Infrared Observations of Radio Galaxies

Abstract

For technical reasons, infrared studies of active galaxies have lagged far behind optical and radio ones. This is unfortunate, since entirely new aspects of these sources are often revealed in the infrared. The extreme efficiency of dust at degrading ultraviolet photons into cool thermal emission frequently makes the luminosity of an extragalactic source inaccessible to optical and radio astronomers. At the same time, the effects of dust on optical emission line ratios and continuum shapes can be profound. The complete identification of samples of radio sources will require infrared observations to supplement the optical techniques now generally employed, and the extreme properties of the sources bright in the infrared can provide new insights to conditions in extragalactic nonthermal sources. To illustrate these points, I will discuss three cases: 1.) galaxies undergoing a powerful burst of star formation, 2.) intermediate type Seyfert galaxies, and 3.) an extreme infrared identification of an extragalactic radio source.