Infrared Luminosity Research Articles

The environments of local luminous infrared galaxies: star formation rates increase with density

This work studies the environments and star formation relationships of local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRG) in comparison to other types of local and distant (z~1) galaxies. The infrared (IR) galaxies are drawn from the IRAS sample. The density of the environment is quantified using 6dF and Point Source Catalogue redshift survey (PSCz) galaxies in a cylinder of 2h^-1 Mpc radius and 10h^-1 Mpc length. Our most important result shows the existence of a dramatic density difference between local LIRGs and local non-LIRG IR galaxies. LIRGs live in denser environments than non-LIRG IR galaxies implying that L_IR=10^11 h^-2 L_sun marks an important transition point among IR-selected local galaxies. We also find that there is a strong correlation between the densities around LIRGs and their L_IR luminosity, while the IR-activity of non-LIRG IR galaxies does not show any dependence on environment. This trend is independent of mass-bin selection. The SF-density trend in local LIRGs is similar to that found in some studies of blue cloud galaxies at z~1 which show a correlation between star formation and local density (the reversal of the relation seen for local galaxies). This, together with the rapid decline of the number count of LIRGs since z~1, could mean that local LIRGs are survivors of whatever process transformed blue cloud galaxies at z~1 to the present day or local LIRGs came into existence by similar process than high redshift LIRGs but at later stage.

THE YOUNG, THE OLD, AND THE DUSTY: STELLAR POPULATIONS OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS HOSTS

Studying the average properties of active galactic nuclei (AGN) host stellar populations is an important step in understanding the role of AGN in galaxy evolution and the processes which trigger and fuel AGN activity. Here we calculate model spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that include emission from the AGN, the host galaxy stellar population, and dust enshrouded star formation. Using the framework of cosmic X-ray background population synthesis modeling, the model AGN hosts are constrained using optical (B band) and near infrared (J band, 3.6 um, 5.7 um, 8.0 um, and 24 um) luminosity functions and number counts. It is found that at z < 1, type 1 and type 2 AGN hosts have similar stellar populations, in agreement with the orientation based unified model and indicative of secular evolution. At z > 1, type 2 AGN hosts are intrinsically different from type 1 AGN hosts, suggesting that the simple orientation based unified model does not hold at z > 1. Also, it is found that if Compton thick (CT) AGN evolve like less obscured type 2 AGN, then, on average, CT AGN hosts are similar to type 2 AGN hosts; however, if CT obscuration is connected to an evolutionary stage of black hole growth, then CT AGN hosts will also be in specific evolutionary stages. Multi-wavelength selection criteria of CT AGN are discussed.

New method for exploring super-Eddington active galactic nuclei by near-infrared observations

We propose a new method to explore the candidate super-Eddington active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We examine the properties of infrared (IR) emission from the inner edge of the dusty torus in AGNs, which are powered by super- or sub-Eddington accretion flows around black holes, by considering the dependence of the polar angle on the radiation flux of accretion flows (Watarai et al. 2005). We find that for super-Eddington AGNs, of which the mass accretion rate is more than 10^2 times larger than the Eddington rate, the ratio of the AGN IR luminosity and the disc bolometric luminosity is less than 10^-2, unless the half opening angle of the torus (theta_torus) is small (theta_torus <65 degree). This is due to the self-occultation effect, whereby the self-absorption at the outer region of the super-Eddington flow dilutes the illumination of the torus. Such a small luminosity ratio is not observed in sub-Eddington AGNs, whose mass accretion rate is comparable to or no more than 10 times larger than the Eddington mass accretion rate, except for extremely thin tori (theta_torus >85 degree). We also consider the properties of the near-IR (NIR) emission radiated from hot dust >1000 K. We find that super-Eddington AGNs have a ratio of the NIR luminosity to the bolometric luminosity, L_NIR,AGN/L_bol,disc, at least one order of magnitude smaller than for sub-Eddington AGNs for a wide range of half opening angle (theta_torus > 65 degree), for various types of dusty torus model. Thus, a relatively low L_NIR,AGN/L_bol,disc is a property that allows identification of candidate super-Eddington AGNs. Lastly, we discuss the possibility that NIR-faint quasars at redshift z=6 discovered by a recent deep SDSS survey may be young quasars whose black holes grow via super-Eddington accretion.

Spitzerobservations of Abell 1763

We determine the galaxy infrared (IR) luminosity function (LF) as a function of the environment in a supercluster at z=0.23, using optical, near-IR, and mid- to far-IR photometry, as well as redshifts from optical spectroscopy. We identify 467 supercluster members in a sample of 24-micron-selected galaxies, on the basis of their spectroscopic (153) and photometric (314) redshifts. IR luminosities, stellar masses and star formation rates (SFRs) are determined for supercluster members via spectral energy distribution fitting and the Kennicutt relation. Galaxies with active galactic nuclei are excluded from the sample. We determine the IR LF of the whole supercluster as well as the IR LFs of three different regions in the supercluster: the cluster core, a large-scale filament, and the cluster outskirts (excluding the filament). The IR LF shows an environmental dependence which is not simply related to the local galaxy density. The filament, an intermediate-density region in the A1763 supercluster, contains the highest fraction of IR-emitting galaxies at all levels of IR luminosities. As expected, the core contains the lowest fraction of IR-emitting galaxies and almost no Luminous IR Galaxies (LIRGs). The relation between galaxy specific SFRs and stellar masses does not depend on the environment, and it indicates that most supercluster LIRGs (in particular those in the filament) are rather massive galaxies with relatively low specific SFRs. A comparison with previous IR LF determinations from the literature confirms that the mass-normalized total SFR in clusters increases with redshift, but more rapidly than previously suggested for redshifts <0.4. We interpret our findings within a possible scenario for the evolution of galaxies in and around clusters [Abridged].

Modelling galaxy and AGN evolution in the infrared: black hole accretion versus star formation activity

We present a new backward evolution model for galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the infrared (IR). What is new in this model is the separate study of the evolutionary properties of different IR populations (i.e. spiral galaxies, starburst galaxies, low-luminosity AGNs, ‘unobscured’ type 1 AGNs and ‘obscured’ type 2 AGNs) defined through a detailed analysis of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of large samples of IR-selected sources. The evolutionary parameters have been constrained by means of all the available observables from surveys in the mid- and far-IR (source counts, redshift and luminosity distributions, luminosity functions). By decomposing the SEDs representative of the three AGN classes into three distinct components (a stellar component emitting most of its power in the optical/near-IR, an AGN component due to the hot dust heated by the central black hole peaking in the mid-IR, and a starburst component dominating the far-IR spectrum), we have disentangled the AGN contribution to the monochromatic and total IR luminosity emitted by different populations considered in our model from that due to star formation activity. We have then obtained an estimate of the total IR luminosity density [and star formation density (SFD) produced by IR galaxies] and the first ever estimate of the black hole mass accretion density (BHAR) from the IR. The derived evolution of the BHAR is in agreement with estimates from X-rays, though the BHAR values we derive from the IR are slightly higher than the X-ray ones. Finally, we have simulated source counts, redshift distributions, and SFD and BHAR that we expect to obtain with the future cosmological surveys in the mid-/far-IR that will be performed with the JWST-MIRI and SPICA-SAFARI. Outputs of the model are available online.1

Infrared luminosity functions of AKARI Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies

By cross-correlating AKARI infrared (IR) sources with the SDSS galaxies, we identified 2357 infrared galaxies with a spectroscopic redshift. This is not just one of the largest samples of local IR galaxies, but AKARI provides crucial FIR bands (9, 18, 65, 90, 140, and 160um) in accurately measuring galaxy SED across the peak of the dust emission at ~100um. By fitting modern IR SED models to the AKARI photometry, we measured the total infrared luminosity (L_IR) of individual galaxies more accurately. Using this L_IR, we constructed luminosity functions of infrared galaxies at a median redshift of z=0.031, with 4 times larger sample than previous work. The LF agrees well with that at z=0.0082 (RBGS), showing smooth and continuous evolution toward higher redshift LFs measured in the AKARI NEP deep field. The derived local cosmic IR luminosity density is Omega_IR=3.8x10^8 LsunMpc^-3. We separate galaxies into AGN, star-forming, and composite by using the [NII]/Ha vs [OIII]/Hb line ratios. The fraction of AGN shows a continuous increase with increasing L_IR from 25% to 90% at 9<log L_IR<12.5. The SFR_Ha and L_[OIII] show good correlations with L_IR for SFG (star-forming galaxies) and AGN, respectively. The self-absorption corrected Ha/Hb ratio shows a weak increase with L_IR with a substantial scatter. When we separate IR LFs into contributions from AGN and SFG, the AGN contribution becomes dominant at L_IR>10^11Lsun, coinciding the break of the both SFG and AGN IR LFs. At L_IR<10^11Lsun, SFG dominates IR Lfs. Only 1.1% of Omega_IR is produced by LIRG, and only 0.03% is by ULIRG in the local Universe. This work also provides the most accurate infrared luminosity density of the local Universe to date. Compared with high redshift results from the AKARI NEP deep survey, we observed a strong evolution of Omega_IR^SFG ~(1+z)^4.1+-0.4 and Omega_IR^AGN ~(1+z)^4.1+-0.5 (abridged).

IRAS F21013-0739: a possible evolutionary successor of an ultraluminous infrared galaxy

We present a stellar population synthesis study of a type II luminous infrared galaxy, IRASF21013-0739. Optical images show clear characteristics of a merger remnant. The H-band absolute magnitude is MH = −25.1, which is ∼2 times as luminous as L* galaxies. Stellar populations are obtained through the stellar synthesis code STARLIGHT. We find that it experienced a recent starburst (SB) phase ∼ 100 Myr ago. By reconstructing the ultraviolet-to-optical spectrum, and adopting Calzetti et al. and Leitherer et al.'s extinction curves, we estimate the past infrared (IR) luminosities of the host galaxy and find it may have experienced an ultraluminous infrared galaxy phase which lasted for about 100 Myr. Its i-band absolute magnitude is Mi = −22.463, and its spectral type shows type 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) characteristics. The mass of the supermassive black-hole is estimated to be MBH = 1.6 × 107 M⊙ (lower-limit). The Eddington ratio Lbol/LEdd is 0.15, which is typical of Palomar-Green (PG) quasars. Both the nuclear SB and AGN contribute to the present IR luminosity budget, and the SB contributes ∼67%. On the diagram of IR color versus IR/optical excess, it is located between IR quasars and PG quasars. These results indicate that IRASF21013-0739 has probably evolved from a ULIRG, and it can possibly evolve into an AGN.

MID-INFRARED SPECTRAL DIAGNOSTICS OF LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

We present a statistical analysis of the mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of 248 luminous infrared (IR) galaxies (LIRGs) which comprise the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) observed with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on-board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The GOALS sample enables a direct measurement of the relative contributions of star-formation and active galactic nuclei (AGN) to the total IR emission from a large sample of local LIRGs. The AGN contribution to the MIR emission (f-AGN) is estimated by employing several diagnostics based on the properties of the [NeV], [OIV] and [NeII] fine structure gas emission lines, the 6.2 microns PAH and the shape of the MIR continuum. We find that 18% of all LIRGs contain an AGN and that in 10% of all sources the AGN contributes more than 50% of the total IR luminosity. Summing up the total IR luminosity contributed by AGN in all our sources suggests that AGN supply ~12% of the total energy emitted by LIRGs. The average spectrum of sources with an AGN looks similar to the average spectrum of sources without an AGN, but it has lower PAH emission and a flatter MIR continuum. AGN dominated LIRGs have higher IR luminosities, warmer MIR colors and are found in interacting systems more often than pure starbursts LIRGs. However we find no linear correlations between these properties and f-AGN. We used the IRAC colors of LIRGs to confirm that finding AGN on the basis of their MIR colors may miss ~40% of AGN dominated (U)LIRGs

Evolution of the dusty infrared luminosity function fromz = 0toz = 2.3using observations fromSpitzer

We derive the evolution of the infrared (IR) luminosity function (LF) over the last 4/5ths of cosmic time, using deep 24um and 70um imaging of the GOODS North and South fields. We use an extraction technique based on prior source positions at shorter wavelengths to build the 24 and 70um source catalogs. The majority (93%) of the sources have a spectroscopic (39%) or a photometric redshift (54%) and, in our redshift range of interest (i.e., 1.3<z<2.3) ~20% of the sources have a spectroscopic redshifts. To extend our study to lower 70um luminosities we perform a stacking analysis and we characterize the observed L_24/(1+z) vs L_70/(1+z) correlation. Using spectral energy distribution templates which best fit this correlation, we derive the IR luminosity of sources from their 24 and 70 um fluxes. We then compute the IR LF at z=1.55+/-0.25 and z=2.05+/-0.25. The redshift evolution of the IR LF from z=1.3 to z=2.3 is consistent with a luminosity evolution proportional to (1+z)^1.0+/-0.9 combined with a density evolution proportional to (1+z)^-1.1+/-1.5. At z~2, luminous IR galaxies (LIRGs: 10^11Lsun< LIR <10^12Lsun) are still the main contributors to the total comoving IR luminosity density (IR LD) of the Universe. At z~2, LIRGs and ultra-luminous IR galaxies (ULIRGs: 10^12Lsun< LIR) account for ~49% and ~17% respectively of the total IR LD of the Universe. Combined with previous results for galaxies at z<1.3 and assuming a constant conversion between the IR luminosity and star-formation rate (SFR) of a galaxy, we study the evolution of the SFR density of the Universe from z=0 to z=2.3. We find that the SFR density of the Universe strongly increased with redshift from z=0 to z=1.3, but is nearly constant at higher redshift out to z=2.3. As part of the online material accompanying this article, we present source catalogs at 24um and 70um for both the GOODS-North and -South fields.

A STATISTICAL STUDY OF DUST PROPERTIES IN LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD MOLECULAR CLOUDS

The objective of this paper is to construct a catalog providing the dust properties and the star formation efficiency (SFE) of the molecular clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We use the infrared (IR) data obtained with the Spitzer telescope as part of the ``Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution'' (SAGE) Legacy survey as well as the IRAS data. We also work with extinction (Av) maps of the LMC. A total of 272 molecular clouds have been detected in the LMC in a previous molecular survey, accounting for 230 giant molecular clouds and 42 smaller clouds. We perform correlations between the IR emission/extinction, and atomic and molecular gas tracers. We compare the atomic gas that surrounds the molecular cloud with the molecular gas in the cloud. Using a dust emission model, we derive the physical properties of dust in and outside the clouds: equilibrium temperature, emissivity and extinction. We also determine the luminosity of the interstellar radiation field intercepted by the cloud, and the total IR luminosity. Statistically, we do not find any significant difference in the dust properties between the atomic and the molecular phases. In particular we do not find evidence for a systematic decrease of the dust temperature in the molecular phase, with respect to the surrounding, presumably atomic gas. This is probably because giant molecular clouds are the sites of star formation, which heat the dust, while the smallest clouds are unresolved. The ratio between the IR luminosity and the cloud mass (LDust/Mgas) does not seem to correlate with Mgas. The highest value of the ratio we derived is 18.1 Lsol/Msol in the 30 Doradus region, which is known to be the most prominent star formation region of the LMC, while the most likely value is 0.5 and is representative of quiescent clouds. We provide a prescription to associate the various stages of star formation with its LDust/Mgas.

MORPHOLOGY AND SIZE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LOCAL AND HIGH-REDSHIFT LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

We show that the star-forming regions in high-redshift luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs) and submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) have similar physical scales to those in local normal star-forming galaxies. To first order, their higher infrared (IR) luminosities result from higher luminosity surface density. We also find a good correlation between the IR luminosity and IR luminosity surface density in starburst galaxies across over five orders of magnitude of IR luminosity from local normal galaxies to z ~ 2 SMGs. The intensely star-forming regions of local ULIRGs are significantly smaller than those in their high-redshift counterparts and hence diverge significantly from this correlation, indicating that the ULIRGs found locally are a different population from the high-redshift ULIRGs and SMGs. Based on this relationship, we suggest that luminosity surface density should serve as a more accurate indicator for the IR emitting environment, and hence the observable properties, of star-forming galaxies than their IR luminosity. We demonstrate this approach by showing that ULIRGs at z ~ 1 and a lensed galaxy at z ~ 2.5 exhibit aromatic features agreeing with local LIRGs that are an order of magnitude less luminous, but have similar IR luminosity surface density. A consequence of this relationship is that the aromatic emission strength in star-forming galaxies will appear to increase at z > 1 for a given IR luminosity compared to their local counterparts.

Reconstruction of Star Formation and AGNs Activities in Galaxies Classified with the Balmer Break, 1.6 μm Bump and PAH Features up to z ≃2

AbstractWe have studied the star-forming and AGN activity of massive galaxies in the redshift range z = 0.4−2, which are detected in a deep survey field using the AKARI and Subaru telescopes toward the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP). The multi-wavelength survey allows us to select Mid-InfraRed (MIR) bright populations as Luminous InfraRed Galaxies (LIRGs) with L(IR) ≃ 1010–11 L⊙, which can be also sub-classified into Balmer Break Galaxies (BBGs) and Infra-Red (IR) Bump Galaxies (IRBGs). AKARI/IRC multiband photometry can distinguish their star-forming/AGN activity for LIRGs with/without the Polycyclic-Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission bands at 6.2, 7.7 and 11.3 μm, and estimate the Star Formation Rate (SFR) from their total emitting InfraRed (IR) luminosities for star-formings and the emissions from dusty torus for AGNs. The results are summarised as below: 1) The rest-frame 7.7 μm luminosity is still a good tracer of the total IR (tIR) luminosity, as the PAH emission dominates for star-forming galaxies even up to z ≃ 2, 2) Rest-frame 5μm Luminosities may trace emissions from dusty torus of AGN in the LIRGs, 3) SFR of Starburst-AGN LIRGs (s/a-LIRGs) tends to quench at z &lt; 0.8 more rapidly than that of Starburst dominated LIRGs (sb-LIRGs), 4) Intrinsic Stellar populations in the s/a-LIRGs show redder colours than those in the sb-LIRGs. These results suggest that Super Massive Black Holes (SMBH) could already have grown to ≃ 3 × 108M⊙ in the agn-LIRGs, with ≃ 1011L⊙ at z &gt; 1.2, and the growth of SMBH tends to follow the star-forming activities around z = 1–2.

Luminosity functions of local infrared galaxies with AKARI: implications for the cosmic star formation history and AGN evolution

Infrared (IR) luminosity is fundamental to understanding the cosmic star formation history and AGN evolution. The AKARI IR space telescope performed all sky survey in 6 IR bands (9, 18, 65, 90, 140, and 160um) with 3-10 times better sensitivity than IRAS, covering the crucial far-IR wavelengths across the peak of the dust emission. Combined with a better spatial resolution, AKARI can much more precisely measure the total infrared luminosity (L_TIR) of individual galaxies, and thus, the total infrared luminosity density in the local Universe. By fitting IR SED models, we have re-measured L_TIR of the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample. We present mid-IR monochromatic luminosity to L_TIR conversions for Spitzer 8,24um, AKARI 9,18um, IRAS 12um, WISE 12,22um, and ISO 15um filters, with scatter ranging 13-44%. The resulting AKARI IR luminosity function (LF) agrees well with that from the IRAS. We integrate the LF weighted by L_TIR to obtain a cosmic IR luminosity density of Omega_TIR= (8.5^{+1.5}_{-2.3})x 10^7 L Mpc^-3, of which 7+-1% is produced by LIRGs, and only 0.4+-0.1% is from ULIRGs in the local Universe. Once IR contributions from AGN and star-forming galaxies (SFG) are separated, SFG IR LF shows a steep decline at the bright-end. Compared with high-redshift results from the AKARI NEP deep survey, these data show a strong evolution of Omega_TIRSF propto (1+z)^4.0+-0.5, and Omega_TIRAGN propto (1+z)^4.4+-0.4. For Omega_TIRAGN, the ULIRG contribution exceeds that from LIRG already by z~1. A rapid evolution in both Omega_TIRAGN and Omega_TIRSFG suggests the correlation between star formation and black hole accretion rate continues up to higher redshifts. We compare the evolution of Omega_TIRAGN to that of X-ray luminosity density. The Omega_TIRAGN/Omega_X-rayAGN ratio shows a possible increase at z>1, suggesting an increase of obscured AGN at z>1.

Measures of star formation rates from infrared (Herschel) and UV (GALEX) emissions of galaxies in the HerMES fields

ABSTRACT The reliability of infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) emissions to measure star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies is investigated for a large sample of galaxies observed with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) and the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) instruments on Herschel as part of the Herschel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) project. We build flux-limited 250-μm samples of sources at redshift z &amp;lt; 1, cross-matched with the Spitzer/MIPS and GALEX catalogues. About 60 per cent of the Herschel sources are detected in UV. The total IR luminosities, LIR, of the sources are estimated using a spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code that fits to fluxes between 24 and 500 μm. Dust attenuation is discussed on the basis of commonly used diagnostics: the LIR/LUV ratio and the slope, β, of the UV continuum. A mean dust attenuation AUV of mag is measured in the samples. LIR/LUV is found to correlate with LIR. Galaxies with and 0.5 &amp;lt; z &amp;lt; 1 exhibit a mean dust attenuation AUV of about 0.7 mag lower than that found for their local counterparts, although with a large dispersion. Our galaxy samples span a large range of β and LIR/LUV values which, for the most part, are distributed between the ranges defined by the relations found locally for starburst and normal star-forming galaxies. As a consequence the recipe commonly applied to local starbursts is found to overestimate the dust attenuation correction in our galaxy sample by a factor of ∼2–3. The SFRs deduced from LIR are found to account for about 90 per cent of the total SFR; this percentage drops to 71 per cent for galaxies with (or ). For these faint objects, one needs to combine UV and IR emissions to obtain an accurate measure of the SFR.

Evolution of dust temperature of galaxies through cosmic time as seen by Herschel★

We study the dust properties of galaxies in the redshift range 0.1 ≲z≲ 2.8 observed by the Herschel Space Observatory in the field of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North as part of the PACS Extragalactic Probe (PEP) and Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) key programmes. Infrared (IR) luminosity (LIR) and dust temperature (Tdust) of galaxies are derived from the spectral energy distribution fit of the far-IR (FIR) flux densities obtained with the PACS and SPIRE instruments onboard Herschel. As a reference sample, we also obtain IR luminosities and dust temperatures of local galaxies at z < 0.1 using AKARI and IRAS data in the field of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We compare the LIR–Tdust relation between the two samples and find that the median Tdust of Herschel-selected galaxies at z≳ 0.5 with LIR≳ 5 × 1010 L⊙ appears to be 2–5 K colder than that of AKARI-selected local galaxies with similar luminosities, and the dispersion in Tdust for high-z galaxies increases with LIR due to the existence of cold galaxies that are not seen among local galaxies. We show that this large dispersion of the LIR−Tdust relation can bridge the gap between local star-forming galaxies and high-z submillimetre galaxies (SMGs). We also find that three SMGs with very low Tdust (≲20 K) covered in this study have close neighbouring sources with similar 24-μm brightness, which could lead to an overestimation of FIR/(sub)millimetre fluxes of the SMGs.

CONSTRAINING THE OUTBURST PROPERTIES OF THE SMBH IN FORNAX A THROUGH X-RAY, INFRARED, AND RADIO OBSERVATIONS

Combined Spitzer, Chandra, XMM-Newton, and VLA observations of the giant radio galaxy NGC 1316 (Fornax A) show a radio jet and X-ray cavities from AGN outbursts likely triggered by a merger with a late-type galaxy at least 0.4 Gyr ago. We detect a weak nucleus with an SED typical of a low-luminosity AGN with a bolometric luminosity of 2.4x10^42 erg/s. The Spitzer IRAC and MIPS images show dust emission strongest in regions with little or no radio emission. The large infrared luminosity relative to the galaxy's K-band luminosity implies an external origin for the dust. The dust mass implies that the merger spiral galaxy had a stellar mass of 1-6x10^10 M_sun and a gas mass of 2-4x10^9 M_sun. Chandra images show a small ~15"(1.6 kpc) cavity coincident with the radio jet, while the XMM-Newton image shows two large X-ray cavities lying 320"(34.8 kpc) east and west of the nucleus, each approximately 230"(25 kpc) in radius. The radio lobes lie at radii of 14.3'(93 kpc) and 15.6'(101 kcp), more distant from the nucleus than the detected X-ray cavities. The relative morphology of the large scale 1.4 GHz and X-ray emission suggests they were products of two distinct outbursts, an earlier one creating the radio lobes and a later one producing the X-ray cavities. Alternatively, if a single outburst created both the X-ray cavities and the radio lobes, this would require that the morphology is not fully defined by the 1.4 GHz emission. For the more likely two outburst scenario, we use the buoyancy rise times to estimate an age for the more recent outburst of 0.1 Gyr and use the associated PV work done by the expanding plasma to create the X-ray cavities to estimate the outburst's energy of 10^58 ergs. The present size and location of the large radio lobes implies that the AGN outburst that created them happened ~0.4 Gyr ago and released ~5x10^58 ergs. (abridged)

IRAS F13308+5946: A POSSIBLE TRANSITION PHASE FROM TYPE I ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXY TO OPTICAL QUASAR

We present a stellar population synthesis study of a type I luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG): IRAS F13308+5946. It is a quasar with absolute magnitude Mi = -22.56 and has a spectral feature of a Seyfert 1.5 galaxy. Optical images show characteristics of later stages of a merger. With the help of the stellar synthesis code STARLIGHT (Cid Fernandes et al. 2005) and both Calzetti et al. (2000) and Leitherer et al.'s (2002) extinction curves, we estimate the past infrared (IR) luminosities of the host galaxy and find it may have experienced an ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) phase for nearly 300 Myr, so this galaxy has probably experienced a type I ULIRG phase. Both nuclear starburst and active galactic nuclei (AGN) contribute to the present IR luminosity budget, and starburst contributes ~70%. The mass of supermassive black-hole (SMBH) is M_BH = 1.8*10^8 M_sun and the Eddington ratio L_bol/L_Edd is 0.12, which both approximate to typical values of PG QSOs. These results indicate that IRAS F13308+5946 is probably at the transitional phase from a type I ULIRG to a classical QSO.

LoCuSS: Probing galaxy transformation physics withHerschel

We present an early broad-brush analysis of Herschel/PACS observations of star-forming galaxies in 8 galaxy clusters drawn from our survey of 30 clusters at z~0.2. We define a complete sample of 192 spectroscopically confirmed cluster members down to L_TIR>3x10^10L_sun and L_K>0.25L_sun. The average K-band and bolometric infrared luminosities of these galaxies both fade by a factor of ~2 from clustercentric radii of 2r_200 to ~0.5r_200, indicating that as galaxies enter the clusters ongoing star-formation stops first in the most massive galaxies, and that the specific star-formation rate (SSFR) is conserved. On smaller scales the average SSFR jumps by 25%, suggesting that in cluster cores processes including ram pressure stripping may trigger a final episode of star-formation that presumably exhausts the remaining gas. This picture is consistent with our comparison of the Herschel-detected cluster members with the cluster mass distributions, as measured in our previous weak-lensing study of these clusters. For example, the spatial distribution of the Herschel sources is positively correlated with the structures in the weak-lensing mass maps at 5sigma significance, with the strongest signal seen at intermediate group-like densities. The strong dependence of the total cluster IR luminosity on cluster mass L_TIR propto M_virial^2 is also consistent with accretion of galaxies and groups of galaxies (i.e. the substructure mass function) driving the cluster IR luminosity. The most surprising result is that roughly half of the Herschel-detected cluster members have redder S_100/S_24 flux ratios than expected, based on the Rieke et al. models. On average cluster members are redder than non-members, and the fraction of red galaxies increases towards the cluster centers, both of which indicate that these colors are not attributable to systematic photometric errors. [Abridged]

Evolution of infrared luminosity functions of galaxies in the AKARI NEP-deep field

Dust-obscured star-formation becomes much more important with increasing intensity, and increasing redshift. We aim to reveal cosmic star-formation history obscured by dust using deep infrared observation with the AKARI. We construct restframe 8um, 12um, and total infrared (TIR) luminosity functions (LFs) at 0.15<z<2.2 using 4128 infrared sources in the AKARI NEP-Deep field. A continuous filter coverage in the mid-IR wavelength (2.4, 3.2, 4.1, 7, 9, 11, 15, 18, and 24um) by the AKARI satellite allows us to estimate restframe 8um and 12um luminosities without using a large extrapolation based on a SED fit, which was the largest uncertainty in previous work. We have found that all 8um (0.38<z<2.2), 12um (0.15<z<1.16), and TIR LFs (0.2<z<1.6), show a continuous and strong evolution toward higher redshift. In terms of cosmic infrared luminosity density (Omega_IR), which was obtained by integrating analytic fits to the LFs, we found a good agreement with previous work at z<1.2, and that the Omega_IR evolves as propto (1+z)^4.4+-1.0. When we separate contributions to Omega_IR by LIRGs and ULIRGs, we found more IR luminous sources are increasingly more important at higher redshift. We found that the ULIRG (LIRG) contribution increases by a factor of 10 (1.8) from z=0.35 to z=1.4.

Star formation and dust extinction properties of local galaxies from the AKARI-GALEX all-sky surveys

The AKARI All-Sky Survey provided the first bright point source catalog detected at 90um. Starting from this catalog, we selected galaxies by matching AKARI sources with those in the IRAS PSCz. Next, we have measured total GALEX FUV and NUV flux densities. Then, we have matched this sample with SDSS and 2MASS galaxies. By this procedure, we obtained the final sample which consists of 607 galaxies. If we sort the sample with respect to 90um, their average SED shows a coherent trend: the more luminous at 90um, the redder the global SED becomes. The M_r--NUV-r color-magnitude relation of our sample does not show bimodality, and the distribution is centered on the green valley between the blue cloud and red sequence seen in optical surveys. We have established formulae to convert FIR luminosity from AKARI bands to the total infrared (IR) luminosity L_TIR. With these formulae, we calculated the star formation directly visible with FUV and hidden by dust. The luminosity related to star formation activity (L_SF) is dominated by L_TIR even if we take into account the far-infrared (FIR) emission from dust heated by old stars. At high star formation rate (SFR) (> 20 Msun yr^-1), the fraction of directly visible SFR, SFR_FUV, decreases. We also estimated the FUV attenuation A_FUV from FUV-to-total IR (TIR) luminosity ratio. We also examined the L_TIR/L_FUV-UV slope (FUV- NUV) relation. The majority of the sample has L_TIR/L_FUV ratios 5 to 10 times lower than expected from the local starburst relation, while some LIRGs and all the ULIRGs of this sample have higher L_TIR/L_FUV ratios. We found that the attenuation indicator L_TIR/L_FUV is correlated to the stellar mass of galaxies, M*, but there is no correlation with specific SFR (SSFR), SFR/M*, and dust attenuation L_TIR/L_FUV. (abridged)