Radio AGNs among Luminous Infrared Galaxies

An analysis of radio and FIR emission in over 1500IRAS selected galaxies produces a good linear correlationbetween radio and FIR luminosity, indicating that star formationin normal field galaxies dominates the infrared luminosityin the local volume. Galaxies with clear radio-excess (definedas having at least5 times larger radio flux over expected from FIR) are identified as hosting a radio AGN, and they account for onlyabout 1% of the whole sample. This fraction increases to 10% among themore luminous galaxies with L _1.4GHz 10²³ W Hz^-1 (equivalently L _60m 10¹¹ L), however. The characteristic mid-IR excess of a Seyfert nucleus is ubiquitously present amongthe radio-excess objects, suggesting that mid-IR excess isa robust tracer of an AGN despite the high mid-IR opacity.We conclude that about 30% of the luminous infrared galaxies(L _60m 10¹¹ L) host an AGN based on themid-IR excess, and about 40% of the mid-IR excess AGNs alsohost a radio AGN. A VLA imaging survey of a distance limited sample of IR luminousgalaxies has revealed the presence of 100 kpc scale giant radioplumes in 3 out of 9 cases (Mrk 231, Mrk 273, NGC 6240). Theirlarge spatial extent, energetics, and presence of a powerful AGN in each case suggests that an AGN is the power source. Such plumesare not detected in other ultraluminous infrared galaxies which lack clear evidence for an AGN, such as Arp 220.     

Enhanced Star Formation in Seyfert 2 Galaxies

In this paper, we report our preliminary results on enhanced star formation activity in Seyfert 2 galaxies. By re-analysing the Tully-Fisher relation for Whittle's (1992) sample and for a Seyfert 2s' sample selecting from Veron-Cetty and Veron (1996), we find that (1) almost all Seyfert 2 galaxies with circumnuclear star formation have a ratio of far infrared (FIR) to blue luminosities (L_FIR/L_B) to be larger than 1/3; (2) for Seyfert 2 galaxies with L_FIR/L_B > 1/3, the Tuly-Fisher relation is similar to that of the normal spiral galaxies; while for those with L_FIR/L_B ≥ 1/3, they are significantly different from the normal ones, which confirms Whittle's suggestion of enhanced star formation activities in the circumnuclear regions of these Seyfert 2 galaxies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Radio continuum and far-infrared emission from the galaxies in the Eridanus group

The Eridanus galaxies follow the well-known radio—FIR correlation. The majority (70%) of these galaxies have their star formation rates below that of the Milky Way. The galaxies that have a significant excess of radio emission are identified as low luminosity AGNs based on their radio morphologies obtained from the GMRT observations. There are no powerful AGNs (L _20cm > 10²³ W Hz⁻¹) in the group. The two most far-infrared and radio luminous galaxies in the group have optical and HI morphologies suggestive of recent tidal interactions. The Eridanus group also has two far-infrared luminous but radio-deficient galaxies. It is believed that these galaxies are observed within a few Myr of the onset of an intense star formation episode after being quiescent for at least a 100 Myr. The upper end of the radio luminosity distribution of the Eridanus galaxies (L _20cm ∼ 10²² W Hz⁻¹) is consistent with that of the field galaxies, other groups, and late-type galaxies in nearby clusters.     

Comparison of Star Formation Rate Estimates from Hα, FIR and Radio Data

We use three indicators of massive star formation, H_α, FIR and non-thermal radio luminosities, to compare estimates of the star formation rate (SFR) for a sample of 34 spiral galaxies. To adjust the SFR values obtained from these indicators, we considered the slope, α, and/or the upper mass limit M _up of the initial mass function (IMF) as free parameters. The best agreement between the indicators is found for M _up≈ 60-100 M⊙ and α ≈–3.1 at the high-mass end of the IMF (M>10 M⊙.Parallelwith the SFR we also estimated the FIR excess X _FIR, defined as the fraction of the observed FIR not directly related to young massive stars. X _FIR is found to be well correlated with types of spiral galaxies and their colours (B-V): the redder a galaxy, the higher its FIR excess. We conclude that for any parameters of the IMF the observed FIR flux of early-type spiral galaxies needs an additional source of energy apart from massive star radiation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Confirmation of radio absorption by the intergalactic medium

The conventional interpretation of the cosmic background radiation (CBR) as a relic of the Big Bang assumes that the intergalactic medium is highly transparent to radio frequency radiation. Previous work (Lerner, 1990) used the well-known correlation of IR and radio luminosities of spiral galaxies to test this assumption. That analysis, using 237 Shapley-Ames galaxies showed that radio luminosity (L _R ) for a given IR-luminosity, declines with distance, implying that the IGM strongly absorbs radio frequency radiation. That absorption has now been confirmed using a sample of 301 IR-bright galaxies. Using two independent methods of determining the correlation of IR and radio luminosities of spiral and interacting galaxies, the sample shows that for a givenL _IR ,L _R D ^{–0.32±0.04} over a range of distances from 0.7-300 Mpc. (H ₀ = 75 km s^–1 Mpc^–1). The correlation is significant at the 8 or 10^–14 level. Absorption by the IGM is the only reasonable explanation for this correlation. The existence of such absorption implies that neither the isotropy nor the spectrum of the CBR are primordial and that neither is evidence for a Big Bang.     

Multiwavelength study of 230 IRAS FSC galaxies

A sample of 230 galaxies has been compiled based on their IRAS FSC fluxes to study their multiwavelength properties and carry out comparative analyses with other similar samples. To understand the nature of these galaxies, a comparison with a sample of bright ULIRGs having fluxes at 60 μm fν > 1 Jy and 14 optically faint IRAS FSC galaxies is presented. This comparison shows that galaxies found by IRAS are not always strong infrared sources and that the objects from the sample of ULIRGs represent a sample of extreme galaxies, which are very powerful infrared sources. We have confirmed the consistency between Star Formation Rates (SFRs) calibrated based on luminosities of the PAH feature at 7.7 μm and radio 1.4 GHz flux densities. We have estimated the extinction for our 230 objects using SFRs calibrated from the PAH feature compared to ultraviolet flux, which shows that only 1% of the ultraviolet continuum typically escapes extinction by dust within a starburst.     

Normal galaxies in the all-sky survey by the eROSITA X-ray telescope of the Spectrum-X-Gamma observatory

We analyze the statistical properties of normal galaxies to be detected in the all-sky survey by the eROSITA X-ray telescope of the Spectrum-X-Gamma observatory. With the current configuration and parameters of the eROSITA telescope, the sensitivity of a 4-year-long all-sky survey will be ≈10^?14 erg s^?1 in the 0.5–2 keV band. This will allow ～(1.5–2) × 10⁴ normal galaxies with approximately the same contribution of star-forming and elliptical galaxies to be detected. All galaxies of the X-ray survey are expected to enter into the existing far-infrared (IRAS) or near-infrared (2MASS) catalogs; the sample of star-forming galaxies will be approximately equivalent in sensitivity to the sample of star-forming galaxies in the IRAS catalog of infrared sources. Thus, a large homogeneous sample of normal galaxies with measured X-ray, near-infrared, and far-infrared fluxes will be formed. About 90% of the galaxies in the survey are located within ～200–400 Mpc. A typical (most probable) galaxy will have a luminosity log L _X ～ 40.5–41.0, will be located at a distance of ～70–90 Mpc, and will be either a star-forming galaxy with a star formation rate of ～20M _⊙ yr^?1 whose X-ray emission is produced by ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) or an elliptical galaxy with amass log M _* ～ 11.3 emitting through to a hot interstellar gas. The galaxies within 35 Mpc will collectively contain ～10² ULXs with luminosities log L _X > 40, ～80% of whichwill be the only luminous source in the galaxy. Thus, although the angular resolution of the eROSITA telescope is too low for the luminosity function of compact sources in galaxies to be studied in detail, the survey data will allow one to investigate its bright end and, possibly, to impose constraints on the maximum luminosity of ULXs.     

Spectral study of BIG objects on the 2.6-m telescope at the Byurakan astrophysical observatory

Results of spectral observations of 45 objects from the BIG sample (corresponding to 35 IRAS sources) obtained on the 2.6-m telescope at the BAO are reported. Emission lines are observed for 42 galaxies, 1 object is an absorption galaxy, and 2 turned out to be stars. The red shifts are determined, the radial velocities, distances, sizes, and absolute stellar magnitudes are calculated, the parameters of the spectral lines are determined, the objects are classified according to their activity type, and the IR and far IR luminosities are calculated. Of the 42 emission galaxies, 1 was type Sy2, 2 were LINERs, 1 was an AGN (Sy2 or LINER), 4 were composite, 25 were HII (including 6 with nuclear star-formation activity), and 9 were Em of undetermined type (3 of which may be AGN). Calculations show that 23 of the objects are LIG. A physical coupling is discovered for 9 multiple systems. Spectra of some of the galaxies are shown. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 23–40 (February 2006).     

A sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

A sample of 2712 radio-luminous galaxies is defined from the second data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by cross-comparing the main spectroscopic galaxy sample with two radio surveys: the National Radio Astronomy Observatories (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) Sky Survey (NVSS) and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST) survey. The comparison is carried out in a multistage process and makes optimal use of both radio surveys by exploiting the sensitivity of the NVSS to extended and multicomponent radio sources in addition to the high angular resolution of the FIRST images. A radio source sample with 95 per cent completeness and 98.9 per cent reliability is achieved, far better than would be possible for this sample if only one of the surveys was used. The radio source sample is then divided into two classes: radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxies in which the radio emission is dominated by star formation. The division is based on the location of a galaxy in the plane of 4000-Å break strength versus radio luminosity per unit stellar mass and provides a sample of 2215 radio-loud AGN and 497 star-forming galaxies brighter than 5 mJy at 1.4 GHz. A full catalogue of positions and radio properties is provided for these sources. The local radio luminosity function is then derived both for radio-loud AGN and for star-forming galaxies and is found to be in agreement with previous studies. By using the radio to far-infrared (FIR) correlation, the radio luminosity function of star-forming galaxies is also compared to the luminosity function derived in the FIR. It is found to agree well at high luminosities but less so at lower luminosities, confirming that the linearity of the radio to FIR correlation breaks down below about 10²² W Hz⁻¹ at 1.4 GHz.     

Relationship between infrared and radio emission of spiral galaxies

The relationship between the IR luminosity of spiral galaxies in the 40-120 mm range and their radio luminosity at 0.408,1.49,2.38,5.0, and 10.7 GHz is investigated. At all frequencies there is a close correlation between the radio luminosity and the infrared luminosity of spiral galaxies. The slopes of the relationships between radio and IR luminosities are less than unity at all frequencies, but they differ little from it within the error limits. A close correlation also exists between the fluxes of radio and IR emission. The correlation coefficients are high for objects of all morphological subtypes, while the relationships between radio and IR luminosities are nearly linear. They are also nearly linear for spiral galaxies of different classes in the Byurakan classification. It is also shown that the correlation between radio and IR luminosities is weakened for high IR luminosities. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 33-44, January–March, 2000.     

Searching for X-Ray Luminous Starburst Galaxies

The existence or otherwise of X-ray luminous star-forming galaxies has been an open question since the era of the Einstein satellite. Various authors have claimed the discovery of X-ray luminous star-forming galaxies but in many cases more careful spectroscopic studies of these objects have shown that many of them are in fact obscured AGN. In order to investigate the possibility that such a class of galaxies do exist, we have carried out a cross-correlation between optical and IRAS samples of galaxies which are known to contain large numbers of star-forming galaxies and catalogues of sources detected in X-ray surveys. The selection criteria for the optical follow-up observations was based on their X-ray and infrared (IRAS) colours and their X-ray luminosities. We note that this sample is by no means complete or uniformly selected and hence cannot be used for statistical studies; nevertheless, confirmation of the existence of such a class of objects would be an important step and would require us to understand the physical process responsible for such powerful X-ray emission. We have initiated an optical spectroscopic survey in order to obtain accurate spectroscopic classifications for all the objects which are claimed to be starburst galaxies. Here we present preliminary results from this survey. We have discovered a number of starburst galaxies with X-ray luminosities above ～ 10⁴¹ erg s^-1 (for H ₀=50 km s^-1 Mpc^-1).We investigate possible origins for the X-ray emission in individual cases.     

Evidence for enhanced star formation in iras-detected markarian galaxies

The IR emission of 640 Markarian galaxies (MrkG), included in the IRAS Survey, is considered as an evidence for enhanced star formation rate (SFR) in these objects. About 73% of the MrkG have high far-infrared luminosities (ca. 10E + 44 erg s^–1) in 1–500 mcm IR spectral band. The distribution of log(f ₆₀/f ₁₀₀), peaked at about 45 K, shows that IRAS MrkGs have a tendency to extend the relationf ₆₀/f ₁₀₀ vsL _ir/L _bifor normal S glaxies. They emit up to hundred times more IR energy in 40–120 mcm band than in optics. The mean ratio log L _ir/L _b for 621 IRAS MrkG with known redshifts is 2.2.It is suggested that there are two IR emitting components in the IRAS MrkG - a warm one connected with the UV-fluxes of the newborn massive stars, re-radiated by dust, and a cool one, originated from the dust in galactic disks and heated by the general interstellar radiation field. The warm IR luminosities and warm IR fractions are determined on the basis of IR colour-colour diagrams(25/12),(60/25), and(100/60). The mean warm IR fraction for all Mrk IRAS detected galaxies with well-defined IR fluxes is 0.83 when the grain mass absorption coefficient model withn = 0.0 is used. The dust mass responsible for the IR flux at 60 mcm is derived to be about 10E + 5M , assuming the dust clouds are optically thin, and using the dust temperatureT _d 46 K (deduced from thef(60)/f(100) ratio). There is a relation betweenL _irandL _blwhich points out that the most IRAS MrkG have rather enhanced SFR.     

Far infrared emission from galaxies

Until recently far infrared (FIR) observations of galaxies were limited to about a dozen bright and/or active galaxies. New photometric data has become available from Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) on 33 galaxies (most of them faint) from IRAS Circular Nos. 1, 2, and 3 The FIR spectra of these galaxies are similar. The far infrared fluxF _FIR in the wavelength interval 9–118 m of the brighter galaxies is seen to be correlated with the integrated optical magnitudeB _T ⁰ . The 12 and 25 m fluxes of these galaxies exhibit the same dependence onB _T ⁰ as the 10 and 21 m fluxes from Seyferts and other emission-line galaxies. This suggests that the galaxies detected by IRAS are some type of active galaxies in accord with the high percentage of these galaxies predicted by Lock and Rowan-Robinson (1983).     

The radio–mid-infrared correlation and the contribution of 15-μm galaxies to the 1.4-GHz source counts

The radio counterparts to the 15-μm sources in the European Large Area ISO Survey southern fields are identified in 1.4-GHz maps down to ∼80 μJy. The radio–mid-infrared correlation is investigated and derived for the first time at these flux densities for a sample of this size. Our results show that radio and mid-infrared (MIR) luminosities correlate almost as well as radio and far-infrared (FIR), at least up to   z ≃ 0.6  . Using the derived relation and its spread together with the observed 15-μm counts, we have estimated the expected contribution of the 15-μm extragalactic populations to the radio source counts and the role of MIR starburst galaxies in the well-known 1.4-GHz source excess observed at sub-mJy levels. Our analysis demonstrates that IR emitting starburst galaxies do not contribute significantly to the 1.4-GHz counts for strong sources, but start to become a significant fraction of the radio source population at flux densities ≲0.5–0.8 mJy. They are expected to be responsible for more than 60 per cent of the observed radio counts at ≲0.05 mJy. These results are in agreement with the existing results on optical identifications of faint radio sources.     

Monsters and babies from the first / iras survey

Radio continuum emission at cm wavelengths is relatively little affectedby extinction. When combined with far-infrared (FIR) surveys thisprovides for a convenient and unbiased method to select (radio-loud)AGN and starbursts deeply embedded in gas and dust–rich galaxies. Suchradio-selected FIR samples are useful for detailed investigations ofthe complex relationships between (radio) galaxy and starburst activity, and to determine whether ULIRGs are powered by hidden quasars (monsters) or young stars (babies).We present the results of a large program to obtain identifications andspectra of radio-selected, optically faint IRAS/FSC objects using theFIRST/VLA 20 cm survey (Becker, White and Helfand 1995). These objects are all radio-`quiet' in the sense that their radiopower / FIR luminosities follow the well-known radio/FIR relationshipfor star forming galaxies.We compare these results to a previous study by our group of a sampleof radio-`loud' IRAS/FSC ULIRGs selected from the Texas 365 MHzsurvey (Douglas etal. 1996). Many of these objects alsoshow evidence for dominant, A-type stellar populations, as well as highionization lines usually associated with AGN. These radio-loud ULIRGshave properties intermediate between those of starbursts and quasars,suggesting a possible evolutionary connection.Deep Keck spectroscopic observations of three ULIRGs from these samplesare presented, including high signal-to-noise spectropolarimetry.The polarimetry observations failed to show evidence of a hidden quasar inpolarized (scattered) light in the two systems in which the stellar lightwas dominated by A-type stars. Although observations of a larger samplewould be needed to allow a general conclusion, our current data suggestthat a large fraction of ULIRGs may be powered by luminous starbursts,not by hidden, luminous AGN (quasars).     

Blue Compact Galaxies at Redshifts Z=0.2-1.3

We study the nature of faint blue compact galaxies (BCGs) at redshifts z ∼ 0.2 - 1.3 using Keck and HST. Despite being very luminous (L_B ∼ L^*), most distant BCGs have masses M ∼ 10¹⁰M_⊙, i.e., they are dwarf stellar systems. The majority of these galaxies have colors, sizes, surface brightnesses, luminosities, velocity widths, excitations, star formation rates (SFR), and mass-to-light ratios characteristic of the most luminous nearby HII galaxies. The more massive BCGs form a more heterogeneous class of evolved starburst, similar to local disk starburst galaxies. Without additional star formation, HII-like BCGs will most likely fade to resemble today's spheroidal galaxies such as NGC 205. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

HST imaging of radio galaxies at z=0.2: a comparison with quasar hosts and normal ellipticals

We summarise the results of our recently completed HST R-band study of low-redshift (0.1<z<0.25) FRII radio galaxies along with the host galaxies of quasars of similar redshifts. We find that, like radio galaxies, the hosts of radio-loud quasars and all but the least luminous radio-quiet quasars are massive elliptical galaxies with relatively large scalelengths (≃10 kpc) and luminosities (>2L*). Indeed the quasar hosts are essentially indistinguishable from the radio galaxies in our sample. Apart from the nuclear activity there is little to distinguish the AGN hosts from inactive massive elliptical galaxies.     

Relationship between Infrared and Radio Emission of Galaxies of the Liner Type

The relationships among the monochromatic luminosities at 0.408, 1.4, and 4.85 GHz and the integrated luminosity in the far-infrared (IR) range for galaxies of the liner type (galaxies with low-ionization, narrow-emission regions) are investigated. At all the frequencies there is a close correlation between radio luminosity and IR luminosity for liners. The character of the relationship between the radio and IR luminosities of spiral liners differs from that for spiral normal and spiral Seyfert galaxies. For the latter this relationship is linear in a wide radio range. For spiral liners it may have a nonlinear character. The scatter (standard deviation) around the regression line for the relationship between radio and IR luminosities is considerably larger for spiral liners. The ratio of the emission fluxes in the far-IR range and in the radio range is larger, on the average, for spiral liners than for normal and Seyfert spiral galaxies.     

Barred galaxies. IV. Comparative statistics on SB and SA galaxies in the radio and x-ray ranges

The radio and xray properties of spiral galaxies with and without a bar are discussed on the basis of complete samples that we have compiled. The two types of spirals are shown not to differ from one another in emission power in the two indicated ranges. In the case of SB galaxies, the luminosities in the IR, radio, and xray ranges are closely related. The spectral indices of SB and SA galaxies in the 1.4–5 GHz range are the same, on the average. In the case of barred galaxies, however, a definite dependence is observed between the spectral index and both the IR and × ray luminosities, i.e., the spectral index increases as both luminosities increase. It is assumed that this is caused by the bar itself, which stimulates star formation in a barred galaxy. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 41. No. 4, pp. 599–608, October–December, 1998.     

Some properties of the IR-radio relationship of luminous infrared galaxies

We present the results of radio continuum observations of 25 luminous IRAS galaxies at 3.95 GHz and discuss the correlation between the radio continuum and far-infrared (FIR) emission. We argue that the relationship between the radio and FIR emission is different in different galaxy scale structures. The FIR-radio correlation is much closer in the core region of the galaxy than in its disk region. While the FIR luminosity is independent of the FIR-to-radio ratio, the core radio luminosity of the galaxy decreases as this ratio increases.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 37, No. 3, 1994.