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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Astrophysics and Astronomy

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University of Massachusetts Amherst

2007

Galaxies : ISM

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Opacity Of Spiral Galaxy Disks. Viii. Structure Of The Cold Ism, Bw Holwerda, B Draine, Kd Gordon, Ra Gonzalez, D Calzetti, M Thornley, B Buckalew, Rj Allen, Pc Van Der Kruit Jan 2007

The Opacity Of Spiral Galaxy Disks. Viii. Structure Of The Cold Ism, Bw Holwerda, B Draine, Kd Gordon, Ra Gonzalez, D Calzetti, M Thornley, B Buckalew, Rj Allen, Pc Van Der Kruit

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

The quantity of dust in a spiral disk can be estimated using the dust's typical emission or the extinction of a known source. In this paper we compare two techniques, one based on emission and one on absorption, applied to sections of 14 disk galaxies. The two measurements reflect, respectively, the average and apparent optical depth of a disk section. Hence, they depend differently on the average number and optical depth of ISM structures in the disk. The small-scale geometry of the cold ISM is critical for accurate models of the overall energy budget of spiral disks. ISM geometry, relative …


Warm Molecular Hydrogen In The Spitzer Sings Galaxy Sample, H Roussel, G Helou, Dj Hollenbach, Bt Draine, Jd Smith, L Armus, E Schinnerer, F Walter, Cw Engelbracht, Md Thornley, Rc Kennicutt, D Calzetti, Da Dale, Ej Murphy, C Bot Jan 2007

Warm Molecular Hydrogen In The Spitzer Sings Galaxy Sample, H Roussel, G Helou, Dj Hollenbach, Bt Draine, Jd Smith, L Armus, E Schinnerer, F Walter, Cw Engelbracht, Md Thornley, Rc Kennicutt, D Calzetti, Da Dale, Ej Murphy, C Bot

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

Results on the properties of warm molecular hydrogen in 57 normal galaxies are derived from measurements of H2 rotational transitions, obtained as part of SINGS. This study extends previous extragalactic surveys of emission lines of H2 to fainter and more common systems (LFIR = 107-6 × 1010 L). The 17 μm S(1) transition is securely detected in the nuclear regions of 86% of galaxies with stellar masses above 109.5 M. The derived column densities of warm H2 (T ≥ 100 K), although averaged over kiloparsec-scale areas, are commensurate with values observed in resolved photodissociation regions. They amount to between 1% …


The Incidence Of Highly Obscured Star-Forming Regions In Sings Galaxies, Mkm Prescott, Rc Kennicutt, Gj Bendo, Ba Buckalew, D Calzetti, Cw Engelbracht, Kd Gordon, Dj Hollenbach, Jc Lee, J Moustakas, Da Dale, G Helou, Th Jarrett, Ej Murphy, Jdt Smith, S Akiyama, Ml Sosey Jan 2007

The Incidence Of Highly Obscured Star-Forming Regions In Sings Galaxies, Mkm Prescott, Rc Kennicutt, Gj Bendo, Ba Buckalew, D Calzetti, Cw Engelbracht, Kd Gordon, Dj Hollenbach, Jc Lee, J Moustakas, Da Dale, G Helou, Th Jarrett, Ej Murphy, Jdt Smith, S Akiyama, Ml Sosey

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

Using the new capabilities of Spitzer and extensive multiwavelength data from SINGS, it is now possible to study the infrared properties of star formation in nearby galaxies down to scales equivalent to large H II regions. We are therefore able to determine what fraction of large, infrared-selected star-forming regions in normal galaxies are highly obscured and address how much of the star formation we miss by relying solely on the optical portion of the spectrum. Employing a new empirical method for deriving attenuations of infrared-selected star-forming regions, we investigate the statistics of obscured star formation on 500 pc scales in …


Gaps In The Cloud Cover? Comparing Extinction Measures In Spiral Disks, Bw Holwerda, M Meyer, M Regan, D Calzetti, Kd Gordon, Jd Smith, D Dale, Cw Engelbracht, T Jarrett, M Thornley, C Bot, B Buckalew, Rc Kennicutt, Ra Gonzalez Jan 2007

Gaps In The Cloud Cover? Comparing Extinction Measures In Spiral Disks, Bw Holwerda, M Meyer, M Regan, D Calzetti, Kd Gordon, Jd Smith, D Dale, Cw Engelbracht, T Jarrett, M Thornley, C Bot, B Buckalew, Rc Kennicutt, Ra Gonzalez

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

Dust in galaxies can be mapped either by the FIR/submillimeter emission, the optical or infrared reddening of starlight, or the extinction of a known background source. We compare two dust extinction measurements for a set of 15 sections in 13 nearby galaxies to determine the scale of the dusty interstellar medium (ISM) responsible for disk opacity: one using stellar reddening and the other a known background source. In our earlier papers, we presented extinction measurements of 29 galaxies, based on calibrated counts of distant background objects identified though foreground disks in Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images. For the 13 galaxies …


Accretion, Feedback And Galaxy Bimodality: A Comparison Of The Galics Semi-Analytic Model And Cosmological Sph Simulations, A Cattaneo, J Blaizot, Dh Weinberg, D Keres, S Colombi, R Dave, J Devriendt, B Guiderdoni, N Katz Jan 2007

Accretion, Feedback And Galaxy Bimodality: A Comparison Of The Galics Semi-Analytic Model And Cosmological Sph Simulations, A Cattaneo, J Blaizot, Dh Weinberg, D Keres, S Colombi, R Dave, J Devriendt, B Guiderdoni, N Katz

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We compare the galaxy population of a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation to those predicted by the GalICS (Galaxies In Cosmological Simulations) N-body + semi-analytic model and a stripped down version of GalICS that omits the effects of supernova and active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. The SPH simulation and the no-feedback GalICS model make similar predictions for the baryonic mass functions of galaxies and for the dependence of these mass functions on environment and redshift. The two methods also make similar predictions for the galaxy content of dark matter haloes as a function of halo mass and for the …


Variations In 24-Mu M Morphologies Among Galaxies In The Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey: New Insights Into The Hubble Sequence, Gj Bendo, D Calzetti, Cw Engelbracht, Rc Kennicutt, Mj Meyer, Md Thornley, F Walter, Da Dale, A Li, Ej Murphy Jan 2007

Variations In 24-Mu M Morphologies Among Galaxies In The Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey: New Insights Into The Hubble Sequence, Gj Bendo, D Calzetti, Cw Engelbracht, Rc Kennicutt, Mj Meyer, Md Thornley, F Walter, Da Dale, A Li, Ej Murphy

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

To study the distribution of star formation and dust emission within nearby galaxies, we measured five morphological parameters in the 3.6- and 24-μm wavebands for 65 galaxies in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS) and eight galaxies that were serendipitously observed by SINGS. The morphological parameters demonstrate strong variations along the Hubble sequence, including statistically significant differences between S0/a-Sab and Sc-Sd galaxies. Early-type galaxies are generally found to be compact, centralized, symmetric sources in the 24-μm band, while late-type galaxies are generally found to be extended, asymmetric sources. These results suggest that the processes that increase the real or …


The Calibration Of Mid-Infrared Star Formation Rate Indicators, D Calzetti, Rc Kennicutt, Cw Engelbracht, C Leitherer, Bt Draine, L Kewley, J Moustakas, M Sosey, Da Dale, Kd Gordon, Gx Helou, Dj Hollenbach, L Armus, G Bendo, C Bot, B Buckalew, T Jarrett, A Li, M Meyer, Ej Murphy, M Prescott, Mw Regan, Gh Rieke, H Roussel, K Sheth, Jdt Smith, Md Thornley, F Walter Jan 2007

The Calibration Of Mid-Infrared Star Formation Rate Indicators, D Calzetti, Rc Kennicutt, Cw Engelbracht, C Leitherer, Bt Draine, L Kewley, J Moustakas, M Sosey, Da Dale, Kd Gordon, Gx Helou, Dj Hollenbach, L Armus, G Bendo, C Bot, B Buckalew, T Jarrett, A Li, M Meyer, Ej Murphy, M Prescott, Mw Regan, Gh Rieke, H Roussel, K Sheth, Jdt Smith, Md Thornley, F Walter

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

With the goal of investigating the degree to which the MIR emission traces the SFR, we analyze Spitzer 8 and 24 μm data of star-forming regions in a sample of 33 nearby galaxies with available HST NICMOS images in the Paα (1.8756 μm) emission line. The galaxies are drawn from the SINGS sample and cover a range of morphologies and a factor ~10 in oxygen abundance. Published data on local low-metallicity starburst galaxies and LIRGs are also included in the analysis. Both the stellar continuum-subtracted 8 μm emission and the 24 μm emission correlate with the extinction-corrected Paα line emission, …


Star Formation In Ngc 5194 (M51a). Ii. The Spatially Resolved Star Formation Law, Rc Kennicutt, D Calzetti, F Walter, G Helou, Dj Hollenbach, L Armus, G Bendo, Da Dale, Bt Draine, Cw Engelbracht, Kd Gordon, Mkm Prescott, Mw Regan, Md Thornley, C Bot, E Brinks, E De Blok, D De Mello, M Meyer, J Moustakas, Ej Murphy, K Sheth, Jdt Smith Jan 2007

Star Formation In Ngc 5194 (M51a). Ii. The Spatially Resolved Star Formation Law, Rc Kennicutt, D Calzetti, F Walter, G Helou, Dj Hollenbach, L Armus, G Bendo, Da Dale, Bt Draine, Cw Engelbracht, Kd Gordon, Mkm Prescott, Mw Regan, Md Thornley, C Bot, E Brinks, E De Blok, D De Mello, M Meyer, J Moustakas, Ej Murphy, K Sheth, Jdt Smith

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We have studied the relationship between the star formation rate (SFR), surface density, and gas surface density in the spiral galaxy M51a (NGC 5194), using multiwavelength data obtained as part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS). We introduce a new SFR index based on a linear combination of Hα emission-line and 24 μm continuum luminosities, which provides reliable extinction-corrected ionizing fluxes and SFR densities over a wide range of dust attenuations. The combination of these extinction-corrected SFR densities with aperture synthesis H I and CO maps has allowed us to probe the form of the spatially resolved star …