Intensity Of Interstellar Radiation Field Research Articles

Chemical Evolution During the Formation of Molecular Clouds

To study the chemical evolution during the formation of molecular clouds, we model three types of clouds with different density structures: collapsing spherical, collapsing ellipsoidal, and static spherical profiles. The collapsing models are better than the static models in matching the observational characteristics in typical molecular clouds. This is mainly because the gravity can speed up the formation of some important molecules (e.g., H2, CO, OH) by increasing the number density during collapse. The different morphologies of prolate, oblate, and spherical clouds lead to differences in chemical evolution, which are mainly due to their different evolution of number density. We also study the effect of initial chemical compositions on chemical evolution, and find that H atoms can accelerate OH formation by two major reactions: O + H → OH in gas phase and on dust grain surfaces, leading to the models in which hydrogen is mainly atomic initially better match observations than the models in which hydrogen is mainly molecular initially. Namely, to match observations, initially hydrogen must be mostly atomic. The CO molecules are able to form even without the pre-existence of H2. We also study the influence of gas temperature, dust temperature, intensity of interstellar radiation field and cosmic-ray ionization rate on chemical evolution in static clouds. The static CO clouds with high dust temperature, strong radiation field, and intensive cosmic rays are transient due to rapid CO destruction.

A nearby galaxy perspective on dust evolution

Context.The efficiency of the different processes responsible for the evolution of interstellar dust on the scale of a galaxy are, to date, very uncertain, spanning several orders of magnitude in the literature. Yet, precise knowledge of the grain properties is key to addressing numerous open questions about the physics of the interstellar medium and galaxy evolution.Aims.This article presents an empirical statistical study, aimed at quantifying the timescales of the main cosmic dust evolution processes as a function of the global properties of a galaxy.Methods.We modeled a sample of ≃800 nearby galaxies, spanning a wide range of metallicities, gas fractions, specific star formation rates, and Hubble stages. We derived the dust properties of each object from its spectral energy distribution. Through an additional level of analysis, we inferred the timescales of dust condensation in core-collapse supernova ejecta, grain growth in cold clouds, and dust destruction by shock waves. Throughout this paper, we have adopted a hierarchical Bayesian approach, resulting in a single large probability distribution of all the parameters of all the galaxies, to ensure the most rigorous interpretation of our data.Results.We confirm the drastic evolution with metallicity of the dust-to-metal mass ratio (by two orders of magnitude), found by previous studies. We show that dust production by core-collapse supernovae is efficient only at very low metallicity, a single supernova producing on average less than ≃0.03 M⊙/SN of dust. Our data indicate that grain growth is the dominant formation mechanism at metallicity above ≃1/5 solar, with a grain growth timescale shorter than ≃50 Myr at solar metallicity. Shock destruction is relatively efficient, a single supernova clearing dust on average in at least ≃1200 M⊙/SN of gas. These results are robust when assuming different stellar initial mass functions. In addition, we show that early-type galaxies are outliers in several scaling relations. This feature could result from grain thermal sputtering in hot X-ray emitting gas, which is a hypothesis supported by a negative correlation between the dust-to-stellar mass ratio and the X-ray photon rate per grain. Finally, we confirm the well-known evolution of the aromatic-feature-emitting grain mass fraction as a function of metallicity and interstellar radiation field intensity. Our data indicate that the relation with metallicity is significantly stronger.Conclusions.Our results provide valuable constraints for simulations of galaxies. They imply that grain growth is the likely dust production mechanism in dusty high-redshift objects. We also emphasize the determinant role of local, low metallicity systems in order to address these questions.

The Far-UV Interstellar Radiation Field in Galactic Disks: Numerical and Analytic Models

Abstract The intensity of the far-ultraviolet (FUV; 6–13.6 eV) interstellar radiation field (ISRF) in galaxies determines the thermal and chemical evolution of the neutral interstellar gas and is key for interpreting extragalactic observations and for theories of star formation. We run a series of galactic disk models and derive the FUV ISRF intensity as a function of the dust-to-gas ratio, star formation rate density, gas density, scale radius, and observer position. We develop an analytic formula for the median FUV ISRF flux. We identify two-dimensionless parameters in the problem: (1) the dimensionless galactic radius, X, which measures the radial extent of FUV sources (OB stellar associations) in the disk; and (2) the opacity over the intersource distance, τ ⋆, which measures the importance of dust absorption. These parameters encapsulate the dependence on all of the physical parameters. We find that there exists a critical τ ⋆, or equivalently a critical dust-to-gas ratio, , the Milky Way value, at which the ISRF changes behavior. For the ISRF is limited by dust absorption. With decreasing , the ISRF intensity increases as more sources contribute to the flux. For the ISRF saturates as the disk becomes optically thin. We find that the ISRF per star formation rate density in low-metallicity systems, such as dwarf and high-redshift galaxies, is higher by up to a factor of 3–6 compared to their Milky Way counterparts. We discuss the implications these findings have for the potential mechanisms that regulate star formation in low-metallicity galaxies.

Spectral energy distributions of dust and PAHs based on the evolution of grain size distribution in galaxies

ABSTRACT Based on a one-zone evolution model of grain size distribution in a galaxy, we calculate the evolution of infrared spectral energy distribution (SED), considering silicate, carbonaceous dust, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The dense gas fraction (ηdense) of the interstellar medium (ISM), the star formation time-scale (τSF), and the interstellar radiation field intensity normalized to the Milky Way value (U) are the main parameters. We find that the SED shape generally has weak mid-infrared (MIR) emission in the early phase of galaxy evolution because the dust abundance is dominated by large grains. At an intermediate stage (t ∼ 1 Gyr for τSF = 5 Gyr), the MIR emission grows rapidly because the abundance of small grains increases drastically by the accretion of gas-phase metals. We also compare our results with observational data of nearby and high-redshift (z ∼ 2) galaxies taken by Spitzer. We broadly reproduce the flux ratios in various bands as a function of metallicity. We find that small ηdense (i.e. the ISM dominated by the diffuse phase) is favoured to reproduce the 8 $\rm{\mu m}$ intensity dominated by PAHs for both the nearby and the z ∼ 2 samples. A long τSF raises the 8 $\rm{\mu m}$ emission to a level consistent with the nearby low-metallicity galaxies. The broad match between the theoretical calculations and the observations supports our understanding of the grain size distribution, but the importance of the diffuse ISM for the PAH emission implies the necessity of spatially resolved treatment for the ISM.

Dust properties and star formation of approximately a thousand local galaxies

Aims. We derived the dust properties for 753 local galaxies and examine how these relate to some of their physical properties. We present the derived dust emission properties, including model spectral energy distribution (SEDs), star formation rates (SFRs) and stellar masses, as well as their relations. Methods. We modelled the global dust-SEDs for 753 galaxies, treated statistically as an ensemble within a hierarchical Bayesian dust-SED modelling approach, so as to derive their infrared (IR) emission properties. To create the observed dust-SEDs, we used a multi-wavelength set of observations, ranging from near-IR to far-IR-to-submillimeter wavelengths. The model-derived properties are the dust masses (Mdust), the average interstellar radiation field intensities (Uav), the mass fraction of very small dust grains (“QPAH” fraction), as well as their standard deviations. In addition, we used mid-IR observations to derive SFR and stellar masses, quantities independent of the dust-SED modelling. Results. We derive distribution functions of the properties for the galaxy ensemble and as a function of galaxy type. The mean value of Mdust for the early-type galaxies (ETGs) is lower than that for the late-type and irregular galaxies (LTGs and Irs, respectively), despite ETGs and LTGs having stellar masses spanning across the whole range observed. The Uav and “QPAH” fraction show no difference among different galaxy types. When fixing Uav to the Galactic value, the derived “QPAH” fraction varies across the Galactic value (0.071). The specific SFR increases with galaxy type, while this is not the case for the dust-specific SFR (SFR/Mdust), showing an almost constant star formation efficiency per galaxy type. The galaxy sample is characterised by a tight relationship between the dust mass and the stellar mass for the LTGs and Irs, while ETGs scatter around this relation and tend towards smaller dust masses. While the relation indicates that Mdust may fundamentally be linked to M⋆, metallicity and Uav are the second parameter driving the scatter, which we investigate in a forthcoming work. We used the extended Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) law to estimate the gas mass and the gas-to-dust mass ratio (GDR). The gas mass derived from the extended KS law is on average ∼20% higher than that derived from the KS law, and a large standard deviation indicates the importance of the average star formation present to regulate star formation and gas supply. The average GDR for the LTGs and Irs is 370, and including the ETGs gives an average of 550.

Modeling CO, CO2, and H2O Ice Abundances in the Envelopes of Young Stellar Objects in the Magellanic Clouds

Abstract Massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) in the Magellanic Clouds show infrared absorption features corresponding to significant abundances of CO, CO2, and H2O ice along the line of sight, with the relative abundances of these ices differing between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way. CO ice is not detected toward sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud, and upper limits put its relative abundance well below sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way. We use our gas-grain chemical code MAGICKAL, with multiple grain sizes and grain temperatures, and further expand it with a treatment for increased interstellar radiation field intensity to model the elevated dust temperatures observed in the MCs. We also adjust the elemental abundances used in the chemical models, guided by observations of H ii regions in these metal-poor satellite galaxies. With a grid of models, we are able to reproduce the relative ice fractions observed in MC MYSOs, indicating that metal depletion and elevated grain temperature are important drivers of the MYSO envelope ice composition. Magellanic Cloud elemental abundances have a subgalactic C/O ratio, increasing H2O ice abundances relative to the other ices; elevated grain temperatures favor CO2 production over H2O and CO. The observed shortfall in CO in the Small Magellanic Cloud can be explained by a combination of reduced carbon abundance and increased grain temperatures. The models indicate that a large variation in radiation field strength is required to match the range of observed LMC abundances. CH3OH abundance is found to be enhanced in low-metallicity models, providing seed material for complex organic molecule formation in the Magellanic Clouds.

Modeling CO, CO2and H2O Ice Abundances in the Envelopes of Young Stellar Objects in the Magellanic Clouds

AbstractMassive young stellar objects (MYSOs) in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) show infrared absorption features corresponding to significant abundances of CO, CO2and H2O ice along the line of sight, with the relative abundances of these ices varying between sources in the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way. We use our gas-grain chemical code MAGICKAL, with multiple grain sizes and grain temperatures, and further expand it with a treatment for increased interstellar radiation field intensity to model the elevated dust temperatures observed in the MCs. We also adjust the elemental abundances used in the chemical models, guided by observations of HII regions in these metal-poor satellite galaxies. With a grid of models, we are able to reproduce the relative ice fractions observed in MC MYSOs, indicating that metal depletion and elevated grain temperature are important drivers of the MYSO envelope ice composition. The observed shortfall in CO in the Small Magellanic Cloud can be explained by a combination of reduced carbon abundance and increased grain temperatures. The models indicate that a large variation in radiation field strength is required to match the range of observed LMC abundances.

Dust models post-Planck: constraining the far-infrared opacity of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium

We compare the performance of several dust models in reproducing the dust spectral energy distribution (SED) per unit extinction in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). We use our results to constrain the variability of the optical properties of big grains in the diffuse ISM, as published by the Planck collaboration. We use two different techniques to compare the predictions of dust models to data from the Planck HFI, IRAS and SDSS surveys. First, we fit the far-infrared emission spectrum to recover the dust extinction and the intensity of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). Second, we infer the ISRF intensity from the total power emitted by dust per unit extinction, and then predict the emission spectrum. In both cases, we test the ability of the models to reproduce dust emission and extinction at the same time. We identify two issues. Not all models can reproduce the average dust emission per unit extinction: there are differences of up to a factor $\sim2$ between models, and the best accord between model and observation is obtained with the more emissive grains derived from recent laboratory data on silicates and amorphous carbons. All models fail to reproduce the variations in the emission per unit extinction if the only variable parameter is the ISRF intensity: this confirms that the optical properties of dust are indeed variable in the diffuse ISM. Diffuse ISM observations are consistent with a scenario where both ISRF intensity and dust optical properties vary. The ratio of the far-infrared opacity to the $V$ band extinction cross-section presents variations of the order of $\sim20\%$ ($40-50\%$ in extreme cases), while ISRF intensity varies by $\sim30\%$ ($\sim60\%$ in extreme cases). This must be accounted for in future modelling.

Vindicating single-Tmodified blackbody fits toHerschelSEDs

I show here that the bulk of the dust mass in a galaxy can be equivalently estimated from: i) the full spectral energy distribution of dust emission, using the approach of Draine & Lee (2007) that includes a distribution of dust grains and a range of interstellar radiation field intensities; ii) the emission in the wavelength range 100um <= lambda <= 500um (covered by the Herschel Space Observatory), by fitting to the data a simpler single temperature modified blackbody. Recent claims on the contrary (Dale et al. 2012) should be interpreted as a caveat to use in the simpler fits an absorption cross section which is consistent both in the normalization and in the spectral index beta with that of the full dust model. I also show that the dust mass does not depend significantly on the choice of beta, if both the dust mass and the absorption cross section are derived with the same assumption on beta.

Analysis of the Interstellar Medium Properties of the Herschel Reference Survey Galaxies

AbstractThe Herschel Reference Survey is a guaranteed time key project aimed at studying the physical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) of 323 nearby galaxies, covered by multi-wavelength data. This volume limited, K-band selected sample is composed of galaxies spanning the whole range of morphological types and environments. We conduct a statistical study on the ISM properties of nearby galaxies based on the analysis of their SED. To achieve this goal, we fit the data with the models of Draine &amp; Li (2007) to obtain the intensity of interstellar radiation field, the PAH abundance, the contribution of photodissociation regions, and the dust mass.

Dust temperature tracing the ISRF intensity in the Galaxy

New observations withHerschel allow accurate measurement of the equilibrium temperature of large dust grains heated by the interstellar radiation field (ISRF), which is critical in deriving dust column density and masses. We present temperature maps derived from the Herschel SPIRE and PACS data in two fields along the Galactic plane, obtained as part of the Hi-GAL survey during the Herschel science demonstration phase (SDP). We analyze the distribution of the dust temperature spatially, as well as along the two lines-of-sight (LOS) through the Galaxy. The zero-level offsets in the Herschel maps were established by comparison with the IRAS and Planck data at comparable wavelengths. We derive maps of the dust temperature and optical depth by adjusting a detailed model for dust emission at each pixel. The dust temperature maps show variations in the ISRF intensity and reveal the intricate mixture of the warm dust heated by massive stars and the cold filamentary structures of embedded molecular clouds. The dust optical depth at 250 μm is well correlated with the gas column density, but with a significantly higher dust emissivity than in the solar neighborhood. We correlate the optical depth with 3-D cubes of the dust extinction to investigate variations in the ISRF strength and dust abundance along the line of sight through the spiral structure of the Galaxy. We show that the warmest dust along the LOS is located in the spiral arms of the Galaxy, and we quantify their respective IR contribution.

Inferring the dust properties and density distribution in the outer envelope of IRC +10 216 from scattered Galactic light

Aims. We determine the dominant dust grain size and dust density distribution in the outer envelope of the high mass-loss carbon star IRC +10 216 and estimate the interstellar radiation field (ISRF) intensity and colours near IRC +10 216. Methods. We use Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations to calculate the surface brightness distribution of the envelope due to scattered Galactic light. Calculations are made with several dust models and cloud density structures using realistic anisotropic interstellar radiation field. The results of the calculations are compared with measurements reported in the literature. Results. The shape of the brightness profile of the cloud at different optical wavelengths implies that the dominant dust grain radius in the outer envelope of IRC +10 216 is at least 0.1 μ m. The shape of the brightness profiles at large offsets shows that the cloud density structure is steeper than r -2 , indicating that the mass-loss rate has increased with time. The peak brightness and colours of the nebula cannot be reproduced simultaneously with the observed cloud shape with any of the dust models tested, if commonly used values for interstellar radiation field intensity are adopted. The best fit to the data is obtained with large grains (grain radius $a>0.25$ μ m); our simulations then imply a ~30% lower interstellar radiation field intensity in B band than given by Galaxy models. However, it is possible that detailed modelling including, e.g., porous grains and realistic dust size distributions could eliminate the discrepancy.

Submillimeter Observations of the Low-Metallicity Galaxy NGC 4214

Results of submillimeter (450 and 850 μm) observations of a nearby dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 4214 with SCUBA on JCMT are presented. We aimed at examining the far-infrared–to–submillimeter spectral energy distribution (SED) and properties of dust thermal emission in a low-metallicity environment by choosing NGC 4214, in which the gas metallicity (log O/H + 12) is 8.34. We found that the SED is quite similar to those of the IRAS Bright Galaxies Sample (IBGS), which are local bright star-forming galaxies with metallicities comparable to the solar abundance. The dust temperature and emissivity index for NGC 4214 obtained by a fitting to the single temperature graybody model are Td = 35 ± 0.8 K and β = 1.4 ± 0.1, respectively, which are typical values for IBGS galaxies. Compiling the previous studies on similar nearby dwarf irregular galaxies, we found that NGC 1569 shows similar results to those of NGC 4214, while NGC 4449 and IC 10 SE show different SEDs and low emissivity indices. There seems to be a variety of SEDs among metal-poor dwarf irregular galaxies. We examined the dependence on the intensity of interstellar radiation field, as well as a two-temperature model, but the origin of the difference is not clear. Some mechanism(s) other than metallicity and the interstellar radiation field must be responsible for controlling dust emission properties.

Photoelectric Heating and [Cii] Cooling of High Galactic Latitude Translucent Clouds

The (2P3/2 -> 2P1/2) transition of singly--ionized carbon, [CII], is the primary coolant of diffuse interstellar gas. We describe observations of [CII] emission towards nine high Galactic latitude translucent molecular clouds, made with the long wavelength spectrometer on board the Infrared Space Observatory. To understand the role of dust grains in processing the interstellar radiation field (ISRF) and heating the gas, we compare the [CII] integrated intensity with the far-infrared (FIR) integrated surface brightness for the 101 sampled lines of sight. We find that [CII] is linearly correlated with FIR, and the average ratio is equal to that measured with the COBE satellite for all high-latitude Milky Way gas. There is a significant decrease that was not detected with COBE in [CII] emissivity at high values of FIR. Our sample splits naturally into two populations depending on the 60um/100um surface brightness ratio, or color: ``warm'' positions and ``cold'' positions. A transition from sources with warm to those with cold 60/100 colors coincides approximately with the transition from constant to decreasing [CII] emissivity. We model the [CII] and far-infrared emission under conditions of thermal equilibrium, using the simplifying assumptions that, in all regions heated by the ISRF, the most important source of gas heating is the photoelectric effect on grains and the most important source of gas cooling is [CII] emission. The model matches the data well. There are no statistically significant differences in the derived values of the ISRF intensity and the photoelectric heating efficiency for warm and cold sources. The observed variations in the [CII] emissivity and the 60/100 colors can be understood entirely in terms of the attenuation and softening of the ISRF by translucent clouds, not changes in dust properties.

The diffuse ISM in two edge-on galaxies—NGC891 and m82—images in the 3.3 μ PAH feature

We present infrared images at 3.3 μ (line and continuum) of two edge-on galaxies: NGC891, a “quiet” spiral and M82, the prototype of starburst galaxies. The interest of those images is two-fold: (i) they prove that PAH molecules, through their characteristic emission, are ubiquitously found in the large scale diffuse interstellar medium of “quiet” spiral galaxies, a result up to now obtained only in the Milky Way; (ii) they confirm that the intensity of the 3.3 μ PAH feature is a sensitive indicator of physical conditions since it depends both on the Interstellar Radiation field intensity through the heating and destruction of the molecules and on the ISM density: here, destruction of PAHs is put in evidence in the most central part of M82 where the energy density is high. All images were done using the Paris-Meudon Observatory CIRCUS IR Camera at the Canada-France-Hawaii 3m60 telescope.