HE 0435-5304 from Hamburg European Southern Observatory survey is a quasar that appears in the literature with two conflicting redshift values: $\sim 1.2$ and $\sim 0.4$. It was used in the studies of the intergalactic medium through fitting of the narrow absorption lines in its ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. This source is also known historically as a luminous infrared galaxy. We present optical spectra of HE 0435-5304, aiming to precisely measure its redshift and to study its physical properties. In particular, properties of its active nucleus, which is studied in the context of the source being identified here as an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy, allow us to place this quasar in the context of the general population. Fitting the spectra, we focused on modeling H$β$ and [O III] lines. Based on these, we derived the virial black hole mass, bolometric luminosity, and Eddington ratio of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Additionally, we performed broad band photometry fitting which allows us to quantify host galaxy parameters. The improved redshift value of HE 0435-5304 is estimated to $0.42788 \pm 0.00027$ based on the [O II] line, which is mostly consistent with the narrowest components of the other emission lines. The source was found to be a relatively massive and luminous AGN whose host galaxy is actively forming stars. Although its stellar population seems to be heavily obscured, we did not find evidence for significant obscuration of the nucleus. We conclude that the AGN HE 0435-5304 is a rather prominent iron emitter from the extreme type-A population very close to the narrow-line Seyfert 1 group. The fact that the width of the H$β$ line appears to be systematically growing in its broadest component with time may suggest that this AGN is changing its broad line region. Due to the influence of atmospheric effects, this finding is uncertain.
Ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are interesting objects with dramatic properties. Many efforts have been made to understand the physics of their luminous infrared emission and evolutionary stages. However, a large ULIRG sample is still needed to study the properties of their central black holes (BHs), the BH-host galaxy relation, and their evolution. We identified 308 ULIRGs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 6, and classified them into the NL ULIRGs (with only narrow emission lines) and the Type I ULIRGs (with broad emission lines). About 56% of ULIRGs in our total sampl…
We present the stellar population and ionized-gas outflow properties of ultra-luminous IR galaxies (ULIRGs) at $z=$ 0.1-1.0, which are selected from AKARI FIR all-sky survey. We construct a catalog of 1077 ULIRGs to examine feedback effect after major mergers. 202 out of the 1077 ULIRGs are spectroscopically identified by SDSS and Subaru/FOCAS observations. Thanks to deeper depth and higher resolution of AKARI compared to the previous IRAS survey, and reliable identification from WISE MIR pointing, the sample is unique in identifying optically-faint (i$\sim$20) IR-bright galaxies, which could …
We present the results of Spitzer IRS infrared 5-35 micron low-resolution spectroscopic energy diagnostics of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z > 0.15, classified optically as non-Seyferts. Based on the equivalent widths of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission and the optical depths of silicate dust absorption features, we searched for signatures of intrinsically luminous, but optically elusive, buried AGNs in these optically non-Seyfert ULIRGs. We then combined the results with those of non-Seyfert ULIRGs at z < 0.15 and non-Seyfert galaxies with infrared luminosities L(IR) < …
Gravitational waves (GWs) in the nano-hertz band are great tools for understanding the cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei. We consider SMBH binaries in high-$z$ ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) as sources of a stochastic GW background (GWB). ULIRGs are likely associated with gas-rich galaxy mergers containing SMBHs that possibly occur at most once in the life of galaxies, unlike multiple dry mergers at low redshift. Adopting a well-established sample of ULIRGs, we study the properties of the GWB due to coalescing binary SMBHs in these galaxie…
We present infrared K'- (2.1 micron) and L'-band (3.8 micron) high-spatial-resolution (<0.3") imaging observations of 17 nearby (z < 0.17) ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) assisted with the adaptive optics of the Subaru Telescope. We search for compact red K'-L' color emission as the indicator of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) due to AGN-heated hot dust emission. Two luminous dual AGN candidates are revealed. Combining these results with those of our previous study, we can state that the detected fraction of luminous dual AGNs in nearby ULIRGs is much less than unity (<20%), ev…
The aim of this work is to characterize physical properties of Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) and Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) detected in the far-infrared (FIR) 90um band in the AKARI Deep Field-South (ADF-S) survey. In particular, we want to estimate the AGN contribution to the [U]LIRGs' infrared emission and which types of AGNs are related to their activity. We examined 69 galaxies at z>0.05 detected at 90um by the AKARI satellite in the ADF-S, with optical counterparts and spectral coverage from the ultraviolet to the FIR. We used two independent spectral energy distributi…
Considerable uncertainties remain about the nature of warm, AGN-driven outflows and their impact on the evolution of galaxies. This is because the outflows are often unresolved in ground-based observations. As part of a project to study the AGN outflows in some of the most rapidly evolving galaxies in the local Universe, here we present HST/STIS observations of F14394+5332E that resolve the sub-kpc warm outflow for the first time in a ULIRG. The observations reveal a compact, high-ionization outflow region (r_max~0.9 kpc) set in a more extensive (r_max~1.4 kpc) halo that is kinematically quies…
The true importance of the warm, AGN-driven outflows for the evolution of galaxies remains uncertain. Measurements of the radial extents of the outflows are key for quantifying their masses and kinetic powers, and also establishing whether the AGN outflows are galaxy-wide. Therefore, as part of a larger project to investigate the significance of warm, AGN-driven outflows in the most rapidly evolving galaxies in the local universe, here we present deep Hubble Space Telescope ( HST) narrow-band [OIII]$λ$5007 observations of a complete sample of 8 nearby ULIRGs with optical AGN nuclei. Combined w…
Despite advances in observational data, theoretical models, and computational techniques to simulate key physical processes in the formation and evolution of galaxies, the stellar mass assembly of galaxies still remains an unsolved problem today. Optical spectroscopic measurements appear to show that the gas-phase metallicities of local ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are significantly lower than those of normal star-forming galaxies. This difference has resulted in the claim that ULIRGs are fueled by metal-poor gas accretion from the outskirts\cite{Mannucci10}. Here we report on a n…
Although now routinely incorporated into hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy evolution, the true importance of the feedback effect of the outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) remains uncertain from an observational perspective. This is due to a lack of accurate information on the densities, radial scales and level of dust extinction of the outflow regions. Here we use the unique capabilities of VLT/Xshooter to investigate the warm outflows in a representative sample of 9 local (0.06 $<$ z $<$ 0.15) ULIRGs with AGN nuclei and, for the first time, accurately quantify the key outflow pr…
In order to understand the evolution and feedback of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and star formation it is important to use molecular lines as probes of physical conditions and chemistry. We use H$_{2}$S to investigate the impact of starburst and AGN activity on the chemistry of the molecular interstellar medium in luminous infrared galaxies. Using the APEX single dish telescope, we have observed the $1_{10}$--$1_{01}$ transition of ortho-H$_{2}$S at 168 GHz towards the centres of twelve nearby luminous infrared galaxies. We have also observed the same line towards the ultra luminous infrared …
We investigate what shapes the infrared luminosity function of local galaxies by comparing it to the local infrared AGN luminosity function. The former corresponds to emission from dust heated by stars and AGN, whereas the latter includes emission from AGN-heated dust only. Our results show that infrared emission from AGN starts mixing into the galaxy luminosity function in the luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) regime and becomes significant in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) regime, with the luminosity above which local ULIRGs become AGN-dominated being in the log(LIR/Lsun)~12.2-12.7 …
We present the results of our multifrequency observations for 10 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) made by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at 1.4, 5.5, 9.0, and 14.0 GHz. Our sample is selected from ULIRGs whose active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are not found at optical wavelengths ($\sim$70% of the entire ULIRGs), but whose presence is suggested by mid-infrared or submillimetre observations ($>50$% of the non-AGN ULIRGs at optical wavelengths). The statistical properties of the targets are similar to those of the entire ULIRG sample, which implies that ULIRGs have common radiative proc…
As part of the QUADROS project to quantify the impact of AGN-driven outflows in rapidly evolving galaxies in the local universe, we present observations of 8 nearby ULIRGs ($0.04 < z < 0.2$) taken with the ISIS spectrograph on the \textit{William Herschel Telescope} (WHT), and also summarise the results of the project as a whole. Consistent with \cite{Rose2018}, we find that the outflow regions are compact (0.08 < $R_{[OIII]}$ < 1.5 kpc), and the electron densities measured using the [SII], [OII] trans-auroral emission-line ratios are relatively high (2.5 < log n$_{e}$(cm$^{-3}$) < 4.5, median…
We analyze high-resolution (400pc) 220GHz continuum and CO(2-1) ALMA observations of a representative sample of 23 local (z<0.165) ULIRG systems (34 individual nuclei) as part of the "Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA" (PUMA) project. The deconvolved half-light radii of the 220GHz continuum sources are between <60-350 pc (median 90pc). We associate these regions with the regions emitting the bulk of the infrared luminosity. The good agreement, within a factor of 2, between the 220GHz fluxes and the extrapolation of the infrared gray-body, and the small synchrotron and free-free contribution…
We present Herschel far-IR photometry and spectroscopy as well as ground based CO observations of an intermediate redshift (0.21 < z < 0.88) sample of Herschel-selected (ultra)-luminous infrared galaxies (L_IR > 10^11.5L_sun). With these measurements we trace the dust continuum, far-IR atomic line emission, in particular [CII]\,157.7microns, as well as the molecular gas of z~0.3 (U)LIRGs and perform a detailed investigation of the interstellar medium of the population. We find that the majority of Herschel-selected intermediate redshift (U)LIRGs have L_CII/L_FIR ratios that are a factor of abo…
Finding the evolutionary link between ULIRGs and radio galaxies
Manipal Academy of Higher Education(曼加洛尔高等教育局);Institute of Astronomy Space and Earth Sciences(天体空间与地球科学研究所);Indian Institute of Astrophysics(印度天体物理研究所);University of Oslo(奥斯陆大学);Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa(比萨高等师范学院);Indian Institute of Technology Indore(印多尔印度理工学院)
Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are characterised by extreme starburst (SB) and AGN activity, and are therefore ideal laboratories for studying the outflow phenomena. We have recently started a project called Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA (PUMA), which is a survey of 25 nearby (z < 0.165) ULIRGs observed with the integral field spectrograph MUSE and the interferometer ALMA. This sample includes systems with both AGN and SB nuclear activity in the pre- and post-coalescence phases of major mergers. The main goals of the project are to study the prevalence of multi-phase outflows …
We report the discovery of a mid-infrared variable AGN which is hosted by an ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) candidate in the Sloan Stripe 82 field. \textit{WISE} \textit{J030654.88+010833.6} is a red, extended galaxy, which we estimate to be at a photometric redshift of 0.28 $\leq$ z $\leq$ 0.31, based on its optical and near-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED). The factor of two variability over 8 years seen in the \textit{WISE} 3.4 and 4.6 $μ$m wavelength channels is not clearly correlated with optical variability in archival data. Based on our estimation of the physical param…
We present the detection and morphological characterization of hot molecular gas outflows in nearby ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, using the near-IR integral-field spectrograph SINFONI on the VLT. We detect outflows observed in the 2.12 micron H$_{2}$ 1-0 S(1) line for three out of four ULIRGs analyzed; IRAS 12112+0305, 14348-1447, and 22491-1808. The outflows are mapped on scales of 0.7-1.6 kpc, show typical outflow velocities of 300-500 km/s, and appear to originate from the nuclear region. The outflows comprise hot molecular gas masses of ~6-8x10$^3$ M(sun). Assuming a hot-to-cold molecu…
In order to construct a sample of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs, with infrared luminosity, $L_{\rm IR} > 10^{12}$ L$_{\odot}$) at 0.5 < z < 1, we are conducting an optical follow-up program for bright 90-$μ$m FIR sources with a faint optical (i < 20) counterpart selected in the AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) Bright Source catalog (Ver.2). AKARI-FIS-V2 J0916248+073034, identified as a ULIRG at z = 0.49 in the spectroscopic follow-up observation, indicates signatures of an extremely strong outflow in its emission line profiles. Its [OIII] 5007Å emission line shows FWHM of 1830 km s…
We present high-resolution ALMA observations of the C$^{18}$O, $^{13}$CO and $^{12}$CO $J$=1-0 isotopologues in 3 nearby ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGS; Arp 220, IRAS 13120-5453, IRAS 17208-0014) and 1 nearby post-merger galaxy (NGC 2623). In all 4 systems, we measure high $^{12}$CO/C$^{18}$O and $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO integrated line ratios while the $^{13}$CO/C$^{18}$O ratio is observed to be extremely low in comparison to typical star-forming disks, supporting previous work. We investigate whether these unusual line ratios are due to dynamical effects, astrochemistry within the gas, …
We study molecular outflows in a sample of 25 nearby (z< 0.17, d<750 Mpc) ULIRG systems (38 individual nuclei) as part of the "Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA" (PUMA) survey, using ~400 pc (0.1-1.0" beam FWHM) resolution ALMA CO(2-1) observations. We used a spectro-astrometry analysis to identify high-velocity (> 300 km/s) molecular gas disconnected from the galaxy rotation, which we attribute to outflows. In 77% of the 26 nuclei with $\log L_{IR}/L_{\odot}>11.8$, we identifid molecular outflows with an average $v_{out}= 490$ km/s, outflow masses $1-35 \times 10^7$ $M_{\odot}$, mass outfl…
Large-scale outflows are generally considered as a possible evidence that active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can severely affect their host galaxies. Recently an ultraluminous IR galaxy (ULIRG) at $z=0.49$, AKARI J0916248+073034, was found to have a galaxy-scale [OIII] $λ$5007 outflow with one of the highest energy-ejection rates at $z<1.6$. However, the central AGN activity estimated from its torus mid-IR (MIR) radiation is weak relative to the luminous [OIII] emission. In this work we report the first NuSTAR hard X-ray follow-up of this ULIRG to constrain its current AGN luminosity. The intrinsic…
Current predictions for the line ratios from photo-dissociative regions (PDRs) in galaxies adopt theoretical models that consider only individual parcels of PDR gas each characterized by the local density and far-UV radiation field. However, these quantities are not measured directly from unresolved galaxies, making the connection between theory and observation ambiguous. We develop a model that uses galaxy-averaged, observable inputs to explain and predict measurements of the [CII] fine structure line in luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. We find that the [CII] deficit observed in…
Ultraluminous and luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs and LIRGs) are the most extreme star-forming galaxies in the universe, and dominate the total star formation rate density at z>1. In the local universe (z<0.3), the majority of ULIRGs and a significant portion of LIRGs are triggered by interactions between gas-rich spiral galaxies, yet it is unclear if this is still the case at high-z. To investigate the relative importance of galaxy interactions in infrared luminous galaxies, we carry out a comparison of optical morphological properties between local (U)LIRGs and (U)LIRGs at z=0.5-1.5 based…
We present the results of a 21-cm HI survey of 27 local massive gas-rich late-stage mergers and merger remnants with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). These remnants were selected from the Quasar/ULIRG Evolution Study (QUEST) sample of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs; L$_{8-1000 μm} > 10^{12}$ L$_\odot$) and quasars; our targets are all bolometrically dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGN) and sample the later phases of the proposed ULIRG-to-quasar evolutionary sequence. We find the prevalence of HI absorption (emission) to be 100% (29%) in ULIRGs with HI detections, 10…
Calibrating Mid-Infrared Emission Features As Diagnostics of Star Formation in Infrared-Luminous Galaxies via Radiative Transfer Modeling
University of Wisconsin-Madison(威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校);University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa(夏威夷大学马诺阿分校);Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai‘i(夏威夷大学天体物理研究所);European University Cyprus(塞浦路斯欧洲大学);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台);Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC)(加那利天体物理研究所);Universidad de La Laguna(拉各拉纳大学);Michigan State University(密歇根州立大学);Université Paris-Saclay(巴黎萨克雷大学);Université Paris Cité(巴黎西岱大学)
We present the results of our ALMA observations of eleven (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs) at J=4-3 of HCN, HCO+, HNC and J=3-2 of HNC. This is an extension of our previously published HCN and HCO+ J=3-2 observations to multiple rotational J-transitions of multiple molecules, to investigate how molecular emission line flux ratios vary at different J-transitions. We confirm that ULIRGs that contain or may contain luminous obscured AGNs tend to show higher HCN-to-HCO+ flux ratios than starburst galaxies, both at J=4-3 and J=3-2. For selected HCN-flux-enhanced AGN-important ULIRGs, ou…
We report on the energetics of molecular outflows in 14 local Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) that show unambiguous outflow signatures (P-Cygni profiles or high-velocity absorption wings) in the far-infrared lines of OH measured with the Herschel/PACS spectrometer. Detection of both ground-state (at 119 and 79 um) and one or more radiatively-excited (at 65 and 84 um) lines allows us to model the nuclear gas (<~300 pc) as well as the more extended components using spherically symmetric radiative transfer models. The highest molecular outflow velocities are found in buried sources, in w…
We present a new catalog of 118 Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) and one Hyperluminous Infrared Galaxy (HLIRG) by crossmatching AKARI all-sky survey with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 10 (SDSS DR10) and the Final Data Release of the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS). 40 of the ULIRGs and one HLIRG are new identifications. We find that ULIRGs are interacting pair galaxies or ongoing/post mergers. This is consistent with the widely accepted view: ULIRGs are major mergers of disk galaxies. We confirm the previously known positive trend between the AGN fraction a…
We report the broadband X-ray spectra of the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) UGC 5101 in the 0.25-100 keV band observed with Swift/Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), NuSTAR, Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and Chandra. A Compton-thick AGN obscured with a hydrogen column density of $\approx 1.3\times10^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$ is detected above 10 keV. A spectral fit with a numerical torus model favors a large half opening angle of the torus, $>41$ degrees, suggesting that the covering fraction of material heavily obscuring the X-ray source is moderate. The intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity is determined to be $\appro…
We present preliminary results from the highest available signal-to-noise rest-frame 2-8um spectra of z~2 ULIRGs. Our 10 targets are selected for their deep silicate absorption features based on previous shallower IRS spectra. The goal of this follow-up program is: 1) allow for a more accurate analysis of inner/hot dust continuum, 2) detecting the 3.3um and 6.2um PAH features, and 3) detecting molecular absorption features such as due to water ice and hydrocarbons (HACs). We find that the 3.4um HAC absorption feature is observed in four sources, while the 3.05um water ice feature is observed i…
We explore the relationship between gas, dust and star formation in a sample of 12 ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at high redshift compared to a similar sample of local galaxies. We present new CO observations and/or Spitzer mid-IR spectroscopy for 6 70 micron selected galaxies at z~1 in order to quantify the properties of the molecular gas reservoir, the contribution of an active galactic nuclei (AGN) to the mid-IR luminosity and the star formation efficiency (SFE=LIR/L'CO). The mid-IR spectra show strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission and our spectral decomposition…
We discuss here a long Suzaku observation of IRAS 19254-7245 (also known as the Superantennae), one of the brightest and well studied Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxies in the local Universe. This long observation provided the first detection of IRAS 19254-7245 above 10 keV, and measured a 15-30 keV flux of ~5x10^(-12) erg cm^-2 s^-1. The detection above 10 keV has allowed us to unveil, for the first time, the intrinsic luminosity of the AGN hosted in IRAS 19254-7245, which is strongly absorbed (Nh ~ 3x10^(24) cm^-2) and has an intrinsic luminosity in the QSO regime (L(2-10 keV) ~ 3 x 10^(44) er…
This paper is the second in a series aimed at examining the gaseous environments of z$\le$0.3 quasars and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) as a function of AGN/host galaxy properties across the merger sequence. This second paper focuses on the Ly$α$ emission and O VI and N V absorption features, tracers of highly ionized gas outflows, in ULIRGs observed with HST/COS. Ly$α$ emission is detected in 15 out of 19 ULIRGs, and 12 of the 14 clear Ly$α$ detections show emission with blueshifted velocity centroids and/or wings. The equivalent widths of the Ly$α$ emission increase with increasin…
We fit the near-infrared to radio spectral energy distributions of a sample of 30 luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies with models that include both starburst and AGN components. The aim of the work was to determine important physical parameters for this kind of objects such as the optical depth towards the luminosity source, the star formation rate, the star formation efficiency and the AGN fraction. We found that although about half of our sample have best-fit models that include an AGN component, only 30 % have an AGN which accounts for more than 10 % of the infrared luminosity whe…
We present radio observations of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and combine them with archival multi-frequency observations to understand whether ULIRGs are the progenitors of the powerful radio loud galaxies in the local Universe. ULIRGs are characterized by large infrared luminosities ($L_{IR}>$10$^{12}$L$\odot$), large dust masses ($\sim10^{8}M_{\odot}$) and vigorous star formation (star formation rates $\sim$10-100 $M_{\odot}~$yr$^{-1}$). Studies show that they represent the end stages of mergers of gas-rich spiral galaxies. Their …
The cores of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are very dense environments, with a high rate of star formation and supernova explosions. They are thought to be sites of cosmic-ray acceleration, and are predicted to emit $γ$-rays in the GeV to TeV range. So far, no ULIRG has been detected in $γ$-rays. Arp 220, the closest ULIRG to Earth, has been well studied, and detailed models of $γ$-ray production in this galaxy are available. They predict a rather hard $γ$-ray spectrum up to several TeV. Due to its large rate of star formation, high gas density, and its close proximity to Earth, Ar…
Results from a large, multi-J CO, {13}CO, and HCN line survey of Luminous Infrared Galaxies (L_{IR}>=10^{10} L_{\odot}) in the local Universe (z<=0.1), complemented by CO J=4--3 up to J=13--12 observations from the Herschel Space Observatory (HSO), paints a new picture for the average conditions of the molecular gas of the most luminous of these galaxies with turbulence and/or large cosmic ray (CR) energy densities U_{CR} rather than far-UV/optical photons from star-forming sites as the dominant heating sources. Especially in ULIRGs (L_{IR}>10^{12} L_{\odot}) the Photon Dominated Regions (PDRs…
We present a 2D study of the internal extinction on (sub)kiloparsec scales of a sample of local (z<0.1) (U)LIRGs, based on near-infrared Pa_a, Br_d, and Br_g line ratios, obtained with VLT-SINFONI integral-field spectroscopy. The 2D extinction (Av) distributions of the objects, map regions of ~3x3 kpc (LIRGs) and ~12x12 kpc (ULIRGs), with average angular resolutions (FWHM) of ~0.2 kpc and ~0.9 kpc, respectively. The individual Av galaxy distributions indicate a very clumpy dust structure already on sub-kiloparsec scales, with values (per spaxel) ranging from Av ~ 1 to 20 mag in LIRGs, and from…
It is thought that a class of broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs, characterised by Fe absorption features in their UV spectra (called `FeLoBALs'), could mark a transition stage between the end of an obscured starburst event and a youthful QSO beginning to shed its dust cocoon, where Fe has been injected into the interstellar medium by the starburst. To test this hypothesis we have undertaken deep SCUBA-2 850 $μ$m observations of a sample of 17 FeLoBAL QSOs with 0.89 $\leq$ z $\leq$ 2.78 and -23.31 $\leq$ M$_{B}$ $\leq$-28.50 to directly detect an excess in the thermal emission of the dust which …
We report the first results from a spectroscopic survey of the [CII] 158um line from a sample of intermediate redshift (0.2<z<0.8) (ultra)-luminous infrared galaxies, (U)LIRGs (LIR>10^11.5 Lsun), using the SPIRE-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) on board the Herschel Space Observatory. This is the first survey of [CII] emission, an important tracer of star-formation, at a redshift range where the star-formation rate density of the Universe increases rapidly. We detect strong [CII] 158um line emission from over 80% of the sample. We find that the [CII] line is luminous, in the range (0.8-4)x…
How does the environment affect active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity? We investigated this question in an extinction-free way, by selecting 1120 infrared galaxies in the $AKARI$ North Ecliptic Pole Wide field at redshift $z$ $\leq$ 1.2. A unique feature of the $AKARI$ satellite is its continuous 9-band infrared (IR) filter coverage, providing us with an unprecedentedly large sample of IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies. By taking advantage of this, for the first time, we explored the AGN activity derived from SED modelling as a function of redshift, luminosity, and environme…