Nurur Rahman

KINGFISH—Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: A Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel: Survey Description and Image Atlas

The KINGFISH project (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel) is an imaging and spectroscopic survey of 61 nearby (d < 30 Mpc) galaxies, chosen to cover a wide range of galaxy properties and local interstellar medium (ISM) environments found in the nearby universe. Its broad goals are to characterize the ISM of present-day galaxies, the heating and cooling of their gaseous and dust components, and to better understand the physical processes linking star formation and the ISM. KINGFISH is a direct descendant of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS), which produced complete Spitzer imaging and spectroscopic mapping and a comprehensive set of multiwavelength ancillary observations for the sample. The Herschel imaging consists of complete maps for the galaxies at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm. The spectral line imaging of the principal atomic ISM cooling lines ([O I] 63 μm, [O III] 88 μm, [N II] 122,205 μm, and [C II] 158 μm) covers the subregions in the centers and disks that already have been mapped in the mid-infrared with Spitzer. The KINGFISH and SINGS multiwavelength data sets combined provide panchromatic mapping of the galaxies sufficient to resolve individual star-forming regions, and tracing the important heating and cooling channels of the ISM, across a wide range of local extragalactic ISM environments. This article summarizes the scientific strategy for KINGFISH, the properties of the galaxy sample, the observing strategy, and data processing and products. It also presents a combined Spitzer and Herschel image atlas for the KINGFISH galaxies, covering the wavelength range 3.6–500 μm. All imaging and spectroscopy data products will be released to the Herschel user-generated product archives.

HERSCHEL FAR-INFRARED AND SUBMILLIMETER PHOTOMETRY FOR THE KINGFISH SAMPLE OF NEARBY GALAXIES

New far-infrared and submillimeter photometry from the Herschel Space Observatory is presented for 61 nearby galaxies from the Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: A Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel (KINGFISH) sample. The spatially integrated fluxes are largely consistent with expectations based on Spitzer far-infrared photometry and extrapolations to longer wavelengths using popular dust emission models. Dwarf irregular galaxies are notable exceptions, as already noted by other authors, as their 500 μm emission shows evidence for a submillimeter excess. In addition, the fraction of dust heating attributed to intense radiation fields associated with photodissociation regions is found to be (21 ± 4)% larger when Herschel data are included in the analysis. Dust masses obtained from the dust emission models of Draine & Li are found to be on average nearly a factor of two higher than those based on single-temperature modified blackbodies, as single blackbody curves do not capture the full range of dust temperatures inherent to any galaxy. The discrepancy is largest for galaxies exhibiting the coolest far-infrared colors.

Resolving the Far-IR Line Deficit: Photoelectric Heating and Far-IR Line Cooling in NGC 1097 and NGC 4559

The physical state of interstellar gas and dust is dependent on the processes which heat and cool this medium. To probe heating and cooling of the interstellar medium over a large range of infrared surface brightness, on sub-kiloparsec scales, we employ line maps of [C II] 158 μm, [O I] 63 μm, and [N II] 122 μm in NGC 1097 and NGC 4559, obtained with the Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer on board Herschel. We matched new observations to existing Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph data that trace the total emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We confirm at small scales in these galaxies that the canonical measure of photoelectric heating efficiency, ([C II] + [O I])/TIR, decreases as the far-infrared (far-IR) color, ν_f ν(70 μm) νf_ν(100 μm), increases. In contrast, the ratio of far-IR cooling to total PAH emission, ([C II] + [O I])/PAH, is a near constant ~6% over a wide range of far-IR color, 0.5 < νf_ν(70 μm) νf_ν(100 μm) ≾ 0.95. In the warmest regions, where νf_ν(70 μm) νf_ν(100 μm) ≳ 0.95, the ratio ([C II] + [OI])/PAH drops rapidly to 4%. We derived representative values of the local ultraviolet radiation density, G_0, and the gas density, n_H, by comparing our observations to models of photodissociation regions. The ratio G_0/n_H, derived from fine-structure lines, is found to correlate with the mean dust-weighted starlight intensity, langUrang, derived from models of the IR spectral energy distribution. Emission from regions that exhibit a line deficit is characterized by an intense radiation field, indicating that small grains are susceptible to ionization effects. We note that there is a shift in the 7.7/11.3 μm PAH ratio in regions that exhibit a deficit in ([C II] + [O I])/PAH, suggesting that small grains are ionized in these environments.

Infrared luminosities and aromatic features in the 24 μm flux-limited sample of 5muses

We study a 24 μm selected sample of 330 galaxies observed with the infrared spectrograph for the 5 mJy Unbiased Spitzer Extragalactic Survey. We estimate accurate total infrared luminosities by combining mid-IR spectroscopy and mid-to-far infrared photometry, and by utilizing newempirical spectral templates from Spitzer data. The infrared luminosities of this sample range mostly from 10^9 L_⊙ to 10^(13.5) L_⊙,with 83% in the range 10^(10) L_⊙ < L_(IR) < 10^(12) L_⊙. The redshifts range from 0.008 to 4.27, with a median of 0.144. The equivalent widths of the 6.2 μm aromatic feature have a bimodal distribution, probably related to selection effects. We use the 6.2μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon equivalent width (PAH EW) to classify our objects as starburst (SB)-dominated (44%), SB-AGN composite (22%), and active galactic nucleus (AGN)-dominated (34%). The high EW objects (SB-dominated) tend to have steeper mid-IR to far-IR spectral slopes and lower L_(IR) and redshifts. The low EW objects (AGN-dominated) tend to have less steep spectral slopes and higher L_(IR) and redshifts. This dichotomy leads to a gross correlation between EW and slope, which does not hold within either group. AGN-dominated sources tend to have lower log(L_(PAH7.7 μm)/L_(PAH11.3 μm)) ratios than star-forming galaxies, possibly due to preferential destruction of the smaller aromatics by the AGN. The log(L_(PAH7.7 μm)/L_(PAH11.3 μm)) ratios for star-forming galaxies are lower in our sample than the ratios measured from the nuclear spectra of nearby normal galaxies, most probably indicating a difference in the ionization state or grain size distribution between the nuclear regions and the entire galaxy. Finally, we provide a calibration relating the monochromatic continuum or aromatic feature luminosity to L_(IR) for different types of objects.

A STUDY OF HEATING AND COOLING OF THE ISM IN NGC 1097 WITH HERSCHEL-PACS AND SPITZER-IRS

NGC 1097 is a nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy with a bright circumnuclear starburst ring, a strong large-scale bar, and an active nucleus. We present a detailed study of the spatial variation of the far-infrared (FIR) [C II]158 μm and [O I]63 μm lines and mid-infrared H_2 emission lines as tracers of gas cooling, and of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bands as tracers of the photoelectric heating, using Herschel-PACS and Spitzer-IRS infrared spectral maps. We focus on the nucleus and the ring, and two star-forming regions (Enuc N and Enuc S). We estimated a photoelectric gas heating efficiency ([C II]158 μm+[O I]63 μm)/PAH in the ring about 50% lower than in Enuc N and S. The average 11.3/7.7 μm PAH ratio is also lower in the ring, which may suggest a larger fraction of ionized PAHs, but no clear correlation with [C II]158 μm/PAH(5.5-14 μm) is found. PAHs in the ring are responsible for a factor of two more [C II]158 μm and [O I]63 μm emission per unit mass than PAHs in the Enuc S. spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling indicates that at most 25% of the FIR power in the ring and Enuc S can come from high-intensity photodissociation regions (PDRs), in which case G_0 ~ 10^(2.3) and n_H ~ 10^(3.5) cm^(–3) in the ring. For these values of G_0 and n_H, PDR models cannot reproduce the observed H2 emission. Much of the H2 emission in the starburst ring could come from warm regions in the diffuse interstellar medium that are heated by turbulent dissipation or shocks.

THE DISPLACED DUSTY INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM OF NGC 3077: TIDAL STRIPPING IN THE M 81 TRIPLET

We present the detection of extended (~30?kpc2) dust emission in the tidal H I arm near NGC?3077 (member of the M?81 triplet) using SPIRE on board Herschel. Dust emission in the tidal arm is typically detected where the H I column densities are >1021?cm?2. The SPIRE band ratios show that the dust in the tidal arm is significantly colder (~13?K) than in NGC?3077 itself (~31?K), consistent with the lower radiation field in the tidal arm. The total dust mass in the tidal arm is ~1.8 ? 106?M ? (assuming ? = 2), i.e., substantially larger than the dust mass associated with NGC?3077 (~2 ? 105?M ?). Where dust is detected, the dust-to-gas ratio is (6 ? 3) ? 10?3, consistent within the uncertainties with what is found in NGC?3077 and nearby spiral galaxies with Galactic metallicities. The faint H II regions in the tidal arm cannot be responsible for the detected enriched material and are not the main source of the dust heating in the tidal arm. We conclude that the interstellar medium (atomic H I, molecules, and dust) in this tidal feature was pre-enriched and stripped off NGC?3077 during its recent interaction (~3 ? 108?yr ago) with M?82 and M?81. This implies that interaction can efficiently remove heavy elements and enriched material (dust and molecular gas) from galaxies. As interactions were more frequent at large look-back times, it is conceivable that they could substantially contribute (along with galactic outflows) to the enrichment of the intergalactic medium.

THE MID-INFRARED LUMINOSITY FUNCTION AT z < 0.3 FROM 5MUSES: UNDERSTANDING THE STAR FORMATION/ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS BALANCE FROM A SPECTROSCOPIC VIEW

We present rest-frame 15 and 24 μm luminosity functions (LFs) and the corresponding star-forming LFs at z < 0.3 derived from the 5MUSES sample. Spectroscopic redshifts have been obtained for ~98% of the objects and the median redshift is ~0.12. The 5-35 μm Infrared Spectrograph spectra allow us to estimate accurately the luminosities and build the LFs. Using a combination of starburst and quasar templates, we quantify the star formation (SF) and active galactic nucleus (AGN) contributions in the mid-IR spectral energy distribution. We then compute the SF LFs at 15 and 24 μm, and compare with the total 15 and 24 μm LFs. When we remove the contribution of AGNs, the bright end of the LF exhibits a strong decline, consistent with the exponential cutoff of a Schechter function. Integrating the differential LF, we find that the fractional contribution by SF to the energy density is 58% at 15 μm and 78% at 24 μm, while it goes up to ~86% when we extrapolate our mid-IR results to the total IR luminosity density. We confirm that the AGNs play more important roles energetically at high luminosities. Finally, we compare our results with work at z ~ 0.7 and confirm that evolution on both luminosity and density is required to explain the difference in the LFs at different redshifts.