Current Star Formation Activity Research Articles

EPOCHS IX. When cosmic dawn breaks: evidence for evolved stellar populations in 7 < z < 12 galaxies from PEARLS GTO and public NIRCam imaging

ABSTRACT The presence of evolved stars in high-redshift galaxies can place valuable indirect constraints on the onset of star formation in the Universe. Thus, we use PEARLS GTO (Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science Guaranteed Time Observations) and public NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) photometric data to search for Balmer-break candidate galaxies at 7 < z < 12. We find that our Balmer-break candidates at z ∼ 10.5 tend to be older (115 Myr), have lower inferred [O iii] + Hβ equivalent widths (120 Å), have lower specific star formation rates (6 Gyr−1) and redder UV slopes (β = −1.8) than our control sample of galaxies. However, these trends all become less strong at z ∼ 8, where the F444W filter now probes the strong rest-frame optical emission lines, thus providing additional constraints on the current star formation activity of these galaxies. Indeed, the bursty nature of epoch of reionization galaxies can lead to a disconnect between their current spectral energy distribution (SED) profiles and their more extended star formation histories. We discuss how strong emission lines, the cumulative effect of weak emission lines, dusty continua, and active galactic nuclei can all contribute to the photometric excess seen in the rest-frame optical, thus mimicking the signature of a Balmer break. Additional medium-band imaging will thus be essential to more robustly identify Balmer-break galaxies. However, the Balmer break alone cannot serve as a definitive proxy for the stellar age of galaxies, being complexly dependent on the star formation history. Ultimately, deep Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) continuum spectroscopy and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) imaging will provide the strongest indirect constraints on the formation era of the first galaxies in the Universe, thereby revealing when cosmic dawn breaks.

Stars, Gas, and Star Formation of Distant Post-starburst Galaxies

We present a comprehensive multiwavelength study of five post-starburst galaxies with M * > 1011 M ⊙ at z ∼ 0.7, examining their stars, gas, and current and past star formation activities. Using optical images from the Subaru Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope, we observe a high incidence of companion galaxies and low surface brightness tidal features, indicating that quenching is closely related to interactions between galaxies. From optical spectra provided by the LEGA-C survey, we model the stellar continuum to derive the star formation histories and show the stellar masses of progenitors ranging from 2 × 109 M ⊙ to 1011 M ⊙, undergoing a burst of star formation several hundred million years prior to observation, with a decay timescale of ∼100 Myr. Our Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations detect CO(2-1) emission in four galaxies, with the molecular gas spreading over up to >1″, or ∼10 kpc, with a mass of up to ∼2 × 1010 M ⊙. However, star-forming regions are unresolved by either the slit spectra or 3 GHz continuum observed by the Very Large Array. Comparisons between the star formation rates (SFRs) and gas masses, and the sizes of CO emission and star-forming regions suggest a low star-forming efficiency. We show that the SFRs derived from IR and radio luminosities with commonly used calibrations tend to overestimate the true values because of the prodigious amount of radiation from old stars and the contribution from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), as the optical spectra reveal weak AGN-driven outflows.

The Origin of Star Formation in Early-type Galaxies Inferred from Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy

We investigate the origin of star formation activity in early-type galaxies with current star formation using spatially resolved spectroscopic data from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We first identify star-forming early-type galaxies from the SDSS sample, which are morphologically early-type but show current star formation activity in their optical spectra. We then construct comparison samples with different combinations of star formation activity and morphology, which include star-forming late-type galaxies, quiescent early-type galaxies, and quiescent late-type galaxies. Our analysis of the optical spectra reveals that the star-forming early-type galaxies have two distinctive episodes of star formation, which is similar to late-type galaxies but different from quiescent early-type galaxies with a single star formation episode. Star-forming early-type galaxies have properties in common with star-forming late-type galaxies, which include stellar population, gas and dust content, mass, and environment. However, the physical properties of star-forming early-type galaxies derived from spatially resolved spectroscopy differ from those of star-forming late-type galaxies in the sense that the gas in star-forming early-type galaxies is more concentrated than their stars, and is often kinematically misaligned with stars. The age gradient of star-forming early-type galaxies also differs from those of star-forming late-type galaxies. Our findings suggest that the current star formation in star-forming early-type galaxies has an external origin including galaxy mergers or accretion gas from the cosmic web.

GMRT H i mapping of mid-infrared bright blue compact dwarf galaxies W1016+3754 and W2326+0608

ABSTRACT We present the results from deep 21 cm H i mapping of two nearby Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies (BCDGs), W1016+3754 and W2326+0608, using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). These BCDGs are bright in mid-infrared data and undergoing active star formation. With the GMRT observations, we investigate the role of cold neutral gas as the fuel resource of the current intensive star formation activity. Star formation in these galaxies is likely to be due to the infall of H i gas triggered by gravitational perturbation from nearby galaxies. The BCDG W2326+0608 and nearby galaxy SDSS J232603.86+060835.8 share a common H i envelope. We find star formation takes place in the high H i column density gas (≳1021 cm−2) regions for both BCDGs. The recent starburst and infall of metal-free gas have kept the metallicity low for the BCDG W1016+3754. The metallicity for W2326+0608 is higher, possibly due to tidal interaction with the nearby galaxy SDSS J232603.86+060835.8.

On the hosts of neutron star mergers in the nearby Universe

ABSTRACT Recently, the characterization of binary systems of neutron stars has become central in various fields such as gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and the chemical evolution of galaxies. In this work, we explore possible observational proxies that can be used to infer some characteristics of the delay time distribution (DTD) of neutron star mergers (NSMs). We construct a sample of model galaxies that fulfils the observed galaxy stellar mass function, star formation rate versus mass relation, and the cosmic star formation rate density. The star formation history of galaxies is described with a log-normal function characterized by two parameters: the position of the maximum and the width of the distribution. We assume a theoretical DTD that mainly depends on the lower limit and the slope of the distribution of the separations of the binary neutron star systems at birth. We find that the current rate of NSMs ($\mathcal {R}=320^{+490}_{-240}$ Gpc−3 yr−1) requires that ∼0.3 per cent of neutron star progenitors lives in binary systems with the right characteristics to lead to an NSM within a Hubble time. We explore the expected relations between the rate of NSMs and the properties of the host galaxy. We find that the most effective proxy for the shape of the DTD of NSMs is the current star formation activity of the typical host. At present, the fraction of short-GRBs observed in star-forming galaxies favours DTDs with at least ${\sim}40~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of mergers within 100 Myr. This conclusion will be put on a stronger basis with larger samples of short-GRBs with host association (e.g. 600 events at z ≤ 1).

CHANG-ES XXIX: the sub-kpc nuclear bubble of NGC 4438

ABSTRACT Active galactic nucleus (AGN) bubbles could play an important role in accelerating high-energy cosmic rays (CRs) and galactic feedback. Only in nearby galaxies could we have high enough angular resolution in multiwavelengths to study the sub-kpc environment of the AGN, where the bubbles are produced and strongly interact with the surrounding interstellar medium. In this paper, we present the latest Chandra observations of the Virgo cluster galaxy NGC 4438, which hosts multiscale bubbles detected in various bands. The galaxy also has low current star formation activity, so these bubbles are evidently produced by the AGN rather than a starburst. We present spatially resolved spectral analysis of the Chandra data of the ∼3 arcsec × 5 arcsec (${\sim} 200{\rm ~pc}\times 350\rm ~pc$) nuclear bubble of NGC 4438. The power-law tail in the X-ray spectra can be most naturally explained as synchrotron emission from high-energy CR leptons. The hot gas temperature increases, while the overall contribution of the non-thermal X-ray emission decreases with the vertical distance from the galactic plane. We calculate the synchrotron cooling time-scale of the CR leptons responsible for the non-thermal hard X-ray emission to be only a few tens to a few hundreds of years. The thermal pressure of the hot gas is about three times the magnetic pressure, but the current data cannot rule out the possibility that they are still in pressure balance. The spatially resolved spectroscopy presented in this paper may have important constraints on how the AGN accelerates CRs and drives outflows. We also discover a transient X-ray source only ∼5 arcsec from the nucleus of NGC 4438. The source was not detected in 2002 and 2008, but became quite X-ray bright in 2020 March, with an average 0.5–7 keV luminosity of ${\sim} 10^{39}\rm ~erg~s^{-1}$.

Star Formation Triggered by the Expanding Bubble S111

Abstract This paper investigates the impact of radiative and mechanical feedback from O-type stars on their parent molecular clouds and the triggering of formation of a future generation of stars. We study the infrared bubble S111 created by the embedded massive stellar cluster G316.80–0.05. A significant fraction of gas in shells created due to the compression of the ambient medium by expanding bubbles is photodissociated by the stellar radiation. The kinematics of the shells are thus best studied using spectroscopic observations of singly ionized carbon, the most dominant species. We have used velocity-resolved maps of the 2P3/2 → 2P1/2 transition of [C ii] at 158 μm, the J = 2–1 transition of 13CO and C18O, and the J = 1–0 transition of HCO+ to study the rim of the bubble S111 that partly coincides with the southern part of the infrared dark ridge G316.75. The [C ii] spectra conclusively show evidence of a shell expanding with a moderate velocity of ∼7 km s−1, which amounts to a kinetic energy that is ∼0.5–40 times the thermal energy of the H ii region. The pressure causing the expansion of the H ii region arises mainly from hydrogen ionization and dust-processed radiation. Among the far-infrared sources located in compressed shells, we find the core G316.7799–0.0942 to show broad spectral features consistent with outflow activity and conclude that it is a site of active star formation. Based on the age of the H ii region we conclude that this expanding H ii region is responsible for triggering the current star formation activity in the region.

The Environments of Green Pea Galaxies. I. The KISS Sample

Abstract We present environmental analyses for 13 KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey Green Pea (GP) galaxies. These galaxies were discovered via their strong [O iii] emission in the redshift range 0.29 < z < 0.42, and they are undergoing a major burst of star formation. A primary goal of this study is to understand what role the environment plays in driving the current star formation activity. By studying the environments around these extreme star-forming galaxies, we can learn more about what triggers their star formation processes and how they fit into the narrative of galaxy evolution. Using the Hydra multifiber spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5 m telescope, we mapped out the galaxy distribution around each of the GPs (out to ∼15 Mpc at the redshifts of the targets). Using three density analysis methodologies chosen for their compatibility with the geometry of our redshift survey, we categorized the galaxian densities of the GPs into different density regimes. We find that the GPs in our sample tend to be located in low-density environments. We find no correlation between the density and the SFRs seen in the GPs. We conclude that the environments the GPs are found in are likely not the driving factor behind their extreme star formation activity.

The 2D metallicity distribution and mixing scales of nearby galaxies

ABSTRACT Understanding the spatial distribution of metals within galaxies allows us to study the processes of chemical enrichment and mixing in the interstellar medium. In this work, we map the 2D distribution of metals using a Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) for 19 star-forming galaxies observed with the Very Large Telescope/Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (VLT–MUSE) as a part of the PHANGS–MUSE survey. We find that 12 of our 19 galaxies show significant 2D metallicity variation. Those without significant variations typically have fewer metallicity measurements, indicating this is due to the dearth of ${\rm H\, {\small II}}$ regions in these galaxies, rather than a lack of higher-order variation. After subtracting a linear radial gradient, we see no enrichment in the spiral arms versus the disc. We measure the 50 per cent correlation scale from the two-point correlation function of these radially subtracted maps, finding it to typically be an order of magnitude smaller than the fitted GPR kernel scale length. We study the dependence of the two-point correlation scale length with a number of global galaxy properties. We find no relationship between the 50 per cent correlation scale and the overall gas turbulence, in tension with existing theoretical models. We also find more actively star-forming galaxies, and earlier type galaxies have a larger 50 per cent correlation scale. The size and stellar mass surface density do not appear to correlate with the 50 per cent correlation scale, indicating that perhaps the evolutionary state of the galaxy and its current star formation activity is the strongest indicator of the homogeneity of the metal distribution.

SDSS J114818.18-013823.7: Forming Compact Dwarf Galaxy through the Dwarf-Dwarf Merger

We studied the spectroscopic properties of the low redshift (z = 0.0130) interacting dwarf galaxy SDSS J114818.18-013823.7. It is a compact galaxy of half-light radius 521 parsec. It’s r-band absolute magnitude is -16.71 mag. Using a publicly available optical spectrum from the Sloan Sky Survey data archive, we calculated star-formation rate, emission line metallicity, and dust extinction of the galaxy. Star formation rate (SFR) due to Hα is found to be 0.118 Mʘ year-1 after extinction correction. The emission-line metallicity, 12+log(O/H), is 8.13 dex. Placing these values in the scaling relation of normal galaxies, we find that SDSS J114818.18-013823.7 is a significant outlier from both size-magnitude relation and SFR-B-band absolute relation. Although SDSS J114818.18-013823.7 possess enhance rate of star-formation, the current star-formation activity can persist several Giga years in the future at the current place and it remains compact.

Water in star-forming regions: physics and chemistry from clouds to disks as probed by Herschel spectroscopy

Water in star-forming regions: physics and chemistry from clouds to disks as probed by <i>Herschel</i> spectroscopy

Structural Evolution in Massive Galaxies at z ∼ 2

Abstract We present 0.″2 resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations at 870 μm in a stellar mass–selected sample of 85 massive ( ) star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at in the CANDELS/3D-Hubble Space Telescope fields of UDS and GOODS-S. We measure the effective radius of the rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) emission for 62 massive SFGs. They are distributed over wide ranges of FIR size from to . The effective radius of the FIR emission is smaller by a factor of than the effective radius of the optical emission and is smaller by a factor of than the half-mass radius. Taking into account potential extended components, the FIR size would change only by ∼10%. By combining the spatial distributions of the FIR and optical emission, we investigate how galaxies change the effective radius of the optical emission and the stellar mass within a radius of 1 kpc, . The compact starburst puts most of the massive SFGs on the mass–size relation for quiescent galaxies (QGs) at z ∼ 2 within 300 Myr if the current star formation activity and its spatial distribution are maintained. We also find that within 300 Myr, ∼38% of massive SFGs can reach the central mass of , which is around the boundary between massive SFGs and QGs. These results suggest an outside-in transformation scenario in which a dense core is formed at the center of a more extended disk, likely via dissipative in-disk inflows. Synchronized observations at ALMA 870 μm and James Webb Space Telescope 3–4 μm will explicitly verify this scenario.

The Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy VCC 848 Formed by Dwarf–Dwarf Merging

Abstract It has long been speculated that many starburst or compact dwarf galaxies are resulted from dwarf–dwarf galaxy merging, but unequivocal evidence for this possibility has rarely been reported in the literature. We present the first study of deep optical broadband images of a gas-dominated blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) VCC 848 (M ⋆ ≃ 2 × 108 M ⊙) that hosts extended stellar shells and thus is confirmed to be a dwarf–dwarf merger. VCC 848 is located in the outskirts of the Virgo Cluster. By analyzing the stellar light distribution, we found that VCC 848 is the result of a merging between two dwarf galaxies with a primary-to-secondary mass ratio ≲5 for the stellar components and ≲2 for the presumed dark matter halos. The secondary progenitor galaxy has been almost entirely disrupted. The age–mass distribution of photometrically selected star cluster candidates in VCC 848 implies that the cluster formation rate (CFR, ∝ star formation rate) was enhanced by a factor of ∼7–10 during the past ∼1 Gyr. The merging-induced enhancement of CFR peaked near the galactic center a few hundred Myr ago and has started declining in the last few tens of Myr. The current star formation activities, as traced by the youngest clusters, mainly occur at large galactocentric distances (≳1 kpc). The fact that VCC 848 is still (atomic) gas-dominated after the period of the most violent collision suggests that gas-rich dwarf galaxy merging can result in BCD-like remnants with extended atomic gas distribution surrounding a blue compact center, in general agreement with previous numerical simulations.

Nobeyama 45 m mapping observations toward the nearby molecular clouds Orion A, Aquila Rift, and M17: Project overview

Abstract We carried out mapping observations toward three nearby molecular clouds, Orion A, Aquila Rift, and M 17, using a new 100 GHz receiver, FOREST, on the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. We describe the details of the data obtained such as intensity calibration, data sensitivity, angular resolution, and velocity resolution. Each target contains at least one high-mass star-forming region. The target molecular lines were 12CO (J = 1–0), 13CO (J = 1–0), C18O (J = 1–0), N2H+ (J = 1–0), and CCS (JN = 87–76), with which we covered the density range of 102 cm−3 to 106 cm−3 with an angular resolution of ∼20″ and a velocity resolution of ∼0.1 km s−1. Assuming the representative distances of 414 pc, 436 pc, and 2.1 kpc, the maps of Orion A, Aquila Rift, and M17 cover most of the densest parts with areas of about 7 pc × 15 pc, 7 pc × 7 pc, and 36 pc × 18 pc, respectively. On the basis of the 13CO column density distribution, the total molecular masses are derived to be $3.86 \times 10^{4}\, M_\odot$, $2.67 \times 10^{4}\, M_{\odot }$, and $8.1\times 10^{5}\, M_{\odot }$ for Orion A, Aquila Rift, and M17, respectively. For all the clouds, the H2 column density exceeds the theoretical threshold for high-mass star formation of ≳ 1 g cm−2 only toward the regions which contain current high-mass star-forming sites. For other areas, further mass accretion or dynamical compression would be necessary for future high-mass star formation. This is consistent with the current star formation activity. Using the 12CO data, we demonstrate that our data have enough capability to identify molecular outflows, and for the Aquila Rift we identify four new outflow candidates. The scientific results will be discussed in detail in separate papers.

Tidal interaction, star formation and chemical evolution in blue compact dwarf galaxy Mrk 22

The optical spectroscopic and radio interferometric HI 21 cm-line observations of the blue compact dwarf galaxy Mrk 22 are presented. The Wolf-Rayet (WR) emission line features corresponding to high ionization lines of HeII $\lambda$4686 and CIV $\lambda$5808 from young massive stars are detected. The ages of two prominent star forming regions in the galaxy are estimated as $\sim$10 Myr and $\sim$ 4 Myr. The galaxy has non-thermal radio deficiency, which also indicates a young star-burst and lack of supernovae events from the current star formation activities, consistent with the detection of WR emission lines features. A significant N/O enrichment is seen in the fainter star forming region. The gas-phase metallicities [12 + log(O/H)] for the bright and faint regions are estimated as 7.98$\pm$0.07 and 7.46$\pm$0.09 respectively. The galaxy has a large diffuse HI envelop. The HI images reveal disturbed gas kinematics and HI clouds outside the optical extent of the galaxy, indicating recent tidal interaction or merger in the system. The results strongly indicate that Mrk 22 is undergoing a chemical and morphological evolution due to ongoing star formation, most likely triggered by a merger.

THE HIGHLY IONIZED CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM IS KINEMATICALLY UNIFORM AROUND GALAXIES

ABSTRACT The circumgalactic medium (CGM) traced by O vi doublet absorption has been found to concentrate along the projected major and minor axes of the host galaxies. This suggests that O vi traces accreting and outflowing gas, respectively, which are key components of the baryon cycle of galaxies. We investigate this further by examining the kinematics of 29 O vi absorbers associated with galaxies at as a function of galaxy color, inclination, and azimuthal angle. Each galaxy was imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and the absorption was detected in COS/HST spectra of nearby ( kpc) background quasars. We use the pixel-velocity two-point correlation function to characterize the velocity spread of the absorbers, which is a method used previously for a sample of Mg ii absorber–galaxy pairs. The absorption velocity spread for O vi is more extended than Mg ii, which suggests that the two ions trace differing components of the CGM. Again, in contrast to Mg ii, the O vi absorption velocity spreads are similar regardless of galaxy color, inclination, and azimuthal angle. This indicates that the kinematics of the high-ionization gas is not strongly influenced by the current star formation activity in the galaxy. The kinematic homogeneity of O vi absorption and its tendency to be observed mainly along the projected galaxy major and minor axes is likely due to varying ionization conditions and gas densities about the galaxy. Gas in intermediate azimuthal angles may be ionized out of the O vi phase, possibly resulting in an azimuthal angle dependence of the distribution of gas in higher ionization states.

Radio continuum detection in blue early-type weak-emission-line galaxies

The star formation rates (SFRs) in weak emission line (WEL) galaxies in a volume-limited ($0.02 < z < 0.05$) sample of blue early-type galaxies (ETGs) identified from SDSS, are constrained here using 1.4 GHz radio continuum emission. The direct detection of 1.4 GHz radio continuum emission is made in 8 WEL galaxies and a median stacking is performed on 57 WEL galaxies using VLA FIRST images. The median stacked 1.4 GHz flux density and luminosity are estimated as 79 $\pm$ 19 $\mu$Jy and 0.20 $\pm$ 0.05 $\times$ 10$^{21}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ respectively. The radio far-infrared correlation in 4 WEL galaxies suggests that the radio continuum emission from WEL galaxies is most likely due to star formation activities. The median SFR for WEL galaxies is estimated as 0.23 $\pm$ 0.06 M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$, which is much less compared to SFRs ($0.5 - 50$ M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$) in purely star forming blue ETGs. The SFRs in blue ETGs are found to be correlated with their stellar velocity dispersions ($\sigma$) and decreasing gradually beyond $\sigma$ of $\sim 100$ km s$^{-1}$. This effect is most likely linked with the growth of black hole and suppression of star formation via AGN feedback. The color differences between SF and WEL sub-types of blue ETGs appear to be driven to large extent by the level of current star formation activities. In a likely scenario of an evolutionary sequence between sub-types, the observed color distribution in blue ETGs can be explained best in terms of fast evolution through AGN feedback.

The star formation history of galaxies: the role of galaxy mass, morphology and environment

We analyze the star formation history (SFH) of galaxies as a function of present-day environment, galaxy stellar mass and morphology. The SFH is derived by means of a non-parametric spectrophotometric model applied to individual galaxies at z ~ 0.04- 0.1 in the WINGS clusters and the PM2GC field. The field reconstructed evolution of the star formation rate density (SFRD) follows the values observed at each redshift (Madau & Dickinson 2014), except at z > 2 where our estimate is ~ 1.7x higher than the high-z observed value. The slope of the SFRD decline with time gets progressively steeper going from low mass to high mass haloes. The decrease of the SFRD since z = 2 is due to 1) quenching - 50% of the SFRD in the field and 75% in clusters at z > 2 originated in galaxies that are passive today - and 2) the fact that the average SFR of today's star-forming galaxies has decreased with time. We quantify the contribution to the SFRD(z) of galaxies of today's different masses and morphologies. The current morphology correlates with the current star formation activity but is irrelevant for the past stellar history. The average SFH depends on galaxy mass, but galaxies of a given mass have different histories depending on their environment. We conclude that the variation of the SFRD(z) with environment is not driven by different distributions of galaxy masses and morphologies in clusters and field, and must be due to an accelerated formation in high mass haloes compared to low mass ones even for galaxies that will end up having the same galaxy mass today.

Baryonic distributions in the dark matter halo of NGC 5005

We present results from multiwavelength observations of the galaxy NGC5005. We use new neutral hydrogen (HI) observations from the Very Large Array to examine the neutral gas morphology and kinematics. We find an HI disk with a well-behaved flat rotation curve in the radial range 20\arcsec-140\arcsec. Ionized gas observations from the SparsePak integral field unit on the WIYN 3.5m telescope provide kinematics for the central 70\arcsec. We use both the SparsePak and HI velocity fields to derive a rotation curve for NGC5005. Deep 3.6{\mu}m observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope probe the faint extended stellar population of NGC5005. The images reveal a large stellar disk with a high surface brightness component that transitions to a low surface brightness component at a radius nearly 1.6 times farther than the extent of the gas disk detected in HI. The 3.6{\mu}m image is also decomposed into bulge and disk components to account for the stellar light distribution. Optical broadband B and R and narrowband H{\alpha} from the WIYN 0.9m telescope complement the 3.6{\mu}m data by providing information about the dominant stellar population and current star formation activity. The neutral and ionized gas rotation curve is used along with the stellar bulge and disk light profiles to decompose the mass distributions in NGC5005 and determine a dark matter halo model. The maximum stellar disk contribution to the total rotation curve is only about 70\%, suggesting that dark matter makes a significant contribution to the dynamics at all radii.

The discrepancy in the mid-infrared continuum and the features of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for Spitzer and Herschel SWIRE-field galaxies

On the basis of observations by Spitzer and Herschel, we present and analyse the correlations between various monochromatic infrared (IR) luminosities for star-forming galaxies, selected from two northern Spitzer Wide-area InfraRed Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE) fields. The 24- and 70 micron luminosities (L[24] and L[70]), which are dominated by the continuum of very small grains (VSGs) and warm dust in thermal equilibrium, respectively, correlate tightly with ongoing star formation. The contribution from cool dust excited by evolved stars also increases as the wavelength increases in the far-infrared (FIR) wavelength range. The spectral features of ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) around rest-frame 8 micron are excited by the moderated radiation field related to evolved stars as well, rather than by the intensive radiation field related to young stars. Even though the carriers of PAHs could be treated as types of VSG with a smaller scale, the radiation condition between PAHs and classic VSGs seems to be significantly different. The formulae to calculate the total infrared luminosity L[TIR] using L[8(dust)] and L[24] are re-scaled and we find that the L[8(dust)] (L[24]) formula likely underestimates (overestimates) L[TIR] for galaxies with unusual current star formation activity.