Constraints on the active galactic nucleus and starburst activity of local ultraluminous infrared galaxies from a broad range of torus models
Charalambia Varnava, Andreas Efstathiou, Duncan Farrah, Dimitra Rigopoulou
备注：
Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The SED fitting code SMART used in this work is publicly available at https://github.com/ch-var/SMART
In this paper we further explore the properties of the HERschel Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxy Survey (HERUS) sample of 42 local ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with our recently developed Bayesian spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code SMART (Spectral energy distributions Markov chain Analysis with Radiative Transfer models). SMART fits SEDs exclusively with multicomponent radiative transfer models. Mid-infrared spectroscopy can be included in the fitting at a spectral resolution matched to that of the radiative transfer models. We fit the SEDs of the HERUS ULIRGs with four different models for the active galactic nucleus (AGN) torus, a starburst and a spheroidal galaxy model, to put constraints on the AGN fraction of the galaxies and their star formation rate (SFR). Two of the AGN torus models we explored are smooth and two are two-phase. We find that, in most cases, a smooth tapered AGN torus provides the best fit to the data. We also find that solutions with other torus models may predict AGN and total luminosities up to an order of magnitude or more lower, but very rarely higher than the best-fitting model. In contrast, we find that, with minor exceptions, the predicted SFR and stellar mass of the ULIRGs are generally robustly estimated irrespective of the assumed torus model. This is despite the fact that one of the AGN torus models we use assumes fluffy grains with high emissivity in the far-infrared and submillimetre, which could potentially reduce the contribution of a starburst at those wavelengths and reduce the SFR.
Keck OSIRIS/LGSAO observations of the ultraluminous galaxy IRAS~23365+3604 resolve a circumnuclear bar (or irregular disk) of semimajor axis 0.42" (520 pc) in Paschen-alpha emission. The line-of-sight velocity of the ionized gas increases from the northeast toward the southwest; this gradient is perpendicular to the photometric major axis of the infrared emission. Two pairs of bends in the zero-velocity line are detected. The inner bend provides evidence for gas inflow onto the circumnuclear disk/bar structure. We interpret the gas kinematics on kiloparsec scales in relation to the molecular g…
We present the ultraviolet to submillimetre spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the HERschel Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxy Survey (HERUS) sample of 42 local ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and fit them with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) code using the CYprus models for Galaxies and their NUclear Spectra (CYGNUS) radiative transfer models for starbursts, active galactic nucleus (AGN) tori and host galaxy. The Spitzer IRS spectroscopy data are included in the fitting. Our bayesian SED fitting method takes comparable time to popular energy balance methods but it is more physical…
We conducted systematic observations of the HI Br-alpha line (4.05 micron) and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature (3.3 micron) in 50 nearby (z<0.3) ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with AKARI. The Br-alpha line is predicted to be the brightest among the HI lines under high dust-extinction conditions (A_V>15 mag). The Br-alpha line traces ionizing photons from OB stars and so is used as an indicator of star formation on the assumption of the initial mass function. We detected the Br-alpha line in 33 ULIRGs. The luminosity of the line (L_BrA) correlates well with that of t…
We present the results of ALMA Cycle 2 observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy, IRAS 20551-4250, at HCN/HCO+/HNC J=3-2 lines at both vibrational-ground (v=0) and vibrationally excited (v2=1) levels. This galaxy contains a luminous buried active galactic nucleus (AGN), in addition to starburst activity, and our ALMA Cycle 0 data revealed a tentatively detected vibrationally excited HCN v2=1f J=4-3 emission line. In our ALMA Cycle 2 data, the HCN/HCO+/HNC J=3-2 emission lines at v=0 are clearly detected. The HCN and HNC v2=1f J=3-2 emission lines are also detected, but the HCO+ v2=1f J…
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…
Using the IRAM 30-m telescope, CN and CO isotopologues have been measured toward the central regions of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC253 and the prototypical ultraluminous infrared galaxy Mrk231. In NGC253, the 12C/13C ratio is 40+-10. Assuming that the ratio also holds for the CO emitting gas, this yields 16O/18O = 145+-36 and 16O/17O = 1290+-365 and a 32S/34S ratio close to that measured for the local interstellar medium (20-25). No indication for vibrationally excited CN is found. Peak line intensity ratios between NGC253 and Mrk231 are ~100 for 12C16O and 12C18O J=1-0, while the ratio fo…
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 present a study of the complete ultraviolet to submillimetre spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of twelve 3CR radio galaxy hosts in the redshift range $1.0 < z < 2.5$, which were all detected in the far-infrared by the Herschel Space Observatory. The study employs the new spectro-chemical evolutionary code PÉGASE.3, in combination with recently published clumpy AGN torus models. We uncover the properties of the massive host galaxy stellar populations, the AGN torus luminosities, and the properties of the recent starbursts, which had earlier been inferred in these objects from their infrar…
We have studied in detail a sample of 967 SPIRE sources with 5-sigma detections at 350 and 500 micron and associations with Spitzer-SWIRE 24 micron galaxies in the HerMES-Lockman survey area, fitting their mid- and far-infrared, and submillimetre, SEDs in an automatic search with a set of six infrared templates. For almost 300 galaxies we have modelled their SEDs individually to ensure the physicality of the fits. We confirm the need for the new cool and cold cirrus templates, and also of the young starburst template, introduced in earlier work. We also identify 109 lensing candidates via thei…
We present far-IR photometry and infrared spectrum of the z=3.9114 quasar/starburst composite system APM 08279+5255 obtained using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)/HAWC+ and the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). We decompose the IR-to-radio spectral energy distribution (SED), sampled in 51 bands, using (i) a model comprised of two-temperature modified blackbodies (MBB) and radio power-laws and (ii) a semi-analytic model, which also accounts for emission from a clumpy torus. The latter is more realistic but requires a well-sampled SED, as possible …
The abundance of metals in galaxies is a key parameter which permits to distinguish between different galaxy formation and evolution models. Most of the metallicity determinations are based on optical line ratios. However, the optical spectral range is subject to dust extinction and, for high-z objects (z > 3), some of the lines used in optical metallicity diagnostics are shifted to wavelengths not accessible to ground based observatories. For this reason, we explore metallicity diagnostics using far-infrared (IR) line ratios which can provide a suitable alternative in such situations. To inve…
We present a new diagnostic diagram for local ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and quasars, analysing particularly the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra of 102 local ULIRGs and 37 Palomar Green quasars. Our diagram is based on a special non-linear mapping of these data, employing the Kernel Principal Component Analysis method. The novelty of this map lies in the fact that it distributes the galaxies under study on the surface of a well-defined ellipsoid, which, in turn, links basic concepts from geometry to physical properties of the galaxies. Particularly, …
We present new Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph far-ultraviolet (far-UV) spectroscopy and Keck Echellete optical spectroscopy of 11 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), a rare population of local galaxies experiencing massive gas inflows, extreme starbursts, and prominent outflows. We detect H Lyman alpha emission from 8 ULIRGs and the companion to IRAS09583+4714. In contrast to the P Cygni profiles often seen in galaxy spectra, the H Lyman alpha profiles exhibit prominent, blueshifted emission out to Doppler shifts exceeding -1000 km/s in three HII-dominated and two AGN…
Sparks II: Panchromatic SED modeling and galaxy physical properties across the starburst to post-starburst sequence
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics & Cosmology, Stanford University（斯坦福大学卡弗里粒子天体物理与宇宙学研究所）；Center for Decoding the Universe, Stanford University（斯坦福大学解码宇宙中心）；Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University（普林斯顿大学天体物理科学系）；Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校天文与天体物理系）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU)（宇宙物理与数学卡弗里研究所）；Division of Science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan（日本国立天文台科学部）；Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik（马克斯·普朗克地外物理学研究所）
(abridged) In this work we have a closer look at the gas content or fraction and the associated star formation rate in main sequence and starburst galaxies at z=0 and z~1-2 by applying an analytical model of galactic clumpy gas disks to samples of local spiral galaxies, ULIRGs, submillimeter (smm), and high-z starforming galaxies. The model gas and dust temperatures are determined by the heating and cooling equilibrium. Dense clouds are heated by turbulent mechanical and cosmic ray heating. The molecular abundances of individual gas clouds are determined by a detailed chemical network involvin…
We present a general review of the current knowledge of IRAS 20551-4250 and its circumnuclear environment. This Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy is one of the most puzzling sources of its class in the nearby Universe: the near-IR spectrum is typical of a galaxy experiencing a very intense starburst, but a highly obscured active nucleus is identified beyond 5 micron and possibly dominates the mid-IR energy output of the system. At longer wavelengths star formation is again the main driver of the global spectral shape and features. We interpret all the available IR diagnostics in the framework of s…
The Universe's largest galaxy clusters likely built the majority of their massive $>10^{11} M_\odot$ galaxies in simultaneous, short-lived bursts of activity well before virialization. This conclusion is reached from emerging datasets on $z>2$ proto-clusters and the characteristics of their member galaxies, in particular, rare starbursts and ultraluminous active galactic nuclei (AGN). The most challenging observational hurdle in identifying such structures is their very large volumes, $\sim10^{4}$ comoving Mpc$^3$ at $z>2$, subtending areas $\sim$half a degree on the sky. Thus the contrast aff…
We present a multi-frequency study of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) IRAS 00183-7111 (z=0.327), selected from the Spoon diagnostic diagram as a highly obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidate. ALMA Cycle 0 millimetre and X-ray observations are used; the main aim is to verify at what level the molecular gas, traced by the CO, may be responsible for the obscuration observed at X-ray energies. Theory and observations both suggest that galaxy-scale absorption may play a role in the AGN obscuration at intermediate (i.e. Compton-thin) column densities. We derived a molecular gas c…
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…
We report molecular gas observations of IRAS 20100-4156 and IRAS 03158+4227, two local ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) hosting some of the fastest and most massive molecular outflows known. Using ALMA and PdBI observations, we spatially resolve the CO(1-0) emission from the outflowing molecular gas in both and find maximum outflow velocities of $ v_{\rm max} \sim 1600$ and $\sim 1700$ km/s for IRAS 20100-4156 and IRAS 03158+4227, respectively. We find total gas mass outflow rates of $\dot M_{\rm OF} \sim 670$ and $\sim 350$ Msun/yr, respectively, corresponding to molecular gas depleti…
We present the results of ALMA $\sim$2 mm, $\lesssim$1$''$-resolution observations of ten (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ([U]LIRGs; infrared luminosity $\gtrsim$ 10$^{11.7}$L$_{\odot}$) at $z <$ 0.15, targeting dense ($>$10$^{4}$ cm$^{-3}$) molecular (HCN, HCO$^{+}$, and HNC J=2-1) and 183 GHz H$_{2}$O 3$_{1,3}$-2$_{2,0}$ emission lines. Higher HCN to HCO$^{+}$ J=2-1 flux ratios are observed in some, but not all, AGN-important ULIRGs than in starburst-classified sources. We detect 183 GHz H$_{2}$O emission in almost all AGN-important ULIRGs, and elevated H$_{2}$O emission is found in two so…
We report on the identification of the highest redshift submm-selected source currently known: LESSJ033229.4-275619. This source was detected in the Large Apex BOlometer CAmera (LABOCA) Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDFS) Submillimetre Survey (LESS), a sensitive 870-um survey (~1.2-mJy rms) of the full 30'x30' ECDFS with the LABOCA camera on the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope. The submm emission is identified with a radio counterpart for which optical spectroscopy provides a redshift of z=4.76. We show that the bolometric emission is dominated by a starburst with a star f…
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 …
Cosmic rays (CRs) in starburst galaxies produce high energy gamma-rays by colliding with the dense interstellar medium (ISM). Arp 220 is the nearest ultra luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) that has star-formation at extreme levels, so it has long been predicted to emit high-energy gamma-rays. However, no evidence of gamma-ray emission was found despite intense efforts of search. Here we report the discovery of high-energy gamma-ray emission above 200 MeV from Arp 220 at a confidence level of $\sim 6.3 σ$ using 7.5 years of \textsl {Fermi} Large Area Telescope observations. The gamma-ray emissio…
Aims. We aim to search and characterize inflows and outflows of molecular gas in four ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at $z\sim0.2-0.3$ and one distant QSO at $z=6.13$. Methods. We use Herschel PACS and ALMA Band 7 observations of the hydroxyl molecule (OH) line at rest-frame wavelength 119 $μ$m which in absorption can provide unambiguous evidence for inflows or outflows of molecular gas in nuclear regions of galaxies. Our study contributes to double the number of OH observations of luminous systems at $z\sim0.2-0.3$, and push the search for molecular outflows based on the OH transiti…
Based on optical/near-IR Magellan FIRE spectra of 25 starburst galaxies at 0.5 < z < 0.9, Calabrò et al.(2018) showed that their attenuation properties can be explained by a single-parameter sequence of total obscurations ranging from A(V)=2 to A(V)=30 towards the starburst core centers in a mixed stars and dust configuration. We investigate here the origin of this sequence for the same sample. We show that total attenuations anti-correlate with the starburst sizes in radio (3 GHz) with a significance larger than 5sigma and a scatter of 0.26 dex. More obscured and compact starbursts also show …
We present spatially resolved ALMA observations of the CO J=3-2 emission line in two massive galaxies at z=2.5 on the star-forming main sequence. Both galaxies have compact dusty star-forming cores with effective radii of Re=1.3 kpc and Re=1.2 kpc in the 870 um continuum emission. The spatial extent of star-forming molecular gas is also compact with Re=1.9 kpc and Re=2.3 kpc, but more extended than the dust emission. Interpreting the observed position-velocity diagrams with dynamical models, we find the starburst cores to be rotation-dominated with the ratio of the maximum rotation velocity to…
Several starburst galaxies have been observed in the GeV and TeV bands. In these dense environments, gamma-ray emission should be dominated by cosmic-ray interactions with the interstellar medium ($p_{\rm cr}p_{\rm ism} \to π^{0} \to γγ$). Indeed, starbursts may act as proton "calorimeters" where a substantial fraction of cosmic-ray energy input is emitted in gamma rays. Here we build a one-zone, "thick-target" model implementing calorimetry and placing a firm upper bound on gamma-ray emission from cosmic-ray interactions. The model assumes that cosmic rays are accelerated by supernovae (SNe),…
We present BayeSED, a general purpose tool for doing Bayesian analysis of SEDs by using whatever pre-existing model SED libraries or their linear combinations. The artificial neural networks (ANNs), principal component analysis (PCA) and multimodal nested sampling (MultiNest) techniques are employed to allow a highly efficient sampling of posterior distribution and the calculation of Bayesian evidence. As a demonstration, we apply this tool to a sample of hyperluminous infrared galaxies (HLIRGs). The Bayesian evidences obtained for a pure Starburst, a pure AGN, and a linear combination of Star…
There is substantial evidence for a connection between star formation in the nuclear region of a galaxy and growth of the central supermassive black hole. Furthermore, starburst activity in the region around an active galactic nucleus (AGN) may provide the obscuration required by the unified model of AGN. Molecular line emission is one of the best observational avenues to detect and characterize dense, star-forming gas in galactic nuclei over a range of redshift. This paper presents predictions for the carbon monoxide (CO) line features from models of nuclear starburst disks around AGN. These …
We conduct a hard X-ray to radio multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) decomposition for 57 local luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) observed with Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and/or Swift/Burst Alert Telescope in GOALS (Armus et al. 2009) sample. We modify the latest SED-fitting code X-CIGALE by implementing the infrared (IR) CLUMPY model, allowing the multiwavelength study with the X-ray torus model (XCLUMPY) self-consistently. Adopting the torus parameters obtained by the X-ray fitting (Yamada et al. 2021), we estimate the properties of host galaxie…
We present mid-infrared (IR) light curves of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source (ULX) Holmberg II X-1 from observations taken between 2014 January 13 and 2017 January 5 with the \textit{Spitzer Space Telescope} at 3.6 and 4.5 $μ$m in the \textit{Spitzer} Infrared Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS). The mid-IR light curves, which reveal the first detection of mid-IR variability from a ULX, is determined to arise primarily from dust emission rather than from a jet or an accretion disk outflow. We derived the evolution of the dust temperature ($T_\mathrm{d}\sim600 - 800$ K), IR luminosity ($L_\mat…
