scholarly journals Stellar populations and physical properties of starbursts in the antennae galaxy from self-consistent modelling of MUSE spectra

2020 ◽  
Vol 497 (3) ◽  
pp. 3860-3895
Author(s):  
M L P Gunawardhana ◽  
J Brinchmann ◽  
P M Weilbacher ◽  
P Norberg ◽  
A Monreal-Ibero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Emission Line ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Self Consistent ◽  
Spectrum Fitting ◽  
Overlap Region

ABSTRACT We have modelled the stellar and nebular continua and emission-line intensity ratios of massive stellar populations in the Antennae galaxy using high resolution and self-consistent libraries of model H ii regions around central clusters of ageing stars. The model libraries are constructed using the stellar population synthesis code, starburst99, and photoionization model, and cloudy. The Geneva and PARSEC stellar evolutionary models are plugged into starburst99 to allow comparison between the two models. Using a spectrum-fitting methodology that allows the spectral features in the stellar and nebular continua [e.g. Wolf–Rayet (WR) features, Paschen jump], and emission-line diagnostics to constrain the models, we apply the libraries to the high-resolution Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer spectra of the starbursting regions in the Antennae galaxy. Through this approach, we were able to model the continuum emission from WR stars and extract stellar and gas metallicities, ages, electron temperatures, and densities of starbursts by exploiting the full spectrum. From the application to the Antennae galaxy, we find that (1) the starbursts in the Antennae galaxy are characterized by stellar and gas metallicities of around solar, (2) the star-forming gas in starbursts in the Western loop of NGC 4038 appears to be more enriched, albeit slightly, than the rest of galaxy, (3) the youngest starbursts are found across the overlap region and over parts of the western-loop, though in comparison, the regions in the western-loop appear to be at a slightly later stage in star formation than the overlap region, and (4) the results obtained from fitting the Geneva and Parsec models are largely consistent.

scholarly journals On the precision of full-spectrum fitting of simple stellar populations – II. The dependence on star cluster mass in the wavelength range 0.3–5.0 µm

2020 ◽  
Vol 501 (1) ◽  
pp. 440-466
Author(s):  
Paul Goudfrooij ◽  
Randa S Asa’d
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Mass Range ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Cluster Mass ◽  
Spectrum Fitting

ABSTRACT In this second paper of a series on the accuracy and precision of the determination of age and metallicity of simple stellar populations (SSPs) by means of the full-spectrum fitting technique, we study the influence of star cluster mass through stochastic fluctuations of the number of stars near the top of the stellar mass function, which dominate the flux in certain wavelength regimes depending on the age. We consider SSP models based on the Padova isochrones, spanning the age range $7.0 \le \mbox{log(age/yr}) \le 10.1$. Simulated spectra of star clusters in the mass range 104 ≤ M/M⊙ < 106 are compared with SSP model spectra to determine best-fitting ages and metallicities using a full-spectrum fitting routine in four wavelength regimes: the blue optical (0.35–0.70 µm), the red optical (0.6–1.0 µm), the near-infrared (near-IR; 1.0–2.5 µm), and the mid-IR (2.5–5.0 µm). We compare the power of each wavelength regime in terms of both the overall precision of age and metallicity determination and its dependence on cluster mass. We also study the relevance of spectral resolution in this context by utilizing two different spectral libraries (BaSeL and BT-Settl). We highlight the power of the mid-IR regime in terms of identifying young massive clusters in dusty star-forming regions in distant galaxies. The spectra of the simulated star clusters and SSPs are made available online to enable follow-up studies by the community.

scholarly journals On the precision of full-spectrum fitting of simple stellar populations – I. Well-sampled populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (2) ◽  
pp. 2814-2832
Author(s):  
Randa Asa’d ◽  
Paul Goudfrooij
Keyword(s):  
Random Noise ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Asymptotic Giant Branch ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Red Giant ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Spectrum Fitting ◽  
Giant Branch Stars

ABSTRACT We investigate the precision of the ages and metallicities of 21 000 mock simple stellar populations (SSPs) determined through full-spectrum fitting. The mock SSPs cover an age range of 6.8 < log (age/yr) < 10.2, for three wavelength ranges in the optical regime, using both Padova and MIST isochrone models. Random noise is added to the model spectra to achieve S/N ratios between 10 and 100 per wavelength pixel. We find that for S/N ≥ 50, this technique can yield ages of SSPs to an overall precision of ∆log (age/yr)∼01 for ages in the ranges 7.0 ≤ log (age/yr) ≤ 8.3 and 8.9 ≤ log (age/yr) ≤ 9.4. For the age ranges of 8.3 ≤ log (age/yr) ≤ 8.9 and log (age/yr) ≥ 9.5, which have significant flux contributions from asymptotic giant branch and red giant branch stars, respectively, the age uncertainty rises to about ±0.3 dex. The precision of age and metallicity estimation using this method depends significantly on the S/N and the wavelength range used in the fitting. We quantify the systematic differences in age predicted by the MIST and Padova isochrone models, due to their different assumptions about stellar physics in various important (i.e. luminous) phases of stellar evolution, which needs to be taken in consideration when comparing ages of star clusters obtained using these popular models. Knowing the strengths and limitations of this technique is crucial in interpreting the results obtained for real star clusters and for deciding the optimal instrument set-up before performing the observations.

scholarly journals Planetary Nebulae in Local Group Galaxies

1983 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 443-460
Author(s):  
Holland C. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Local Group ◽  
Planetary Nebulae ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Helium Abundance ◽  
Abundance Gradient ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Ic 10 ◽  
Ngc 6822

Recent surveys for planetary nebulae have given the first identifications in Fornax, NGC 6822, M33, IC 10, Leo A, Sextans A, Pegasus, WLM, NGC 404, and M81, and extended the identifications in the SMC, the LMC, and M31. Observations of planetaries have established chemical compositions in old or intermediate age populations in 8 Local Group galaxies. The chemical compositions show that i) the helium abundance is higher in planetary nebulae than in H II regions in the same galaxy, and ii) nitrogen is overabundant relative to H II regions by factors of 4 to 100. Planetary nebulae are not a major source of helium in star-forming galaxies, and are a major source of nitrogen. The planetary in Fornax has a relatively high O abundance, and, together with Fornax's carbon stars, establishes the presence of at least 2 stellar populations. The abundance gradient derived from 3 planetaries in M31 is very shallow, and gives high abundances at ~ 20 kpc. By using planetary nebulae as standard candles, upper and lower distance limits have been set for 10 Local Group candidates, and a new distance estimated for M81.

scholarly journals Small Galactic Nebulae

1987 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 191-192
Author(s):  
Yervant Terzian ◽  
Kenneth C. Turner
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Planetary Nebula ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Radio Observations ◽  
Cluster Emission ◽  
Active Star ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Cometary Nebula ◽  
Significant Flux

We have performed high resolution VLA radio observations for several small H II regions, including the cluster emission nebulae S258, S255, S257, and S256. The region (PP56) between S255 and S257 at λ2 cm reveals significant flux structure close to OH, H2O and infrared emitting sources as shown in Figure 1. The flux densities and positions are indicated in Table 1. Observations of the cometary nebula PP59 (S269) also reveal similar characteristics as shown in Figure 2. These regions are considered to be active star-forming clouds. The cometary nebula PP40 was also observed and we note that its physical parameters are very similar to those of a typical planetary nebula.

scholarly journals Image Digitisation of Outflows and the AAO/UKST Hα Survey

1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-166
Author(s):  
W. J. Zealey ◽  
S. L. Mader
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Emission Line ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
High Resolution Images ◽  
Line Survey

AbstractThe Hα emission-line survey of the Southern Sky to be carried out by the AAO/UKST will provide deep, high resolution images of Galactic Plane sources allowing the detection of new and existing filamentary sources such as Herbig–Haro objects. Used in conjunction with the existing ESO/SERC Southern Sky Survey Plates, the Hα plates will provide us with the opportunity to study the morphology and environment of new and existing star forming regions.

scholarly journals Resolving a dusty, star-forming SHiZELS galaxy at z = 2.2 with HST, ALMA and SINFONI on kiloparsec scales

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R K Cochrane ◽  
P N Best ◽  
I Smail ◽  
E Ibar ◽  
C Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Emission Line ◽  
Rest Frame ◽  
Far Infrared ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Alpha Emission ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Dust Distribution

Abstract We present ∼0.15″ spatial resolution imaging of SHiZELS-14, a massive ($M_{*}\sim 10^{11}\, \rm {M_{\odot }}$), dusty, star-forming galaxy at z = 2.24. Our rest-frame $\sim 1\, \rm {kpc}$-scale, matched-resolution data comprise four different widely used tracers of star formation: the $\rm {H}\alpha$ emission line (from SINFONI/VLT), rest-frame UV continuum (from HST F606W imaging), the rest-frame far-infrared (from ALMA), and the radio continuum (from JVLA). Although originally identified by its modest $\rm {H}\alpha$ emission line flux, SHiZELS-14 appears to be a vigorously star-forming ($\rm {SFR}\sim 1000\, \rm {M_{\odot }\, yr^{-1}}$) example of a submillimeter galaxy, probably undergoing a merger. SHiZELS-14 displays a compact, dusty central starburst, as well as extended emission in $\rm {H}\alpha$ and the rest-frame optical and FIR. The UV emission is spatially offset from the peak of the dust continuum emission, and appears to trace holes in the dust distribution. We find that the dust attenuation varies across the spatial extent of the galaxy, reaching a peak of at least AHα ∼ 5 in the most dusty regions, although the extinction in the central starburst is likely to be much higher. Global star-formation rates inferred using standard calibrations for the different tracers vary from $\sim 10\!-\!1000\, \rm {M_{\odot }\, yr^{-1}}$, and are particularly discrepant in the galaxy’s dusty centre. This galaxy highlights the biased view of the evolution of star-forming galaxies provided by shorter wavelength data.

scholarly journals SDSS-IV MaNGA: spatially resolved dust attenuation in spiral galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (2) ◽  
pp. 2305-2320
Author(s):  
Michael J Greener ◽  
Alfonso Aragón-Salamanca ◽  
Michael R Merrifield ◽  
Thomas G Peterken ◽  
Amelia Fraser-McKelvie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Spiral Galaxies ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Radial Profiles ◽  
Dust Attenuation

ABSTRACT Dust attenuation in star-forming spiral galaxies affects stars and gas in different ways due to local variations in dust geometry. We present spatially resolved measurements of dust attenuation for a sample of 232 such star-forming spiral galaxies, derived from spectra acquired by the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey. The dust attenuation affecting the stellar populations of these galaxies (obtained using full spectrum stellar population fitting methods) is compared with the dust attenuation in the gas (derived from the Balmer decrement). Both of these attenuation measures increase for local regions of galaxies with higher star formation rates; the dust attenuation affecting the stellar populations increases more so than the dust attenuation in the gas, causing the ratio of the dust attenuation affecting the stellar populations to the dust attenuation in the gas to decrease for local regions of galaxies with higher star formation rate densities. No systematic difference is discernible in any of these dust attenuation quantities between the spiral arm and interarm regions of the galaxies. While both the dust attenuation in the gas and the dust attenuation affecting the stellar populations decrease with galactocentric radius, the ratio of the two quantities does not vary with radius. This ratio does, however, decrease systematically as the stellar mass of the galaxy increases. Analysis of the radial profiles of the two dust attenuation measures suggests that there is a disproportionately high concentration of birth clouds (incorporating gas, young stars, and clumpy dust) nearer to the centres of star-forming spiral galaxies.

The diagnostic power of radio spectra from star-forming galaxies

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S341) ◽  
pp. 177-186
Author(s):  
Eric J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Microwave Emission ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
H Ii Regions ◽  
Synchrotron Emission ◽  
Very Large Array ◽  
Star Forming

AbstractRadio continuum emission from galaxies is powered by a combination of distinct physical processes, each providing unique diagnostic information. Over frequencies spanning ∼ 1–120 GHz, radio spectra of star-forming galaxies are primarily comprised of: (1) non-thermal synchrotron emission powered by accelerated cosmic-ray electrons/positrons; (2) free-free emission from young massive star-forming (H ii) regions; (3) anomalous microwave emission, which is a dominant, but completely unconstrained, foreground in cosmic microwave background experiments; and (4) cold, thermal dust emission that accounts for most of the dust and total mass content in the interstellar medium in galaxies. In this proceeding, we discuss these key energetic processes that contribute to the radio emission from star-forming galaxies, with an emphasis on frequencies ≳30 GHz, where current investigations of star formation within nearby galaxies show that the free-free emission begins to dominate over non-thermal synchrotron emission. We also discuss how planned radio facilities that will access these frequencies, such as a next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), will be transformative to our understanding of the star formation process in galaxies.

scholarly journals The MOSDEF-LRIS Survey: The Interplay Between Massive Stars and Ionized Gas in High-Redshift Star-Forming Galaxies1

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W Topping ◽  
Alice E Shapley ◽  
Naveen A Reddy ◽  
Ryan L Sanders ◽  
Alison L Coil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emission Line ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
High Redshift Galaxies ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Composite Spectra ◽  
Local Sequence ◽  
Ionization Parameter

Abstract We present a joint analysis of rest-UV and rest-optical spectra obtained using Keck/LRIS and Keck/MOSFIRE for a sample of 62 star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2.3. We divide our sample into two bins based on their location in the [OIII]5007/Hβ vs. [NII]6584/Hα BPT diagram, and perform the first differential study of the rest-UV properties of massive ionizing stars as a function of rest-optical emission-line ratios. Fitting BPASS stellar population synthesis models, including nebular continuum emission, to our rest-UV composite spectra, we find that high-redshift galaxies offset towards higher [OIII]λ5007/Hβ and [NII]λ6584/Hα have younger ages ($\log (\textrm {~Age/yr})=7.20^{+0.57}_{-0.20}$) and lower stellar metallicities ($Z_*=0.0010^{+0.0011}_{-0.0003}$) resulting in a harder ionizing spectrum, compared to the galaxies in our sample that lie on the local BPT star-forming sequence ($\log (\textrm {Age/yr})=8.57^{+0.88}_{-0.84}$, $Z_*=0.0019^{+0.0006}_{-0.0006}$). Additionally, we find that the offset galaxies have an ionization parameter of $\log (U)=-3.04^{+0.06}_{-0.11}$ and nebular metallicity of ($12+\log (\textrm {~O/H})=8.40^{+0.06}_{-0.07}$), and the non-offset galaxies have an ionization parameter of $\log (U)=-3.11^{+0.08}_{-0.08}$ and nebular metallicity of $12+\log (\textrm {~O/H})=8.30^{+0.05}_{-0.06}$. The stellar and nebular metallicities derived for our sample imply that the galaxies offset from the local BPT relation are more α-enhanced ($7.28^{+2.52}_{-2.82}\textrm {~O/Fe}_{\odot }$) compared to those consistent with the local sequence ($3.04^{+0.95}_{-0.54}\textrm {~O/Fe}_{\odot }$). However, even galaxies that are entirely consistent with the local nebular excitation sequence appear to be α-enhanced – in contrast with typical local systems. Such differences must be considered when estimating gas-phase oxygen abundances at high redshift based on strong emission-line ratios. Specifically, a similarity in the location of high-redshift and local galaxies in the BPT diagram may not be indicative of a similarity in their physical properties.

scholarly journals High-resolution, 3D radiative transfer modeling of M51

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (S309) ◽  
pp. 310-310
Author(s):  
Ilse De Looze ◽  
Jacopo Fritz ◽  
Maarten Baes ◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Local Character ◽  
Stellar Radiation ◽  
The Face ◽  
A New Technique

AbstractWe present a new technique developed to model the radiative transfer (RT) effects in nearby face-on galaxies. The face-on perspective provides insight into the star-forming regions and clumpy structure, imposing the need for high-resolution 3D models to recover the asymmetric stellar and dust geometries observed in galaxies. RT modeling of the continuum emission of stars and its interaction with the embedding dust in a galaxy's interstellar medium enables a self-consistent study of the main dust heating mechanisms in galaxies. The main advantage of RT calculations is the non-local character of dust heating that can be addressed by tracing the propagation of stellar radiation through the dusty galaxy medium.

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