Spitzer IRS low-resolution spectra for four candidate Seyfert 1-like objects from ULIRGs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and 6dF Galaxy Survey

In this paper we present the Spitzer IRS low-resolution observation for four candidates of Seyfert 1-like objects of ULIRGs from the SDSS-2dF-6dF sample. It is found that they are all real Seyfert 1-like objects because their infrared spectra are similar to that for Seyfert 1 source indicative of AGN nature, i.e. their spectra all show high-ionization lines of [NeV] at 14.32 μm and/or [SIV] at 10.51 μm in the mid-infrared. On the other hand, it is found that they also show PAH features at 6.2, 7.7, 8.6 and 11.25 μm indicative of star formation activity. In addition, it is found that they all show the silicate feature in absorption around 10 μm indicative of heavily material obscured these sources. Furthermore, some correlations among the far infrared colors, the line ratios, the equivalent widths (EWs) of PAH feature and the Silicate strengths are also discussed for these sources.     

The candidate Seyfert 1-like objects found from ULIRGs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and 6dF Galaxy Survey

The infrared properties of ULIRGs in samples from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and 6dF Galaxy Survey (SDSS-2dF-6dF Survey) and ULIRGs in the IRAS 1 Jy sample are compared. We find that the infrared properties are quite similar in both the far infrared and the near infrared for those two samples. By using the IRAS two-color diagram and the 2MASS two-color diagram we find that 24 sources in the SDSS-2dF-6dF Survey are candidate Seyfert 1-like sources indicative of strong AGN-dominant nature.     

Exploring the active galactic nucleus and starburst content of local ultraluminous infrared galaxies through 5–8 μm spectroscopy

We present a 5–8 μm analysis of the Spitzer spectra of 71 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with redshift   z < 0.15  , devoted to the study of the role of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and starbursts (SBs) as the power source of the extreme infrared emission. Around ∼5 μm, an AGN is much brighter (by a factor of ≈30) than an SB of equal bolometric luminosity. This allows us to detect the presence of even faint accretion-driven cores inside ULIRGs: signatures of AGN activity are found in ∼70 per cent of our sample (50/71 sources). Through a simple analytical model, we are also able to obtain a quantitative estimate of the AGN/SB contribution to the overall energy output of each source. Although the main fraction of ULIRG luminosity is confirmed to arise from star formation events, the AGN contribution is non-negligible (∼23 per cent) and is shown to increase with luminosity. The existence of a rather heterogeneous pattern in the composition and geometrical structure of the dust among ULIRGs is newly supported by the comparison between individual absorption features and continuum extinction.     

A quantitative determination of the AGN content in local ULIRGs through L-band spectroscopy

We present a quantitative estimate of the relative active galactic nucleus (AGN)/starburst content in a sample of 59 nearby  ( z < 0.15)  infrared bright ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) taken from the 1-Jy sample, based on infrared L -band (3–4 μm) spectra. By using diagnostic diagrams and a simple deconvolution model, we show that at least 60 per cent of local ULIRGs contain an active nucleus, but the AGN contribution to the bolometric luminosity is relevant only in  ∼15–20  per cent of the sources. Overall, ULIRGs appear to be powered by the starburst process, responsible for >85 per cent of the observed infrared luminosity. The subsample of sources optically classified as low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs; 31 objects) shows a similar AGN/starburst distribution as the whole sample, indicating a composite nature for this class of objects. We also show that a few ULIRGs, optically classified as starbursts, have L -band spectral features suggesting the presence of a buried AGN.     

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).     

Dense molecular gas in a sample of LIRGs and ULIRGs: The low-redshift connection to the huge high-redshift starbursts and AGNs

The sample of nearby LIRGs and ULIRGs for which dense molecular gas tracers have been measured is building up, allowing for the study of the physical and chemical properties of the gas in the variety of objects in which the most intense star formation and/or AGN activity in the local universe is taking place. This characterisation is essential to understand the processes involved, discard others and help to interpret the powerful starbursts and AGNs at high redshift that are currently being discovered and that will routinely be mapped by ALMA. We have studied the properties of the dense molecular gas in a sample of 17 nearby LIRGs and ULIRGs through millimeter observations of several molecules (HCO⁺, HCN, CN, HNC and CS) that trace different physical and chemical conditions of the dense gas in these extreme objects. In this paper we present the results of our HCO⁺ and HCN observations. We conclude that the very large range of measured line luminosity ratios for these two molecules severely questions the use of a unique molecular tracer to derive the dense gas mass in these galaxies.     

Soft X-ray properties of Ultraluminous IRAS Galaxies

A sample of 323 Ultraluminous IRAS galaxies (ULIRGs) has been correlatedwith the ROSAT All-Sky Survey and ROSAT public pointed observations.22 objects are detected in ROSAT survey observations, and 6 ULIRGs aredetected in addition in ROSAT public pointed observations. The detection is basedon a visual inspection of the X-ray contour maps overlaid on optical imagesof ULIRGs taken from the Digitized Sky Survey.Simple power law fits were used to compute the absorption-correctedfluxes of the ROSAT detected ULIRGs. The ratio of the soft X-ray flux to thefar-infrared luminosity is used to estimate the contributionfrom starburst and AGN emitting processes. These results are comparedwith the ISO SWS ULIRG diagnostic diagram.     

Dust attenuation in starburst galaxies determined by measuring the dependence of the optical color indices on galaxy inclination

We use optical color indices (colors) from the SDSS database to study the effect of dust in starburst galaxies by mea‐suring the dependence of colors on galaxy inclination. Starburst galaxies with ongoing star formation, are rich with metals/dust and are, therefore, an excellent objects for studying the effect of dust in galaxies. They are selected using the [O III ]λ 5007/Hα vs. [N II ]λ 6584/Hβ diagram, that is, the BPT‐diagram. We use Kauffmann's empirical demarcation line in the BPT‐diagram to exclude galaxies with active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the sample because they have different physical and dust properties from normal galaxies. The sample is divided into bins according to galaxy stellar mass and 4000 Å break (which is a coarse measure of a galaxy star formation history; SFH) and the reddening with inclination is studied as a function of these two physical parameters. Assuming that the dust effect is negligible in the SDSS z ‐band, we derive the attenuation curves for these galaxies. We fit the attenuation curves with a simple power law and use power law index to interpret the relative distribution of dust and stars in the starburst galaxies (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

HST/WFPC2 imaging of the QDOT ultraluminous infrared galaxy sample

We present HST WFPC2 V -band imaging for 23 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) taken from the QDOT redshift survey. The fraction of sources observed to be interacting is 87 per cent. Most of the merging systems show a number of compact 'knots', whose colour and brightness differ substantially from their immediate surroundings. Colour maps for nine of the objects show a non-uniform colour structure. Features include blue regions located towards the centres of merging systems which are likely to be areas of enhanced star formation, and compact red regions which are likely to be dust shrouded starbursts or active galactic nuclei. The host galaxies of the quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) in the sample were found to be either interacting systems or ellipticals. Our data show no evidence that ULIRGs are a simple transition stage between galaxy mergers and QSOs. We propose an alternative model for ULIRGs based on the morphologies in our sample and previous N -body simulations. Under this model ULIRGs as a class are much more diverse than a simple transition between galaxy merger and QSO. The evolution of IR power source and merger morphology in ULIRGs is driven solely by the local environment and the morphologies of the merger progenitors.     

A new infrared photometric study of hydrogen-deficient carbon stars,R CrB stars and extreme helium stars in our galaxy

We have collected almost all HdC, RCB and EHe stars up to date to investigate their infrared properties, in particular, their radiation mechanisms in the infrared, using the observational data from 2MASS, WISE and IRAS missions. Because HdC stars, RCB stars and EHe stars all belong to the category of extremely hydrogen-deficient stars and they definitely have some evolutionary connections.It is found from this paper that all RCB stars have infrared excesse in the wavelength region from the near infrared to the far infrared covered by 2MASS, WISE and IRAS due to dust while almost all HdC stars and EHe stars have no or little infrared excess.From 2MASS, WISE and IRAS two-color diagrams, it is also found that the majority of these three kinds of stars are around the power law distributions in the near infrared possibly indicative of their infrared radiations from the warm dust in the disk-like envelope. It is also found that in the mid- and far infrared regions some stars are around the power law distribution perhaps due to dust from disk-like envelope while some stars are around the blackbody distribution maybe due to the cold and extended nebulosity nearby.     

2MASS and WISE data analysis of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars

We collected almost all Galactic Wolf-Rayet (hereafter WR) stars found so far from the literature. 578 WR stars are gathered in this paper. 2MASS counterparts with good quality magnitudes in all JHK bands are listed for 364 WR stars. In addition, WISE counterparts for these sources are also identified. It is found that free-free emission is the main dominant source for the infrared excess in most WR stars up to 3.4 μm. However at the longer wavelengths the thermal radiation is dominant. In addition, WR stars in Clusters of the Galactic center region have the strong infrared excess in the near infrared due to the dust thermal emission from the strong star forming activity in the Galactic center region. For some WR stars with the WC spectral type, in particular, with WCd type, the dust thermal emission is important radiation source while many WR stars with the WC spectral type have the near infrared flux enhancement from the broad line emission in the K band. It is also shown that many single WC stars with different spectral sub-types have different locations in the near infrared two-color diagram, in particular, WC6 and WC9d stars can be separated respectively from other spectral type stars while single WN stars with different spectral sub-types can not be separated in the near infrared two-color diagram.     

Confirming a population of hot-dust dominated, star-forming, ultraluminous galaxies at high redshift

We identify eight   z > 1  radio sources undetected at 850 μm but robustly detected at 70 μm, confirming that they represent ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) with hotter dust temperatures  (〈 T _d〉= 52 ± 10 K)  than submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) at similar luminosities and redshifts. These galaxies share many properties with SMGs: ultraviolet spectra consistent with starbursts, high stellar masses and radio luminosities. We can attribute their radio emission to star formation since high-resolution Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) radio maps show extended emission regions (with characteristic radii of 2–3 kpc), which are unlikely to be generated by active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. These observations provide the first direct confirmation of hot, dusty ULIRGs which are missed by current submillimetre surveys. They have significant implications for future observations from the Herschel Space Observatory and Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA2), which will select high-redshift luminous galaxies with less selection biases.     

A review of diagnostic emission line ratios in the Narrow Line Region of Active Galactic Nuclei

The availability of new observing facilities both from ground and space such as the Keck 10m telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope is casting new light on the spectroscopic investigation of emission line galaxies. In particular, it is now possible to detect spectra with a significantly improved signal to noise ratio in a very wide wavelength range, from the ultraviolet to the near infrared (HST, Keck) and beyond (ISO is unveiling the far infrared domain). As we move to high redshifts, however, it is more likely that the observed spectra are given by the contribution of different components in the galaxy: in particular, this may be the case if an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN hereafter) emitting a power-law continuum is surrounded by regions with strong star formation activity. The identification of the source which ionizes the line emitting regions is then complicated by the fact that we are observing the integrated spectrum from regions which are ionized by different sources. In this paper we wish to review which line ratios may be used in order to discriminate between photoionization by young stars and power-law continuum in the wavelength range from 1200 Å to 100 μm. To this aim we used the photoionization code Cloudy (Ferland 1996) to present a series of diagnostic diagrams showing the dependence of emission line ratios on the main input parameters of photoionization models in the case of one component models with gaseous clouds ionized by (1) a stellar continuum typical of an HII region and (2) a power-law continuum typical of an AGN: these line ratios are plotted as isoratio maps for different values of the hydrogen density, ionization parameter and slope of the power-law continuum. We then show how the results may be affected by more realistic assumptions about the environment of the ionized gas: to this aim, we show the effects on selected line ratios of (a) the presence of two populations of clouds with different densities and (b) an AGN surrounded by regions with strong star formation activity.     

Star formation in southern Seyfert galaxies

We have produced radio maps, using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, of the central regions of six southern type 2 Seyfert galaxies (NGC 1365, 4945, 6221, 6810, 7582 and Circinus) with circumnuclear star formation, to estimate the relative contribution of star formation activity compared to activity from the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The radio morphologies range from extended diffuse structures to compact nuclear emission, with no evidence, even in the relatively compact sources, for synchrotron self-absorption. In each case the radio to far-infrared (FIR) ratio has a value consistent with star formation, and in all but one case the radio to [Fe  II ] ratio is also consistent with star formation. We derive supernova rates and conclude that, despite the presence of a Seyfert nucleus in these galaxies, the radio, FIR and [Fe  II ] line emissions are dominated by processes associated with the circumnuclear star formation (i.e. supernova remnants and H  II regions) rather than with the AGN.     

Substructures in hydrodynamical cluster simulations

We present predictions for the abundance and nature of extremely red objects (EROs) in the Λ cold dark matter model. EROs are red, massive galaxies observed at   z ≥ 1  and their numbers and properties pose a challenge to hierarchical galaxy formation models. We compare the predictions from two published models, one of which invokes a 'superwind' to regulate star formation in massive haloes and the other which suppresses gas cooling in haloes through 'radio-mode' active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. The superwind model underestimates the number counts of EROs by an order of magnitude, whereas the radio-mode AGN feedback model gives excellent agreement with the number counts and redshift distribution of EROs. In the AGN feedback model the ERO population is dominated by old, passively evolving galaxies, whereas observations favour an equal split between old galaxies and dusty starbursts. Also, the model predicts a more extended redshift distribution of passive galaxies than is observed. These comparisons suggest that star formation may be quenched too efficiently in this model.     

2Mass Observation Of Infrared Quasars

The 2MASS observation of the infrared quasars (IR QSOs) known so far is presented in this paper. Compared with the optical selected quasars, infrared quasars are more dust-enshrouded and have redder colors and steeper spectral indices in the near infrared. In consequence, they are much younger than the optical selected quasars. The result may be helpful to the suggestion that the evolution links could be the ULIRGs - > the IR QSOs - > the optical selected quasars. This publication makes use of data products from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), which is a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation of the United States.     

On the Carbon—Star Status of Five Stars in a New Carbon Star Catalog

We find that five sources listed in the new carbon star catalog are not really carbon-rich objects but oxygen-rich stars, because they all have the prominent 10μm silicate features in absorption and the 1612MHz OH maser emission or/and the SiO molecular features. These objects were considered as carbon stars in the catalog based only on their locations in the infrared two-color diagram. Therefore to use the infrared two-color diagram to distinguish carbon-rich stars from oxygenrich stars must be done with caution, because, in general, it has only a statistical meaning.     

Luminous infrared galaxies with the submillimeter array: probing the extremes of star formation

Luminous and Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) contain the most intense regions of star formation in the local universe. Because molecular gas is the fuel for current and future star formation, the physical properties and distribution of the warm, dense molecular gas are key components for understanding the processes and timescales controlling star formation in these merger and merger remnant galaxies. We present new results from a legacy project on the Submillimeter Array which is producing high resolution images of a representative sample of galaxies with log L _FIR >11.4 and D<200 Mpc.     

Recombination lines and free‐free continua formed in asymptotic ionized winds: Analytic solution for the radiative transfer

In dense hot star winds, the infrared and radio continua are dominated by free‐free opacity and recombination emission line spectra. In the case of a spherically symmetric outflow that is isothermal and expanding at constant radial speed, the radiative transfer for the continuum emission from a dense wind is analytic. Even the emission profile shape for a recombination line can be derived. Key to these derivations is that the opacity scales with only the square of the density. These results are well‐known. Here an extension of the derivation is developed that also allows for line blends and the inclusion of an additional power‐law dependence beyond just the density dependence. The additional power‐law is promoted as a representation of a radius dependent clumping factor. It is shown that differences in the line widths and equivalent widths of the emission lines depend on the steepness of the clumping power‐law. Assuming relative level populations in LTE in the upper levels of He II, an illustrative application of the model to Spitzer/IRS spectral data of the carbon‐rich star WR 90 is given (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

VLT-SINFONI observations of Mrk 609 – A showcase for X-ray active galaxies chosen from a sample of AGN suitable for adaptive optics observations with natural guide stars

We will present first results of ESO-VLT AO-assisted integral-field spectroscopy of a sample of X-ray bright AGN with redshifts of 0.04 < z < 1. We constructed this sample by cross-correlating the SDSS and ROSAT surveys and utilizing typical AO constraints. This sample allows for a detailed study of the NIR properties of the nuclear and host environments with high spectral resolution on the 100 pc scale. These objects can then be compared directly to the local (z < 0.01) galaxy populations (observed without AO) at the same linear scale. As a current example, we will present observations of the z = 0.034 Seyfert 1.8 galaxy Mrk 609 with the new AO-assisted integral-field spectrometer SINFONI at the VLT. The successful observations show, that in the future – while having observed more objects – we will be able to determine the presence, frequency and importance of nuclear bars and/or circum-nuclear star forming rings in these objects and address the question of how these X-ray luminous AGN and their hosts are linked to optically/UV-bright QSOs, low-z QSOs/radio galaxies, or ULIRGs.