Far-Infrared Surveyor Research Articles

FIR VIEW OF DISKS OF WEAK-LINE T TAURI STARS

We have observed ~60 Weak-line T Tauri stars (WTTSs) toward the Chamaeleon star forming region using the AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) All-Sky maps. We could not detect any significant emission from each source even at the most sensitive WIDE-S band. Then, we have performed stacking analysis of these WTTSs using the WIDE-S band images to improve the sensitivity. However, we could not detect any significant emission in the resultant image with a noise level of <TEX>$0.05MJy\;sr^{-1}$</TEX>, or 3 mJy for a point source. The three-sigma upper limit of 9 mJy leads to the disk dust mass of <TEX>$0.01M_{\oplus}$</TEX>. This result suggests that the disks around Chamaeleon WTTSs are already evolved to debris disks.

THE AKARI FIS CATALOGUE OF YSOS AND EXTRAGALACTIC OBJECTS

The point sources in the Bright Source Catalogue of the AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) were classified based on their FIR and mid-IR fluxes and colours into young stellar object (YSO) and extragalactic source types using a Quadratic Discriminant Analysis method (QDA) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). The reliability of the selection of YSO candidates is high, and the number of known YSO candidates were increased significantly, that we demonstrate in the case of the nearby open cluster IC348. Our results show that we can separate galactic and extragalactic AKARI point sources in the multidimensioal space of FIR fluxes and colours with high reliability, however, differentiating among the extragalactic sub-types needs further information.

FOREGROUND OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS (GRBS) FROM AKARI FIS DATA

A significant number of the parameters of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) and its host galaxy are calculated from the afterglow. There are various methods obtaining extinction values for the necessary correction for galactic foreground. These are: galaxy counts, from HI 21 cm surveys, from spectroscopic measurements and colors of nearby Galactic stars, or using extinction maps calculated from infrared surveys towards the GRB. We demonstrate that AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor sky surface brightness maps are useful uncovering the fine structure of the galactic foreground of GRBs. Galactic cirrus structures of a number of GRBs are calculated with a 2 arcminute resolution, and the results are compared to that of other methods.

ADVANTAGES OF THE AKARI FIR ALL-SKY MAPS

We present the AKARI far-infrared (FIR) all-sky maps and describe its characteristics, calibration accuracy and scientific capabilities. The AKARI FIR survey has covered 97% of the whole sky in four photometric bands, which cover continuously 50-180 micron with band central wavelengths of 65, 90, 140, and 160 microns. The data have been publicly released in 2014 (Doi et al., 2015) with improved data quality that have been achieved since the last internal data release (Doi et al., 2012). The accuracy of the absolute intensity is <TEX>${\leq}10%$</TEX> for the brighter regions. Quantitative analysis of the relative intensity accuracy and its dependence upon spatial scan numbers has been carried out. The data for the first time reveal the whole sky distribution of interstellar matter with arcminute-scale spatial resolutions at the peak of dust continuum emission, enabling us to investigate large-scale distribution of interstellar medium in great detail. The filamentary structure covering the whole sky is well traced by the all-sky maps. We describe advantages of the AKARI FIR all-sky maps for the study of interstellar matter comparing to other observational data.

Updated 34-band Photometry for the SINGS/KINGFISH Samples of Nearby Galaxies

Abstract We present an update to the ultraviolet-to-radio database of global broadband photometry for the 79 nearby galaxies that comprise the union of the KINGFISH (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: A Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel) and SINGS (Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey) samples. The 34-band data set presented here includes contributions from observational work carried out with a variety of facilities including GALEX, SDSS, Pan-STARRS1, NOAO, 2MASS, Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, Spitzer, Herschel, Planck, JCMT, and the VLA. Improvements of note include recalibrations of previously published SINGS BVR C I C and KINGFISH far-infrared/submillimeter photometry. Similar to previous results in the literature, an excess of submillimeter emission above model predictions is seen primarily for low-metallicity dwarf or irregular galaxies. This 33-band photometric data set for the combined KINGFISH+SINGS sample serves as an important multiwavelength reference for the variety of galaxies observed at low redshift. A thorough analysis of the observed spectral energy distributions is carried out in a companion paper.

Surface brightness correction for compact extended sources observed by the AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor in the slow-scan mode

Abstract We present a general surface brightness correction method for compact extended sources imaged in the slow-scan pointed observation mode of the Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) aboard the AKARI infrared astronomical satellite. Our method recovers correct surface brightness distribution maps by rescaling archived raw FIS maps using the surface-brightness-dependent inverse FIS response function. The flux of a target source is then automatically corrected for as the simple sum of surface brightnesses within the adopted contour encircling the perimeter of the target (i.e., contour photometry). This correction method is contrasted with the previous aperture photometry method for point sources, which directly corrects for the target flux with a flux-dependent scaling law. The new surface brightness correction scheme is applicable to objects of any shape from unresolved point sources to resolved extended objects, as long as the target is not deemed diffuse, i.e., the total extent of the target source does not exceed too much more than a single FIS scan width of 10΄. The new correction method takes advantage of the well-defined shape (i.e., the scale invariance) of the point spread function, which enables us to adopt a power-law FIS response function. We analyze the point source photometric calibrator data using the FIS AKARI Slow-scan Tool and constrain the parameters of the adopted power-law FIS response function. We conclude that the photometric accuracy of the new correction method is better than 10% error based on comparisons with the expected fluxes of the photometric calibrators, and that resulting fluxes without the present correction method can lead to up to 230% overestimates or down to 50% underestimates.

Environmental impacts on dust temperature of star-forming galaxies in the local Universe

We present infrared views of the environmental effects on the dust properties in star-forming (SF) galaxies at z ~ 0, using the AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) all-sky map and the large spectroscopic galaxy sample from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 (DR7). We restrict the sample to those within the redshift range of 0.05 < z < 0.07 and the stellar mass range of 9.2 < log_10 (M_star/M_solar). We select SF galaxies based on their H_alpha equivalent width (EW_Ha> 4 A) and emission line flux ratios. We perform far-infrared (FIR) stacking analyses by splitting the SDSS SF galaxy sample according to their stellar mass, specific SFR (SSFR_SDSS), and environment. We derive total infrared luminosity (LIR) for each subsample using the average flux densities at WIDE-S (90 micron) and WIDE-L (140 micron) bands, and then compute IR-based SFR (SFR_IR) from L_IR. We find a mild decrease of IR- based SSFR (SSFR_IR) amongst SF galaxies with increasing local density (~0.1-dex level at maximum), which suggests that environmental effects do not instantly shut down the SF activity in galaxies. We also derive average dust temperature (T_dust) using the flux densities at 90 micron and 140 micron bands. We confirm a strong positive correlation between T_dust and SSFR_IR, consistent with recent studies. The most important finding of this study is that we find a marginal trend that T_dust increases with increasing environmental galaxy density. Although the environmental trend is much milder than the SSFR-T_dust correlation, our results suggest that the environmental density may affect the dust temperature in SF galaxies, and that the physical mechanism which is responsible for this phenomenon is not necessarily specific to cluster environments because the environmental dependence of T_dust holds down to relatively low-density environments.

Striations in the Taurus molecular cloud: Kelvin–Helmholtz instability or MHD waves?

The origin of striations aligned along the local magnetic field direction in the translucent envelope of the Taurus molecular cloud is examined with new observations of 12CO and 13CO J=2-1 emission obtained with the 10~m submillimeter telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory. These data identify a periodic pattern of excess blue and redshifted emission that is responsible for the striations. For both 12CO and 13CO, spatial variations of the J=2-1 to J=1-0 line ratio are small and are not spatially correlated with the striation locations. A medium comprised of unresolved CO emitting substructures (cells) with a beam area filling factor less than unity at any velocity is required to explain the average line ratios and brightness temperatures. We propose that the striations result from the modulation of velocities and the beam filling factor of the cells as a result of either the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability or magnetosonic waves propagating through the envelope of the Taurus molecular cloud. Both processes are likely common features in molecular clouds that are sub-Alfvenic and may explain low column density, cirrus-like features similarly aligned with the magnetic field observed throughout the interstellar medium in far-infrared surveys of dust emission.

DETERMINING TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA HOST GALAXY EXTINCTION PROBABILITIES AND A STATISTICAL APPROACH TO ESTIMATING THE ABSORPTION-TO-REDDENING RATIO RV

ABSTRACT We investigate limits on the extinction values of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) to statistically determine the most probable color excess, E(B – V), with galactocentric distance, and use these statistics to determine the absorption-to-reddening ratio, R V , for dust in the host galaxies. We determined pixel-based dust mass surface density maps for 59 galaxies from the Key Insight on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-infrared Survey with Herschel (KINGFISH). We use SN Ia spectral templates to develop a Monte Carlo simulation of color excess E(B – V) with R V = 3.1 and investigate the color excess probabilities E(B – V) with projected radial galaxy center distance. Additionally, we tested our model using observed spectra of SN 1989B, SN 2002bo, and SN 2006X, which occurred in three KINGFISH galaxies. Finally, we determined the most probable reddening for Sa–Sap, Sab–Sbp, Sbc–Scp, Scd–Sdm, S0, and irregular galaxy classes as a function of R/R 25. We find that the largest expected reddening probabilities are in Sab–Sb and Sbc–Sc galaxies, while S0 and irregular galaxies are very dust poor. We present a new approach for determining the absorption-to-reddening ratio R V using color excess probability functions and find values of R V = 2.71 ± 1.58 for 21 SNe Ia observed in Sab–Sbp galaxies, and R V = 1.70 ± 0.38, for 34 SNe Ia observed in Sbc–Scp galaxies.

Image stacking analysis of SDSS galaxies with AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor maps at 65 μm, 90 μm, and 140 μm

Abstract We perform image stacking analysis of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometric galaxies over the AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor maps at 65 μm, 90 μm, and 140 μm. The resulting image profiles are decomposed into the central galaxy component (single term) and the nearby galaxy component (clustering term), as a function of the r-band magnitude, mr, of the central galaxy. We find that the mean far-infrared (FIR) flux of a galaxy with magnitude mr is well fitted with $f^s_{90\mu {\rm m}}=13\times 10^{0.306(18-m_{\,r})}$ [mJy]. The FIR amplitude of the clustering term is consistent with that expected from the angular-correlation function of the SDSS galaxies, but galaxy morphology dependence needs to be taken into account for a more quantitative conclusion. We also fit the spectral energy distribution of stacked galaxies at 65 μm, 90 μm, and 140 μm, and derive a mean dust temperature of ∼30 K. This is consistent with the typical dust temperature of galaxies that are FIR luminous and individually detected.

The VISTA Carina Nebula Survey

We performed a deep wide-field (6.76 sq. deg) near-infrared survey with the VISTA telescope that covers the entire extent of the Carina nebula complex (CNC). The point-source catalog created from these data contains around four million individual objects down to masses of 0.1 M⊙. We present a statistical study of the large-scale spatial distribution and an investigation of the clustering properties of infrared-excesses objects, which are used to trace disk-bearing young stellar objects (YSOs). A selection based on a near-infrared (J−H) versus (H−Ks) color–color diagram shows an almost uniform distribution over the entire observed area. We interpret this as a result of the very high degree of background contamination that arises from the Carina Nebula’s location close to the Galactic plane. Complementing the VISTA near-infrared catalog with Spitzer IRAC mid-infrared photometry improves the situation of the background contamination considerably. We find that a (J−H) versus (Ks− [4.5]) color–color diagram is well suited to tracing the population of YSO-candidates (cYSOs) by their infrared excess. We identify 8781 sources with strong infrared excess, which we consider as cYSOs. This sample is used to investigate the spatial distribution of the cYSOs with a nearest-neighbor analysis. The surface density distribution of cYSOs agrees well with the shape of the clouds as seen in our Herschel far-infrared survey. The strong decline in the surface density of excess sources outside the area of the clouds supports the hypothesis that our excess-selected sample consists predominantly of cYSOs with a low level of background contamination. This analysis allows us to identify 14 groups of cYSOs outside the central area.Our results suggest that the total population of cYSOs in the CNC comprises about 164 000 objects, with a substantial fraction (~35%) located in the northern, still not well studied parts. Our cluster analysis suggests that roughly half of the cYSOs constitute a non-clustered, dispersed population.

A RELATION BETWEEN ACTIVE BLACK HOLES AND STAR FORMATION OF LOCAL ACTIVE GALAXIES

We present an analysis of the relation between star-formation (SF) and accretion luminosities of local type-2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 0.01 ≤ z < 0.22. We match type-2 AGNs found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to current far-infrared (FIR) survey catalogues based on AKARI and Herschel. Estimating AGN luminosities from [O iii]λ5007 and [O i]λ6300 emission lines, we find a positive linear trend between FIR and AGN luminosities over a wide dynamical range. This result appears to be inconsistent with recent reports that low-luminosity AGNs show no correlation between FIR and X-ray luminosities; this contradiction is likely due to Malmquist and sample selection biases. Moreover, we also find that pureAGN candidates, for which the FIR radiation is thought to be AGN-dominated, show significant low-SF activities. These AGNs hosted by low-SF galaxies are rare in our sample. However, it is possible that the low fraction of low-SF AGN is caused by observational limitations, as recent FIR surveys are not sufficient to examine the population of high-luminosity AGNs hosted by low-SF galaxies.

H-ATLAS/GAMA: quantifying the morphological evolution of the galaxy population using cosmic calorimetry

Using results from the Herschel Astrophysical Terrahertz Large-Area Survey and the Galaxy and Mass Assembly project, we show that, for galaxy masses above approximately 1.0e8 solar masses, 51% of the stellar mass-density in the local Universe is in early-type galaxies (ETGs: Sersic n > 2.5) while 89% of the rate of production of stellar mass-density is occurring in late-type galaxies (LTGs: Sersic n < 2.5). From this zero-redshift benchmark, we have used a calorimetric technique to quantify the importance of the morphological transformation of galaxies over the history of the Universe. The extragalactic background radiation contains all the energy generated by nuclear fusion in stars since the Big Bang. By resolving this background radiation into individual galaxies using the deepest far-infrared survey with the Herschel Space Observatory and a deep near-infrared/optical survey with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and using measurements of the Sersic index of these galaxies derived from the HST images, we estimate that approximately 83% of the stellar mass-density formed over the history of the Universe occurred in LTGs. The difference between this and the fraction of the stellar mass-density that is in LTGs today implies there must have been a major transformation of LTGs into ETGs after the formation of most of the stars.

A selection of AKARI FIS BSC extragalactic objects

AbstractThe point sources in the Bright Source Catalogue (BSC) of the AKARI Far–Infrared Surveyor (FIS) were classified based on their far–IR and mid–IR fluxes and colours using Quadratic Discriminant Analysis method (QDA) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). The reliability of our results show that we can successfully separate galactic and extragalactic AKARI point sources in the multidimensional space of fluxes and colours. However, differentiating among the extragalactic sub–types needs further information.

The role of massive halos in the star formation history of the Universe

The most striking feature of the Cosmic Star Formation History (CSFH) of the Universe is a dramatic drop of the star formation (SF) activity, since z~1. In this work we investigate if the very same process of assembly and growth of structures is one of the major drivers of the observed decline. We study the contribution to the CSFH of galaxies in halos of different masses. This is done by studying the total SFR-halo mass-redshift plane from redshift 0 to redshift z~1.6 in a sample of 57 groups and clusters by using the deepest available mid- and far-infrared surveys conducted with Spitzer MIPS and Herschel PACS and SPIRE. Our results show that low mass groups provide a 60-80% contribution to the CSFH at z~1. Such contribution declines faster than the CSFH in the last 8 billion years to less than 10% at z<0.3, where the overall SF activity is sustained by lower mass halos. More massive systems provide only a marginal contribution (<10%) at any epoch. A simplified abundance matching method shows that the large contribution of low mass groups at z~1 is due to a large fraction (>50%) of very massive, highly star forming Main Sequence galaxies. Below z~1 a quenching process must take place in massive halos to cause the observed faster suppression of their SF activity. Such process must be a slow one though, as most of the models implementing a rapid quenching of the SF activity in accreting satellites significantly underpredicts the observed SF level in massive halos at any redshift. Starvation or the transition from cold to hot accretion would provide a quenching timescale of 1 Gyrs more consistent with the observations. Our results suggest a scenario in which, due to the structure formation process, more and more galaxies experience the group environment and, thus, the associated quenching process. This leads to the progressive suppression of their SF activity shaping the CSFH below z~1.

FAR-INFRARED AND ACCRETION LUMINOSITIES OF THE PRESENT-DAY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

We investigate the relation between star formation (SF) and black hole accretion luminosities, using a sample of 492 type-2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at , which are detected in the far-infrared (FIR) surveys with AKARI and Herschel. We adopt FIR luminosities at 90 and 100 ?m as SF luminosities, assuming the proposed linear proportionality of star formation rate with FIR luminosities. By estimating AGN luminosities from [O iii]?5007 and [O i]?6300 emission lines, we find a positive linear trend between FIR and AGN luminosities over a wide dynamical range. This result appears to be inconsistent with the recent reports that low-luminosity AGNs show essentially no correlation between FIR and X-ray luminosities, while the discrepancy is likely due to the Malmquist and sample selection biases. By analyzing the spectral energy distribution, we find that pure-AGN candidates, of which FIR radiation is thought to be AGN-dominated, show significantly low-SF activities. These AGNs hosted by low-SF galaxies are rare in our sample (). However, the low fraction of low-SF AGNs is possibly due to observational limitations since the recent FIR surveys are insufficient to examine the population of high-luminosity AGNs hosted by low-SF galaxies.

Calibration of the AKARI far-infrared all-sky survey maps

Abstract We present an initial analysis of the properties of an all-sky image obtained by the Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) onboard the AKARI satellite, at 65 μm (N60), 90 μm (WIDE-S), 140 μm (WIDE-L), and 160 μm (N160). An absolute flux calibration was determined by comparing the data with COBE/DIRBE data sets; the intensity range was as wide as from a few MJy sr−1 to &amp;gt; 1 GJy sr−1. The uncertainties are considered to be the standard deviations with respect to the DIRBE data, and are less than 10% for intensities above 10, 3, 25, and 26 MJy sr−1 at the N60, WIDE-S, WIDE-L, and N160 bands, respectively. The characteristics of point sources in the image were also determined by stacking maps centred on photometric standard stars. The full width at half maxima of the point spread functions (PSFs) were 63″, 78″, and 88″ at the N60, WIDE-S, and WIDE-L bands, respectively. The PSF at the N160 band was not obtained due to the sensitivity, but it is thought to be the same as that of the WIDE-L one.

Cool dust heating and temperature mixing in nearby star-forming galaxies

Physical conditions of the interstellar medium in galaxies are closely linked to the ambient radiation field and the heating of dust grains. In order to characterize dust properties in galaxies over a wide range of physical conditions, we present here the radial surface brightness profiles of the entire sample of 61 galaxies from Key Insights into Nearby Galaxies: Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel (KINGFISH). The main goal of our work is the characterization of the grain emissivities, dust temperatures, and interstellar radiation fields responsible for heating the dust. After fitting the dust and stellar radial profiles with exponential functions, we fit the far-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) in each annular region with single-temperature modified black bodies using both variable (MBBV) and fixed (MBBF) emissivity indices beta, as well as with physically motivated dust models. Results show that while most SED parameters decrease with radius, the emissivity index beta also decreases with radius in some galaxies, but in others is increasing, or rising in the inner regions and falling in the outer ones. Despite the fixed grain emissivity (average beta~ 2.1) of the physically-motivated models, they are well able to accommodate flat spectral slopes with beta<= 1. We find that flatter slopes (beta<= 1.5) are associated with cooler temperatures, contrary to what would be expected from the usual Tdust-beta degeneracy. This trend is related to variations in Umin since beta and Umin are very closely linked over the entire range in Umin sampled by the KINGFISH galaxies: low Umin is associated with flat beta<=1. Both these results strongly suggest that the low apparent \beta values (flat slopes) in MBBV fits are caused by temperature mixing along the line-of-sight, rather than by intrinsic variations in grain properties. Abstract truncated for arXiv.

TheHerschelVirgo Cluster Survey

To assess the effects of the cluster environment on the different components of the interstellar medium, we analyse the far-infrared (FIR) and submillimetre (submm) properties of a sample of star-forming dwarf galaxies detected by the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS). We determine dust masses and dust temperatures by fitting a modified black body function to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Stellar and gas masses, star formation rates (SFRs), and metallicities are obtained from the analysis of a set of ancillary data. Dust is detected in 49 out of a total 140 optically identified dwarfs covered by the HeViCS field; considering only dwarfs brighter than mB = 18 mag, this gives a detection rate of 43%. After evaluating different emissivity indices, we find that the FIR-submm SEDs are best-fit by β = 1.5, with a median dust temperature Td = 22.4 K. Assuming β = 1.5, 67% of the 23 galaxies detected in all five Herschel bands show emission at 500 μm in excess of the modified black-body model. The fraction of galaxies with a submillimetre excess decreases for lower values of β, while a similarly high fraction (54%) is found if a β-free SED modelling is applied. The excess is inversely correlated with SFR and stellar masses. To study the variations in the global properties of our sample that come from environmental effects, we compare the Virgo dwarfs to other Herschel surveys,such as the Key Insights into Nearby Galaxies: Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel (KINGFISH), the Dwarf Galaxy Survey (DGS), and the HeViCS Bright Galaxy Catalogue (BGC). We explore the relations between stellar mass and Hi fraction, specific star formation rate, dust fraction, gas-to-dust ratio over a wide range of stellar masses (from 107 to 1011 M⊙) for both dwarfs and spirals. Highly Hi-deficient Virgo dwarf galaxies are mostly characterised by quenched star formation activity and lower dust fractions giving hints for dust stripping in cluster dwarfs. However, to explain the large dust-to-gas mass ratios observed in these systems, we find that the fraction of dust removed has to be less than that of the Hi component. The cluster environment seems to mostly affect the gas component and star formation activity of the dwarfs. Since the Virgo star-forming dwarfs are likely to be crossing the cluster for the first time, a longer timescale might be necessary to strip the more centrally concentrated dust distribution.

Role Played by AKARI-II by Exploring the Lives of Stars in the Space Using Infrared Technology

The study corresponds the role played by AKARI-II for exploring the lives of stars in the space. AKARI-II officially famous as ASTRO-F, launched on 21 February, 2006 is the second Japanese satellite on a space mission to carry out sky-high observations for exploring the lives of stars in the space using infrared technology. It has a telescope fitted with an Infrared camera which has a spectral range of 2-26 µm and the Far-Infrared Surveyor has a range of 50-180 µm. The mirror of the telescope is made up of sandwich type silicon carbide, which is kept cool by 180 L of liquid Helium for sensitive observations. AKARI performs All-sky survey and collect images of very small portions of galaxies in the space. It gives pictures which show the lives of stars. The brighter the stars, the younger are they considered to be.