, and examine the infrared (IR) 3–500 μm spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies at 0 < z < 2.5, supplemented by a local reference sample from IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, and AKARI data. We determine the projected star formation densities of local galaxies from their radio and mid-IR continuum sizes. We find that the ratio of total IR luminosity to rest-frame 8 μm luminosity, IR8 (≡ L_(IR)^(tot)/L_8), follows a Gaussian distribution centered on IR8 = 4 (σ = 1.6) and defines an IR main sequence for star-forming galaxies independent of redshift and luminosity. Outliers from this main sequence produce a tail skewed toward higher values of IR8. This minority population (  3 × 10^(10) L_⊙ kpc^(-2)) and a high specific star formation rate (i.e., starbursts). The rest-frame, UV-2700 A size of these distant starbursts is typically half that of main sequence galaxies, supporting the correlation between star formation density and starburst activity that is measured for the local sample. Locally, luminous and ultraluminous IR galaxies, (U)LIRGs (L_(IR)^(tot)≥ 10^(11) L_☉), are systematically in the starburst mode, whereas most distant (U)LIRGs form stars in the “normal” main sequence mode. This confusion between two modes of star formation is the cause of the so-called “mid-IR excess” population of galaxies found at z > 1.5 by previous studies. Main sequence galaxies have strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission line features, a broad far-IR bump resulting from a combination of dust temperatures (T_(dust) ~ 15–50 K), and an effective T_(dust)  ~ 31 K, as derived from the peak wavelength of their infrared SED. Galaxies in the starburst regime instead exhibit weak PAH equivalent widths and a sharper far-IR bump with an effective T_(dust)~ 40 K. Finally, we present evidence that the mid-to-far IR emission of X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGN) is predominantly produced by star formation and that candidate dusty AGNs with a power-law emission in the mid-IR systematically occur in compact, dusty starbursts. After correcting for the effect of starbursts on IR8, we identify new candidates for extremely obscured AGNs.

Defining the intrinsic AGN infrared spectral energy distribution and measuring its contribution to the infrared output of composite galaxies

ABSTRACT We use infrared spectroscopy and photometry to empirically define the intrinsic, thermal in-frared spectral energy distribution (i.e., 6-100µm SED) of typical active galactic nuclei (i.e.,2-10 keV luminosity,L 2−10keV ∼10 42 −10 44 ergs s −1 AGNs). On average, the infrared SED oftypical AGNs is best describedas a brokenpower-law at.40 µm that falls steeply at &40 µm(i.e., at far-infrared wavelengths). Despite this fall-off at long wavelengths, at least 3 of the 11AGNs in our sample have observed SEDs that are AGN-dominatedeven at 60 µm, demon-strating the importance of accounting for possible AGN contribution even at far-infraredwavelengths. Our results also suggest that the average intrinsic AGN 6-100µm SED getsbluer with increasing X-ray luminosity, a trend seen both within our sample and also when wecompare against the intrinsic SEDs of more luminous quasars (i.e., L 2−10keV &10 44 ergs s −1 ).We compare our intrinsic AGN SEDs with predictions from dusty torus models and find theyare more closely matched by clumpy, rather than continuous, torus models. Next, we use ourintrinsic AGN SEDs to define a set of correction factors to con vert either monochromatic in-frared or X-ray luminosities into total intrinsic AGN infrared (i.e., 8-1000µm) luminosities.Finally, we outline a procedure that uses our newly defined in trinsic AGN infrared SEDs, inconjunction with a selection of host-galaxy templates, to fit the infrared photometry of com-posite galaxies and measure the AGN contribution to their total infrared output. We verify theaccuracy of our SED fitting procedure by comparing our result s to two independent measuresof AGN contribution: (1) 12 µm luminosities obtained from high-spatial resolution observa-tions of nearby galaxies and (2) the equivalent width of the 11.25 µm PAH feature. Our SEDfitting procedureopens up the possibility of measuringthe i ntrinsic AGN luminosities of largenumbers of galaxies with well-sampled infrared data (e.g.,IRAS, ISO, Spitzer and Herschel).Key words: Galaxies, Seyfert, Active, Quasars, Infrared, X-rays

Kiloparsec-scale outflows are prevalent among luminous AGN: outflows and feedback in the context of the overall AGN population

In this chapter we aim to address the question: how common are kilo-parsec scale ionised outflows in the host galaxies of powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN; i.e., quasars) and what are their properties (e.g., spatial extents, morphologies and energetics)? We select 16 targets for spatially-resolved spectroscopy (i.e., integral field unit [IFU] observations) from a well-constrained parent sample of \(\approx \)24,000 AGN. This means that we can place our observations into the context of the overall AGN population and therefore learn about the population as a whole. Our targets are \(z<0.2\) type 2 quasars that are radio-quiet, with star formation rates (\(\lesssim \)[10–100]\(\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}\)) that are consistent with normal star-forming galaxies. We present Gemini-GMOS IFU observations covering the [O iii]\(\lambda \lambda 4959,5007\) and H\(\beta \) emission lines. We find high-velocity ionised gas (velocity widths \({\approx }600\)–1500 km s\(^{-1}\); maximum velocities \({\le }1700\) km s\(^{-1}\)) with observed spatial extents of \(\gtrsim \)(6–16) kpc in all targets. We show that our targets are representative of \(z<0.2\), type 2 quasars and that ionised outflows are not only common but also in \(\ge \)70 % (3\(\sigma \) confidence) of cases, they are extended over kiloparsec scales. Both star formation and AGN activity appear to be energetically viable to drive the outflows and we find no definitive evidence that favours one process over the other. Although uncertain, we derive mass outflow rates (typically \({\approx }10 \times \) the SFRs), kinetic energies (\({\approx }0.5\)–10 % of \(L_{\mathrm{AGN}}\)) and momentum rates (typically \({\gtrsim }[10\)–\(20]\times L_{\mathrm{AGN}}/c\)) consistent with theoretical models that predict that AGN-driven outflows play a significant role in shaping the evolution of galaxies.

THE HIDDEN “AGN MAIN SEQUENCE”: EVIDENCE FOR A UNIVERSAL BLACK HOLE ACCRETION TO STAR FORMATION RATE RATIO SINCE z ∼ 2 PRODUCING AN M BH-M * RELATION

Using X-ray stacking analyses we estimate the average amounts of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth taking place in star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1 and z ~ 2 as a function of galaxy stellar mass (M *). We find that the average SMBH growth rate follows remarkably similar trends with M * and redshift as the average star formation rates (SFRs) of their host galaxies (i.e., ∝ M * 0.86 ± 0.39 for the z ~ 1 sample and ∝ M * 1.05 ± 0.36 for the z ~ 2 sample). It follows that the ratio of SMBH growth rate to SFR is (1) flat with respect to M *, (2) not evolving with redshift, and (3) close to the ratio required to maintain/establish an SMBH to stellar mass ratio of ≈10–3 as also inferred from todays M BH-M Bulge relationship. We interpret this as evidence that SMBHs have, on average, grown in step with their host galaxies since at least z ~ 2, irrespective of host galaxy mass and active galactic nucleus triggering mechanism. As such, we suggest that the same secular processes that drive the bulk of star formation are also responsible for the majority of SMBH growth. From this, we speculate that it is the availability of gas reservoirs that regulate both cosmological SMBH growth and star formation.

GOODS-HERSCHEL AND CANDELS: THE MORPHOLOGIES OF ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES AT z ∼ 2*

Using deep 100 and 160 μm observations in GOODS-South from GOODS-Herschel, combined with high-resolution HST/WFC3 near-infrared imaging from CANDELS, we present the first detailed morphological analysis of a complete, far-infrared (FIR) selected sample of 52 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L IR > 1012 L ☉) at z ~ 2. We also make use of a comparison sample of galaxies with lower IR luminosities but with the same redshift and H-band magnitude distribution. Our visual classifications of these two samples indicate that the fractions of objects with disk and spheroid morphologies are roughly the same but that there are significantly more mergers, interactions, and irregular galaxies among the ULIRGs (72+5 – 7% versus 32 ± 3%). The combination of disk and irregular/interacting morphologies suggests that early-stage interactions, minor mergers, and disk instabilities could play an important role in ULIRGs at z ~ 2. We compare these fractions with those of a z ~ 1 sample selected from GOODS-H and COSMOS across a wide luminosity range and find that the fraction of disks decreases systematically with L IR while the fraction of mergers and interactions increases, as has been observed locally. At comparable luminosities, the fraction of ULIRGs with various morphological classifications is similar at z ~ 2 and z ~ 1, though there are slightly fewer mergers and slightly more disks at higher redshift. We investigate the position of the z ~ 2 ULIRGs, along with 70 z ~ 2 LIRGs, on the specific star formation rate versus redshift plane, and find 52 systems to be starbursts (i.e., they lie more than a factor of three above the main-sequence relation). We find that many of these systems are clear interactions and mergers (~50%) compared to only 24% of systems on the main sequence relation. If irregular disks are included as potential minor mergers, then we find that up to ~73% of starbursts are involved in a merger or interaction at some level. Although the final coalescence of a major merger may not be required for the high luminosities of ULIRGs at z ~ 2 as is the case locally, the large fraction (50%-73%) of interactions at all stages and potential minor mergers suggests that these processes contribute significantly to the high star formation rates of ULIRGs at z ~ 2.

A UNIFIED EMPIRICAL MODEL FOR INFRARED GALAXY COUNTS BASED ON THE OBSERVED PHYSICAL EVOLUTION OF DISTANT GALAXIES

We reproduce the mid-infrared to radio galaxy counts with a new empirical model based on our current understanding of the evolution of main-sequence (MS) and starburst (SB) galaxies. We rely on a simple Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) library based on Herschel observations: a single SED for the MS and another one for SB, getting warmer with redshift. Our model is able to reproduce recent measurements of galaxy counts performed with Herschel, including counts per redshift slice. This agreement demonstrates the power of our 2 Star-Formation Modes (2SFM) decomposition for describing the statistical properties of infrared sources and their evolution with cosmic time. We discuss the relative contribution of MS and SB galaxies to the number counts at various wavelengths and flux densities. We also show that MS galaxies are responsible for a bump in the 1.4 GHz radio counts around 50 {\mu}Jy. Material of the model (predictions, SED library, mock catalogs...) is available online at this http URL

Energetic galaxy-wide outflows in high-redshift ultraluminous infrared galaxies hosting AGN activity

We present integral field spectroscopy observations, covering the [O iii] λλ4959, 5007 emission-line doublet of eight high-redshift (z = 1.4–3.4) ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) that host active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity, including known submillimetre luminous galaxies. The targets have moderate radio luminosities that are typical of high-redshift ULIRGs (L1.4 GHz = 1024–1025 W Hz−1) and therefore are not radio-loud AGNs. We decouple kinematic components due to the galaxy dynamics and mergers from those due to outflows. We find evidence in the four most luminous systems ( erg s−1) for the signatures of large-scale energetic outflows: extremely broad [O iii] emission (full width at half-maximum ≈ 700–1400 km s−1) across ≈4–15 kpc, with high velocity offsets from the systemic redshifts (up to ≈850 km s−1). The four less luminous systems have lower quality data displaying weaker evidence for spatially extended outflows. We estimate that these outflows are potentially depositing energy into their host galaxies at considerable rates (–1045 erg s−1); however, due to the lack of constraints on the density of the outflowing material and the structure of the outflow, these estimates should be taken as illustrative only. Based on the measured maximum velocities (vmax ≈ 400–1400 km s−1) the outflows observed are likely to unbind some fraction of the gas from their host galaxies, but are unlikely to completely remove gas from the galaxy haloes. By using a combination of energetic arguments and a comparison to ULIRGs without clear evidence for AGN activity, we show that the AGN activity could be the dominant power source for driving all of the observed outflows, although star formation may also play a significant role in some of the sources.

GOODS-Herschel: the far-infrared view of star formation in active galactic nucleus host galaxies since z ≈ 3

We present a study of the infrared properties of X-ray selected, moderate-luminosity (i.e. L_X= 10^(42)–10^(44) erg s^(−1)) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) up to z ≈ 3, in order to explore the links between star formation in galaxies and accretion on to their central black holes. We use 100 and 160 μ m fluxes from GOODS-Herschel – the deepest survey yet undertaken by the Herschel telescope – and show that in the vast majority of cases (i.e. >94 per cent) these fluxes are dominated by emission from the host galaxy. As such, these far-infrared bands provide an uncontaminated view of star formation in the AGN host galaxies. We find no evidence of any correlation between the X-ray and infrared luminosities of moderate AGNs at any redshift, suggesting that global star formation is decoupled from nuclear (i.e. AGN) activity in these galaxies. On the other hand, we confirm that the star formation rates of AGN hosts increase strongly with redshift, by a factor of 43^(+27)_(−18) from z < 0.1 to z = 2–3 for AGNs with the same range of X-ray luminosities. This increase is entirely consistent with the factor of 25–50 increase in the specific star formation rates (SSFRs) of normal, star-forming (i.e. main-sequence) galaxies over the same redshift range. Indeed, the average SSFRs of AGN hosts are only marginally (i.e. ≈20 per cent) lower than those of main-sequence galaxies at all surveyed redshifts, with this small deficit being due to a fraction of AGNs residing in quiescent (i.e. low SSFR) galaxies. We estimate that 79 ± 10 per cent of moderate-luminosity AGNs are hosted in main-sequence galaxies, 15 ± 7 per cent in quiescent galaxies and <10 per cent in strongly starbursting galaxies. We derive the fractions of all main-sequence galaxies at z < 2 that are experiencing a period of moderate nuclear activity, noting that it is strongly dependent on galaxy stellar mass (M_(stars)), rising from just a few per cent at M_(stars) ∼ 10^(10) M_⊙ to ≳20 per cent at M_(stars)≥ 10^(11) M_⊙. Our results indicate that it is galaxy stellar mass that is most important in dictating whether a galaxy hosts a moderate-luminosity AGN. We argue that the majority of moderate nuclear activity is fuelled by internal mechanisms rather than violent mergers, which suggests that high-redshift disc instabilities could be an important AGN feeding mechanism.

GOODS-HERSCHEL: star formation, dust attenuation and the FIR-radio correlation on the Main Sequence of star-forming galaxies up to z~4

We use the deep panchromatic dataset available in the GOODS-N field, spanning all the way from GALEX ultra-violet to VLA radio continuum data, to select a star-forming galaxy sample at z~[0.5-4] and robustly measure galaxy photometric redshifts, star formation rates, stellar masses and UV rest-frame properties. We quantitatively explore, using mass-complete samples, the evolution of the star formation activity and dust attenuation properties of star-forming galaxies up to z~4. Our main results can be summarized as follows: i) we find that the slope of the SFR-M correlation is consistent with being constant, and equal to ~0.8 at least up to z~1.5, while the normalization keeps increasing to the highest redshift, z~4, we are able to explore; ii) for the first time in this work, we are able to explore the FIR-radio correlation for a mass-selected sample of star-forming galaxies: the correlation does not evolve up to z~4; iii) we confirm that galaxy stellar mass is a robust proxy for UV dust attenuation in star-forming galaxies, with more massive galaxies being more dust attenuated; iv) strikingly, we find that this attenuation relation evolves very weakly with redshift, the amount of dust attenuation increasing by less than 0.3 magnitudes over the redshift range [0.5-4] for a fixed stellar mass, as opposed to a tenfold increase of star formation rate; v) this finding explains the evolution of the SFR-Auv relation reported in literature: the same amount of star formation is less attenuated at higher redshift because it is hosted in less massive, and less metal rich, galaxies; vi) the correlation between dust attenuation and the UV spectral slope evolves in redshift, with the median UV spectral slope of star-forming galaxies becoming bluer with redshift. By z~3, typical UV slopes are inconsistent, given the measured dust attenuation, with the predictions of commonly used empirical laws: this means that the present cosmic star formation rate density estimates at redshift z > 3 need to be increased by a factor of around 2. Finally, building on the measured AUV–logM correlation and on existing results, we find evidence that line reddening is marginally larger (by a factor of around 1.3) than continuum reddening at all redshifts probed, and also that the amount of dust attenuation at a fixed ISM metallicity increases with redshift. We speculate that our results point toward an evolution of the ISM conditions of the median star-forming galaxy, such that at z >1.5, Main Sequence galaxies have ISM properties more similar to those found in local starbursts.

DEEP SILICATE ABSORPTION FEATURES IN COMPTON-THICK ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI PREDOMINANTLY ARISE DUE TO DUST IN THE HOST GALAXY

We explore the origin of mid-infrared (mid-IR) dust extinction in all 20 nearby (z 1.5 × 1024 cm–2) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with hard energy (E > 10 keV) X-ray spectral measurements. We accurately measure the silicate absorption features at λ ~ 9.7 μm in archival low-resolution (R ~ 57-127) Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectroscopy, and show that only a minority (≈45%) of nearby Compton-thick AGNs have strong Si-absorption features (S 9.7 = ln (f int/f obs) 0.5) which would indicate significant dust attenuation. The majority (≈60%) are star formation dominated (AGN:SB < 0.5) at mid-IR wavelengths and lack the spectral signatures of AGN activity at optical wavelengths, most likely because the AGN emission lines are optically extinguished. Those Compton-thick AGNs hosted in low-inclination-angle galaxies exhibit a narrow range in Si-absorption (S 9.7 ~ 0-0.3), which is consistent with that predicted by clumpy-torus models. However, on the basis of the IR spectra and additional lines of evidence, we conclude that the dominant contribution to the observed mid-IR dust extinction is dust located in the host galaxy (i.e., due to disturbed morphologies, dust lanes, galaxy inclination angles) and not necessarily a compact obscuring torus surrounding the central engine.