HerMES: Far-infrared properties of known AGN in the HerMES fields
E. Hatziminaoglou, A. Omont, J. A. Stevens, A. Amblard, V. Arumugam, R. Auld, H. Aussel, T. Babbedge, A. Blain, J. Bock, A. Boselli, V. Buat, D. Burgarella, N. … 展开作者
E. Hatziminaoglou, A. Omont, J. A. Stevens, A. Amblard, V. Arumugam, R. Auld, H. Aussel, T. Babbedge, A. Blain, J. Bock, A. Boselli, V. Buat, D. Burgarella, N. Castro-Rodriguez, A. Cava, P. Chanial, D. L. Clements, A. Conley, L. Conversi, A. Cooray, C. D. Dowell, E. Dwek, S. Dye, S. Eales, D. Elbaz, D. Farrah, M. Fox, A. Franceschini, W. Gear, J. Glenn, E. A. Gonzalez Solares, M. Griffin, M. Halpern, E. Ibar, K. Isaak, R. J. Ivison, G. Lagache, L. Levenson, N. Lu, S. Madden, B. Maffei, G. Mainetti, L. Marchetti, A. M. J. Mortier, H. T. Nguyen, B. O'Halloran, S. J. Oliver, M. J. Page, P. Panuzzo, A. Papageorgiou, C. P. Pearson, I. Perez-Fournon, M. Pohlen, J. I. Rawlings, D. Rigopoulou, D. Rizzo, I. G. Roseboom, M. Rowan-Robinson, M. Sanchez Portal, B. Schulz, Douglas Scott, N. Seymour, D. L. Shupe, A. J. Smith, M. Symeonidis, M. Trichas, K. E. Tugwell, M. Vaccari, I. Valtchanov, L. Vigroux, L. Wang, R. Ward, G. Wright, C. K. Xu, M. Zemcov
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Astronomy and Astrophysics, Herschel Special Issue, in press as a Letter; 5 pages
Nuclear and starburst activity are known to often occur concomitantly. Herschel-SPIRE provides sampling of the FIR SEDs of type 1 and type 2 AGN, allowing for the separation between the hot dust (torus) and cold dust (starburst) emission. We study large samples of spectroscopically confirmed type 1 and type 2 AGN lying within the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) fields observed during the science demonstration phase, aiming to understand their FIR colour distributions and constrain their starburst contributions. We find that one third of the spectroscopically confirmed AGN in the HerMES fields have 5-sigma detections at 250um, in agreement with previous (sub)mm AGN studies. Their combined Spitzer-MIPS and Herschel-SPIRE colours - specifically S(250)/S(70) vs. S(70)/S(24) - quite clearly separate them from the non-AGN, star-forming galaxy population, as their 24-um flux is dominated by the hot torus emission. However, their SPIRE colours alone do not differ from those of non-AGN galaxies. SED fitting shows that all those AGN need a starburst component to fully account for their FIR emission. For objects at z > 2, we find a correlation between the infrared luminosity attributed to the starburst component, L(SB), and the AGN accretion luminosity, L(acc), with L(SB) propto L(acc)^0.35. Type 2 AGN detected at 250um show on average higher L(SB) than type 1 objects but their number is still too low to establish whether this trend indicates stronger star-formation activity.
We examine the rest-frame far-infrared emission from powerful radio sources with 1.4GHz luminosity densities of 25<=log(L_1.4/WHz^-1)<=26.5 in the extragalactic Spitzer First Look Survey field. We combine Herschel/SPIRE flux densities with Spitzer/IRAC and MIPS infrared data to obtain total (8-1000um) infrared luminosities for these radio sources. We separate our sources into a moderate, 0.4<z<0.9, and a high, 1.2<z<3.0, redshift sub-sample and we use Spitzer observations of a z<0.1 3CRR sample as a local comparison. By comparison to numbers from the SKA Simulated Skies we find that our modera…
In this work we explore the impact of the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the mid- and far-infrared (IR) properties of galaxies as well as the effects of simultaneous AGN and starburst activity in these same galaxies. To do this we apply a multi-component, multi-band spectral synthesis technique to a sample of 250 micron selected galaxies of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, with IRS spectra available for all galaxies. Our results confirm that the inclusion of the IRS spectra plays a crucial role in the spectral analysis of galaxies with an AGN component improving…
We have observed four massive galaxy clusters with the SPIRE instrument on the Herschel Space Observatory and measure a deficit of surface brightness within their central region after subtracting sources. We simulate the effects of instrumental sensitivity and resolution, the source population, and the lensing effect of the clusters to estimate the shape and amplitude of the deficit. The amplitude of the central deficit is a strong function of the surface density and flux distribution of the background sources. We find that for the current best fitting faint end number counts, and excellent le…
For the first time, we investigate the X-ray/infrared (IR) correlation for star-forming galaxies at z~1, using SPIRE submm data from the recently-launched Herschel Space Observatory and deep X-ray data from the 2Ms Chandra deep field north (CDFN) survey. We examine the X-ray/IR correlation in the soft X-ray (SX, 0.5-2 keV) and hard X-ray (HX, 2-10 keV) bands by comparing our z~1 SPIRE-detected star-forming galaxies (SFGs) to equivalently IR-luminous (L_IR >10^10 L_sun) samples in the local/low redshift Universe. Our results suggest that the X-ray/IR properties of the SPIRE SFGs are on average …
We study the far-infrared (IR) and sub-millimeter properties of a sample of ultraviolet (UV) selected galaxies at z\sim1.5. Using stacking at 250, 350 and 500 um from Herschel Space Observatory SPIRE imaging of the COSMOS field obtained within the HerMES key program, we derive the mean IR luminosity as a function of both UV luminosity and slope of the UV continuum beta. The IR to UV luminosity ratio is roughly constant over most of the UV luminosity range we explore. We also find that the IR to UV luminosity ratio is correlated with beta. We observe a correlation that underestimates the correl…
We present spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for 68 Herschel sources detected at 5-sigma at 250, 350 and 500 mu in the HerMES SWIRE-Lockman field. We explore whether existing models for starbursts, quiescent star-forming galaxies and for AGN dust tori are able to model the full range of SEDs measured with Herschel. We find that while many galaxies (~ 56 %) are well fitted with the templates used to fit IRAS, ISO and Spitzer sources, for about half the galaxies two new templates are required: quiescent ('cirrus') models with colder (10-20 K) dust, and a young starburst model with higher opti…
The reliability of infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) emissions to measure star formation rates in galaxies is investigated for a large sample of galaxies observed with the SPIRE and PACS instruments on Herschel as part of the HerMES project. We build flux-limited 250 micron samples of sources at redshift z<1, cross-matched with the Spitzer/MIPS and GALEX catalogues. About 60 % of the Herschel sources are detected in UV. The total IR luminosities, L_IR, of the sources are estimated using a SED-fitting code that fits to fluxes between 24 and 500 micron. Dust attenuation is discussed on the basi…
We quantify the fraction of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) that originates from galaxies identified in the UV/optical/near-infrared by stacking 81,250 (~35.7 arcmin^2) K-selected sources (K_AB < 24.0), split according to their rest-frame U - V vs. V - J colors into 72,216 star-forming and 9,034 quiescent galaxies, on maps from Spitzer/MIPS (24um), Herschel/SPIRE (250, 350, 500um), Herschel/PACS (100, 160um), and AzTEC (1100um). The fraction of the CIB resolved by our catalog is (69 $\pm$ 15)% at 24um, (78 $\pm$ 17)% at 70um, (58 $\pm$ 13)% at 100um, (78 $\pm$ 18)% at 160um, (80 $\pm$ 17)…
ABRIGED Herschel/SPIRE has provided confusion limited maps of deep fields at 250, 350, and 500um, as part of the HerMES survey. Due to confusion, only a small fraction of the Cosmic Infrared Background can be resolved into individually-detected sources. Our goal is to produce deep galaxy number counts and redshift distributions below the confusion limit, which we then use to place strong constraints on the origins of the cosmic infrared background and on models of galaxy evolution. We individually extracted the bright SPIRE with a method using the positions, the flux densities, and the redshif…
We present first results of a study of the submillimetre (rest frame far-infrared) properties of z~3 Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) and their lower-redshift counterparts BX/BM galaxies, based on Herschel-SPIRE observations of the Northern field of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS-N). We use stacking analysis to determine the properties of LBGs well below the current limit of the survey. Although LBGs are not detected individually, stacking the infrared luminous LBGs (those detected with Spitzer at 24 microns yields a statistically significant submm detection with mean flux <S_{2…
The Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) on Herschel has been carrying out deep extragalactic surveys, one of whose aims is to establish spectral energy distributions (SED)s of individual galaxies spanning the infrared/submillimeter (IR/SMM) wavelength region. We report observations of the (IR/SMM) emission from the Lockman North field (LN) and Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey field North (GOODS-N). Because galaxy images in the wavelength range covered by Herschel generally represent a blend with contributions from neighboring galaxies, we present sets of galaxies in each f…
Emission at far-infrared wavelengths makes up a significant fraction of the total light detected from galaxies over the age of Universe. Herschel provides an opportunity for studying galaxies at the peak wavelength of their emission. Our aim is to provide a benchmark for models of galaxy population evolution and to test pre-existing models of galaxies. With the Herschel Multi-tiered Extra-galactic survey, HerMES, we have observed a number of fields of different areas and sensitivity using the SPIRE instrument on Herschel. We have determined the number counts of galaxies down to ~20 mJy. Our co…
We present the results of a program of optical and near-infrared spectroscopic follow-up of candidate Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) selected in the mid-infrared. This survey selects both normal and obscured AGN closely matched in luminosity across a wide range, from Seyfert galaxies with bolometric luminosities L_bol~10^10L_sun, to highly luminous quasars (L_bol~10^14L_sun), and with redshifts from 0-4.3. Samples of candidate AGN were selected through mid-infrared color cuts at several different 24 micron flux density limits to ensure a range of luminosities at a given redshift. The survey cons…
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is an extremely capable and efficient black hole finder. We present a simple mid-infrared color criterion, W1-W2 \geq 0.8 (i.e., [3.4]-[4.6] \geq 0.8, Vega), which identifies 61.9 \pm 5.4 AGN candidates per deg2 to a depth of W2 = 15.0. This implies a much larger census of luminous AGN than found by typical wide-area surveys, attributable to the fact that mid-infrared selection identifies both unobscured (type 1) and obscured (type 2) AGN. Optical and soft X-ray surveys alone are highly biased towards only unobscured AGN, while this simple WISE se…
We use infrared spectroscopy and photometry to empirically define the intrinsic, thermal infrared spectral energy distribution (i.e., 6-100 um SED) of typical active galactic nuclei (i.e., 2-10 keV luminosity, Lx=10^{42}-10^{44} ergs/s AGNs). On average, the infrared SED of typical AGNs is best described as a broken power-law at <40 um that falls steeply at >40um (i.e., at far-infrared wavelengths). Despite this fall-off at long wavelengths, at least 3 of the 11 AGNs in our sample have observed SEDs that are AGN-dominated even at 60 um, demonstrating the importance of accounting for possible A…
We present measurements of the auto- and cross-frequency power spectra of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) at 250, 350, and 500um (1200, 860, and 600 GHz) from observations totaling ~ 70 deg^2 made with the SPIRE instrument aboard the Herschel Space Observatory. We measure a fractional anisotropy dI / I = 14 +- 4%, detecting signatures arising from the clustering of dusty star-forming galaxies in both the linear (2-halo) and non-linear (1-halo) regimes; and that the transition from the 2- to 1-halo terms, below which power originates predominantly from multiple galaxies within dark matter …
We investigate the fraction of starbursts, starburst-AGN composites, Seyferts, and LINERs as a function of infrared luminosity (L_IR) and merger progress for ~500 infrared-selected galaxies. Using the new optical classifications afforded by the extremely large data set of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we find that the fraction of LINERs in IR-selected samples is rare (< 5%) compared with other spectral types. The lack of strong infrared emission in LINERs is consistent with recent optical studies suggesting that LINERs contain AGN with lower accretion rates than in Seyfert galaxies. Most previ…
We report on the near-infrared selected AGN candidates extracted from 2MASS/ROSAT catalogues and discuss their properties. First, near-infrared counterparts of a X-ray source in ROSAT catalogues (namely, Bright Source Catalogue (BSC) and Faint Source Catalogue (FSC)) were extracted by positional cross-identification of <=30''. Because these counterparts would contain many mis-identifications, we further imposed near-infrared colour selection criteria and extracted reliable AGN candidates (BSC: 5,273, FSC: 10,071). Of 5,273 (10,071) candidates in the BSC (FSC), 2,053 (1,008) are known AGNs. Nea…
The enormous amounts of infrared (IR) radiation emitted by luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs, L_IR=10^11-10^12Lsun) and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs, L_IR>10^12Lsun) are produced by dust heated by intense star formation (SF) activity and/or an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The elevated star formation rates and high AGN incidence in (U)LIRGs make them ideal candidates to study the interplay between SF and AGN activity in the local universe. In this paper I review recent results on the physical extent of the SF activity, the AGN detection rate (including buried AGN), the AGN bolometr…
We compare the relative merits of AGN selection at X-ray and mid-infrared wavelengths using data from moderately deep fields observed by both Chandra and Spitzer. The X-ray-selected AGN sample and associated optical follow-up are drawn from the SEXSI program. Mid-infrared data in these fields are derived from Spitzer imaging, and mid-infrared AGN selection is accomplished primarily through application of the IRAC color-color AGN `wedge' selection technique. Nearly all X-ray sources in these fields which exhibit clear spectroscopic signatures of AGN activity have mid-infrared colors consistent …
Spitzer spectroscopy has revealed that ~80% of submm galaxies (SMGs) are starburst (SB) dominated in the mid-infrared. Here we focus on the remaining ~20% that show signs of harboring powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN). We have obtained Spitzer-IRS spectroscopy of a sample of eight SMGs which are candidates for harboring powerful AGN on the basis of IRAC color-selection (S8/S4.5>2; i.e. likely power-law mid-infrared SEDs). SMGs with an AGN dominating (>50%) their mid-infrared emission could represent `missing link' sources in an evolutionary sequence involving a major merger. First of all, …
We quantify the active galactic nucleus (AGN) contribution to the mid-infrared (mid-IR) and the total infrared (IR, 8-1000micron) emission in a complete volume-limited sample of 53 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs). We decompose the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) low-resolution 5-38micron spectra of the LIRGs into AGN and starburst components using clumpy torus models and star-forming galaxy templates, respectively. We find that 50% (25/50) of local LIRGs have an AGN component detected with this method. There is good agreement between these AGN detections through mid-IR spectral de…
We explore the connections between the infrared and X-ray properties of AGNs. Using the well constrained infrared SEDs of a sample of local (i.e., z < 0.1) sample of X-ray AGNs, we develop new diagnostics that exploit 24um and 70um flux densities to identify AGN-dominated systems at z<1.5 and measure their total infrared luminosities. We apply these diagnostics to the X-ray detected AGNs in the Chandra Deep Field South and, in doing so, reveal that the infrared to X-ray luminosity ratio was a factor of ~12 higher in the early Universe compared to today. We explore possible explanations for thi…
We propose near-infrared colour selection criteria to extract Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) using the near-infrared Colour-Colour Diagram (CCD) and predict near-infrared colour evolution with respect to redshift. First, we cross-identify two AGN catalogues with the 2MASS Point Source Catalogue, and confirm both the loci of quasars/AGNs in the near-infrared CCD and redshift-colour relations. In the CCD, the loci of over 70 - 80% of AGNs can be distinguished from the stellar locus. To examine the colours of quasars, we simulate near-infrared colours using Hyperz code. Assuming a realistic quasar…
Dusty, star forming galaxies contribute to a bright, currently unresolved cosmic far-infrared background. Deep Herschel-SPIRE images designed to detect and characterize the galaxies that comprise this background are highly confused, such that the bulk lies below the classical confusion limit. We analyze three fields from the HerMES programme in all three SPIRE bands (250, 350, and 500 microns); parameterized galaxy number count models are derived to a depth of ~2 mJy/beam, approximately 4 times the depth of previous analyses at these wavelengths, using a P(D) (probability of deflection) approa…
Mid-infrared spectroscopic measurements from the Infrared Spectrometer on Spitzer (IRS) are given for 125 hard X-ray AGN (14-195 keV) from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope sample and for 32 AGN with black hole masses from reverberation mapping. The 9.7 um silicate feature in emission or absorption defines an infrared AGN classification describing whether AGN are observed through dust clouds, indicating that 55% of the BAT AGN are observed through dust. The mid-infrared dust continuum luminosity is shown to be an excellent indicator of intrinsic AGN luminosity, scaling closely with the hard X-ra…
We present the AKARI near-infrared (NIR; 2.5-5 micron) spectroscopic study of 36 (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies [(U)LIRGs] at z=0.01-0.4. We measure the NIR spectral features including the strengths of 3.3 micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and hydrogen recombination lines (Brα. and Brβ), optical depths at 3.1 and 3.4 micron, and NIR continuum slope. These spectral features are used to identify optically elusive, buried AGN. We find that half of the (U)LIRGs optically classified as non-Seyferts show AGN signatures in their NIR spectra. Using a combined sample of (U)LIRGs …
(Abridged) We investigate the far-infrared properties of X-ray sources detected in the Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) survey using the ultra-deep 70um and 24um Spitzer observations taken in this field. We rely on stacking analyses of the 70um data to characterise the average 70um properties of the X-ray sources. Using Spitzer-IRS data of the Swift-BAT sample of z~0 active galactic nuclei (hereafter, AGNs), we show that the 70um/24um flux ratio can distinguish between AGN-dominated and starburst-dominated systems out to z~1.5. From stacking analysis we find that both high redshift and z~0 AGN…
Telescopes like Herschel and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) are creating new opportunities to study sources in the far infrared (FIR), a wavelength region dominated by cold dust emission. Probing cold dust in active galaxies allows for study of the star formation history of active galactic nuclei (AGN) hosts. The FIR is also an important spectral region for observing AGN which are heavily enshrouded by dust, such as Compton thick AGN. By using information from deep X-ray surveys and cosmic X-ray background synthesis models, we compute Cloudy photoionization simulations…
Infrared-Faint Radio Sources (IFRSs) are a class of radio objects found in the Australia Telescope Large Area Survey (ATLAS) which have no observable mid-infrared counterpart in the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) survey. The extended Chandra Deep Field South now has even deeper Spitzer imaging (3.6 to 70 micron) from a number of Legacy surveys. We report the detections of two IFRS sources in IRAC images. The non-detection of two other IFRSs allows us to constrain the source type. Detailed modeling of the SED of these objects shows that they are consistent with high redshift (…
As part of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey we have investigated the rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) properties of a sample of more than 4800 Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North field. Most LBGs are not detected individually, but we do detect a sub-sample of 12 objects at 0.7 < z < 1.6 and one object at z ~ 2.0. The ones detected by Herschel SPIRE have redder observed NUV-U and U-R colors than the others, while the undetected ones have colors consistent with average LBGs at z > 2.5. The UV-to-FIR spectral energy distributions of the obje…
We present spectroscopic results for all galaxies observed with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) which also have total infrared fluxes f(ir) measured with the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), also using AKARI photometry when available. Infrared luminosities and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 8 um to 160 um are compared to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission from starburst galaxies or mid-infrared dust continuum from AGN at rest frame wavelengths ~ 8 um. A total of 301 spectra are analyzed for which IRS and IRAS include the same unresolved source, as measured…
We present the observed-frame optical, near- and mid-infrared properties of X-ray selected AGN in the Lockman Hole. Using a likelihood ratio method on optical, near-infrared or mid-infrared catalogues, we assigned counterparts to 401 out of the 409 X-ray sources of the XMM-Newton catalogue. Accurate photometry was collected for all the sources from U to 24um. We used X-ray and optical criteria to remove any normal galaxies, galactic stars, or X-ray clusters among them and studied the multi-wavelength properties of the remaining 377 AGN. We used a mid-IR colour-colour selection to understand th…
We present the results of infrared L-band (3-4 micron) slit spectroscopy of 30 PG QSOs at z < 0.17, the representative sample of local high-luminosity, optically selected AGNs. The 3.3 micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission feature is used to probe nuclear (< a few kpc) starburst activity and to investigate the connections between AGNs and nuclear starbursts in PG QSOs. The 3.3 micron PAH emission is detected in the individual spectra of 5/30 of the observed PG QSOs. We construct a composite spectrum of PAH-undetected PG QSOs and discern the presence of the 3.3 micron PAH emissi…
We present results of the 2.5-5 μm spectroscopy of a sample of hard X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) using the grism mode of the InfraRed Camera (IRC) on board the infrared astronomical satellite AKARI. The sample is selected from the 9-month Swift/BAT survey in the 14-195 keV band, which provides a fair sample of AGNs including highly absorbed ones. The 2.5-5 μm spectroscopy provide a strong diagnostic tool for the circumnuclear environment of AGNs through the continuum shapes and emission/absorption features such as the 3.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and th…
We compare mid-infrared emission-line properties, from high-resolution Spitzer spectra of a hard X-ray (14 -- 195 keV) selected sample of nearby (z < 0.05) AGN detected by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) aboard Swift. The luminosity distribution for the mid-infrared emission-lines, [O IV] 25.89 micron, [Ne II] 12.81 micron, [Ne III] 15.56 micron and [Ne V] 14.32/24.32 micron, and hard X-ray continuum show no differences between Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 populations, however six newly discovered BAT AGNs are under-luminous in [O IV], most likely the result of dust extinction in the host galaxy. T…
We present a study of the infrared properties for a sample of seven spectroscopically confirmed submillimeter galaxies at $z>$4.0. By combining ground-based near-infrared, Spitzer IRAC and MIPS, Herschel SPIRE, and ground-based submillimeter/millimeter photometry, we construct their Spectral Energy Distributions (SED) and a composite model to fit the SEDs. The model includes a stellar emission component at $λ_{\rm rest} <$ 3.5$ μ$m; a hot dust component peaking at $λ_{rest} \sim$ 5$\,μ$m; and cold dust component which becomes significant for $λ_{\rm rest} >$ 50$\,μ$m. Six objects in the sample…
We present a study of the optical spectral properties of 115 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) in the southern sky. Using the optical spectra obtained at CTIO 4 m and provided by the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and the 6dF Galaxy Survey, we measure emission line widths and fluxes for spectral classification. We determine the spectral types of ULIRGs with H_alpha measurement using the standard diagnostic diagrams. For ULIRGs without H_alpha measurement, we determine their spectral types using the plane of flux ratio between [OIII]_lambda5007 and H_beta versus [OIII] line width based on ou…
In order to understand the interactions between active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star formation during the evolution of galaxies, we investigate 142 galaxies detected in both X-ray and 70μm observations in the COSMOS (Cosmic Evolution Survey) field. All of our data are obtained from the archive, X-ray point source catalogs from Chandra and XMM-Newton observations; far-infrared 70μm point source catalog from Spitzer-MIPS observations. Although the IRAC [3.6μm]-[4.5μm] vs. [5.8μm]-[8.0μm] colours of our sample indicate that only ~63% of our sources would be classified as AGN, the ratio of the re…
We have analysed the rest-frame far infrared (FIR) properties of a sample of massive (Mstar > 10^11Msun) galaxies at 2<z<3 in the GOODS (Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey) North field using the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) instrument aboard the Herschel Space Observatory. To conduct this analysis we take advantage of the data from the HerMES key program. The sample comprises 45 massive galaxies with structural parameters characterised with HST NICMOS-3. We study detections at submm Herschel bands, together with Spitzer 24μm data, as a function of the morphological ty…
We present results on low-resolution mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of 70 infrared-luminous galaxies obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) onboard Spitzer. We selected sources from the European Large Area Infrared Survey (ELAIS) with S15 > 0.8 mJy and photometric or spectroscopic z > 1. About half of the sample are QSOs in the optical, while the remaining sources are galaxies, comprising both obscured AGN and starbursts. We classify the spectra using well-known infrared diagnostics, as well as a new one that we propose, into three types of source: those dominated by an unobscured AGN (QSOs…
We analyze the link between active galactic nuclei (AGN) and mid-infrared flux using dust radiative transfer calculations of starbursts realized in hydrodynamical simulations. Focusing on the effects of galaxy dust, we evaluate diagnostics commonly used to disentangle AGN and star formation in ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). We examine these quantities as a function of time, viewing angle, dust model, AGN spectrum, and AGN strength in merger simulations representing two possible extremes of the ULIRG population: one is a typical gas-rich merger at z ~ 0, and the other is characterist…
We present Spitzer 7-38um spectra for a 24um flux limited sample of galaxies at z~0.7 in the COSMOS field. The detailed high-quality spectra allow us to cleanly separate star formation (SF) and active galactic nucleus (AGN) in individual galaxies. We first decompose mid-infrared Luminosity Functions (LFs). We find that the SF 8um and 15um LFs are well described by Schechter functions. AGNs dominate the space density at high luminosities, which leads to the shallow bright-end slope of the overall mid-infrared LFs. The total infrared (8-1000um) LF from 70um selected galaxies shows a shallower br…
We have combined the CLASXS Chandra survey in Lockman with the Spitzer SWIRE survey data to study the X-ray-infrared connection for AGN. The sample consists of 401 X-ray-sources, of which 306 are detected by Spitzer, and a further 257 AGN candidates detected through their dust torus, but not by Chandra. For X-ray sources the X-ray hardness ratio has been modelled in terms of a power-law with absorption N(H). The optical and infrared data have been modelled in terms of our well-established optical galaxy and QSO templates, and infrared templates based on radiative transfer models. Our estimate …
Clusters of galaxies have long been used as laboratories for the study of galaxy evolution, but despite intense, recent interest in feedback between AGNs and their hosts, the impact of environment on these relationships remains poorly constrained. We present results from a study of AGNs and their host galaxies found in low-redshift galaxy clusters. We fit model spectral energy distributions (SEDs) to the combined visible and mid-infrared (MIR) photometry of cluster members and use these model SEDs to determine stellar masses and star-formation rates (SFRs). We identify two populations of AGNs,…
Infrared-faint radio sources (IFRSs) are a rare class of object which are relatively bright at radio wavelengths but very faint at infrared and optical wavelengths. Here we present sensitive near-infrared observations of a sample of these sources taken as part of the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS). Nearly all the IFRSs are undetected at a level of ~ 1 μ$Jy in these new deep observations, and even the detections are consistent with confusion with unrelated galaxies. A stacked image implies that the median flux density is $S_{3.6μm} ~ 0.2$ μ$Jy or less, giving extreme…
The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, HerMES, is a legacy program designed to map a set of nested fields totalling ~380 deg^2. Fields range in size from 0.01 to ~20 deg^2, using Herschel-SPIRE (at 250, 350 and 500 μm), and Herschel-PACS (at 100 and 160 μm), with an additional wider component of 270 deg^2 with SPIRE alone. These bands cover the peak of the redshifted thermal spectral energy distribution from interstellar dust and thus capture the re-processed optical and ultra-violet radiation from star formation that has been absorbed by dust, and are critical for forming a complete …
We use Spitzer IRS spectroscopy to study the nature 65 IR-luminous galaxies at 0.02 < z < 0.6 with F(24micron) > 1.2mJy. The IRS spectra cover wavelengths spanning the PAH features and important atomic diagnostic lines. Our sample corresponds to L(IR) = L(8-1000micron) = 10^10-10^12 Lsun. We divide our galaxies into those with Spitzer IRAC colors indicative of warm dust heated by an AGN (IRAGN) and those whose colors indicate star-formation processes (non-IRAGN). Compared to the non-IRAGN, the IRAGN show smaller PAH emission EWs, which we attribute to an increase in mid-IR continuum from the A…
We present results from our ALMA Cycle 0 observations, at the frequencies around the HCN, HCO+, and HNC J=4-3 transition lines, of the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS 20551-4250 at z=0.043, which is known to host an energetically important obscured AGN. In addition to the targeted HCN, HCO+, and HNC J=4-3 emission lines, two additional strong emission lines are seen, which we attribute to H2S and CH3CN(+CCH). The HCN-to-HCO+ J=4-3 flux ratio (~0.7) is higher than in the other starburst-dominated galaxy (~0.2) observed in our ALMA Cycle 0 program. We tentatively (~5 sigma) detected the vibrationa…
Local luminosity functions are fundamental benchmarks for high-redshift galaxy formation and evolution studies as well as for models describing these processes. Determining the local luminosity function in the submillimeter range can help to better constrain in particular the bolometric luminosity density in the local Universe, and Herschel offers the first opportunity to do so in an unbiased way by imaging large sky areas at several submillimeter wavelengths. We present the first Herschel measurement of the submillimeter 0<z<0.2 local luminosity function and infrared bolometric (8-1000 $μ$m) …
We present Spitzer InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) low-resolution spectra of 16 spectroscopically selected post-starburst quasars (PSQs) at z ~ 0.3. The optical spectra of these broad-lined active galactic nuclei (AGNs) simultaneously show spectral signatures of massive intermediate-aged stellar populations making them good candidates for studying the connections between AGNs and their hosts. The resulting spectra show relatively strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features at 6.2 and 11.3\micron and a very weak silicate feature, indicative of ongoing star formation and low dust …
We present the result of a systematic infrared 2.5-5 um spectroscopic study of 22 nearby infrared galaxies over a wide infrared luminosity range (10 < log(L_IR / Lsun) < 13) obtained from AKARI Infrared Camera (IRC). The unique band of the AKARI IRC spectroscopy enables us to access both the 3.3 um polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission feature from star forming activity and the continuum of torus-dust emission heated by an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Applying our AGN diagnostics to the AKARI spectra, we discover 14 buried AGNs. The large fraction of buried AGNs suggests that AGN ac…
A large fraction of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are "invisible" in extant optical surveys due to either distance or dust-obscuration. The existence of this large population of dust-obscured, infrared-bright AGN is predicted by models of galaxy - supermassive black hole coevolution and is required to explain the observed X-ray and infrared backgrounds. Recently, infrared colour-cuts with WISE have identified a portion of this missing population. However, as the host galaxy brightness relative to that of the AGN increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate between infrared emis…
A two-parameter semi-empirical model is presented for the spectral energy distributions of galaxies with contributions to their infrared-submillimeter-radio emission from both star formation and accretion disk-powered activity. This model builds upon a previous one-parameter family of models for star-forming galaxies, and includes an update to the mid-infrared emission using an average template obtained from Spitzer Space Telescope observations of normal galaxies. Star-forming/AGN diagnostics based on PAH equivalent widths and broadband infrared colors are presented, and example mid-infrared A…
The Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) has identified large numbers of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) over a wide range in redshift. A detailed understanding of these DSFGs is hampered by the limited spatial resolution of Herschel. We present 870um 0.45" resolution imaging from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of 29 HerMES DSFGs with far-infrared (FIR) flux densities in between the brightest of sources found by Herschel and fainter DSFGs found in ground-based sub-millimeter (sub-mm) surveys. We identify 62 sources down to the 5-sigma point-source se…
Empirical "backward" galaxy evolution models for infrared bright galaxies are constrained using multi-band infrared surveys. We developed a new Monte-Carlo algorithm for this task, implementing luminosity dependent distribution functions for the galaxies' infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and for the AGN contribution, allowing for evolution of these quantities. The adopted SEDs take into account the contributions of both starbursts and AGN to the infrared emission, for the first time in a coherent treatment rather than invoking separate AGN and star-forming populations. In the firs…
Interactions between galaxies are predicted to cause gas inflows that can potentially trigger nuclear activity. Since the inflowing material can obscure the central regions of interacting galaxies, a potential limitation of previous optical studies is that obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) can be missed at various stages along the merger sequence. We present the first large mid-infrared study of AGNs in mergers and galaxy pairs, in order to quantify the incidence of obscured AGNs triggered by interactions. The sample consists of galaxy pairs and post-mergers drawn from the Sloan Digital S…
We investigate the mid- (MIR) to far-infrared (FIR) properties of a nearly complete sample of local Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) detected in the Swift/BAT all sky hard X-ray (14-195 keV) survey, based on the cross correlation with the AKARI infrared survey catalogs complemented by those with IRAS and WISE. Out of 135 non-blazer AGNs in the Swift/BAT 9 month catalog, we obtain the MIR photometric data for 128 sources either in the 9, 12, 18, 22, and/or 25 um band. We find good correlation between their hard X-ray and MIR luminosities over 3 orders of magnitude (42< log lambda L_{lambda}(9, 18 …
We present a highly reliable and efficient mid-infrared colour-based selection technique for luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey. Our technique is designed to identify objects with red mid-infrared power-law spectral energy distributions. We studied the dependency of our mid-infrared selection on the AGN intrinsic luminosity and the effectiveness of our technique to uncover obscured AGN missed in X-ray surveys. To do so we used two samples of luminous AGN independently selected in hard X-ray and optical surveys. We used the largest …
The role of galaxy mergers in fueling active galactic nuclei (AGN) is still debated, owing partly to selection effects inherent to studies of the merger/AGN connection. In particular, luminous AGN are often heavily obscured in late-stage mergers. Mid-infrared (IR) color selection of dust-enshrouded AGN with, e.g., the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has uncovered large new populations of obscured AGN. However, this method is sensitive mainly to AGN that dominate emission from the host. To understand how these selection biases affect mid-IR studies of the merger/AGN connection, we si…
