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Register a new userThe Mid-Infrared Spectral Energy Distribution, Surface Brightness and Color Profiles in Elliptical Galaxies
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We describe photometry at mid-infrared passbands (1.2 - 24 microns) for a sample of 18 elliptical galaxies. All surface brightness distributions resemble de Vaucouleurs profiles, indicating that most of the emission arises from the photospheres or circumstellar regions of red giant stars. The spectral energy distribution peaks near 1.6 microns, but the half-light or effective radius has a pronounced minimum near the K band (2.15 microns). Apart from the 24 micron passband, all sample-averaged radial color profiles have measurable slopes within about twice the (K band) effective radius. Evidently this variation arises because of an increase in stellar metallicity toward the galactic cores. For example, the sampled-averaged color profile (K - 5.8 microns) has a positive slope although no obvious absorption feature is observed in spectra of elliptical galaxies near 5.8 microns. This, and the minimum in the effective radius, suggests that the K band may be anomalously luminous in metal-rich stars in galaxy cores. Unusual radial color profiles involving the 24 micron passband may suggest that some 24 micron emission comes from interstellar not circumstellar dust grains.
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M32, the compact elliptical-galaxy companion to the Andromeda spiral galaxy has been imaged by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) in two ultraviolet bands, centered at ~1500 (FUV) and 2300 Angstroms (NUV). The imaging data have been carefully decomposed so as to properly account for the complicated background contamination from the disk of M31. We have derived the surface brightness and color profiles finding a slightly positive color gradient of Delta(FUV-B)/Delta log(r)=+0.15+/-0.03 within one effective radius. Earlier data from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope suggested that M32 had an extremely large (negative) FUV-optical color gradient (Delta(FUV-B)/Delta log(r)<-2), inverted with respect to the majority of gradients seen in giant elliptical galaxies. Our new results show that, despite of its very low UV-upturn, M32 has similar UV properties to those observed in luminous elliptical galaxies.
The mean ages of early-type galaxies obtained from the analysis of optical spectra, give a mean age of 8 Gyr at z = 0, with 40% being younger than 6 Gyr. Independent age determinations are possible by using infrared spectra (5-21 microns), which we have obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Observatory. This age indicator is based on the collective mass loss rate of stars, where mass loss from AGB stars produces a silicate emission feature at 9-12 microns. This feature decreases more rapidly than the shorter wavelength continuum as a stellar population ages, providing an age indicator. From observations of 30 nearby early-type galaxies, 29 show a spectral energy distribution dominated by stars and one has significant emission from the ISM and is excluded. The infrared age indicators for the 29 galaxies show them all to be old, with a mean age of about 10 Gyr and a standard deviation of only a few Gyr. This is consistent with the ages inferred from the values of M/L_B, but is inconsistent with the ages derived from the optical line indices, which can be much younger. All of these age indicators are luminosity-weighted and should be correlated, even if multiple-age components are considered. The inconsistency indicates that there is a significant problem with either the infrared and the M/L_B ages, which agree, or with the ages inferred from the optical absorption lines.
We made model fitting to the mid-to-far infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for different categories of galaxies in the main extragalactic field of the {it Spitzer} First Look Survey with the aid of spectroscopic information from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that the mid-to-far infrared SEDs of HII galaxies, mixture type galaxies and LINERs can be well fitted by the one-parameter ($alpha$) dust model of Dale et al. plus the 13 Gyr dust-free elliptical galaxy model. The statistics of $alpha$ values indicates that all these galaxies tend to be quiescent, although the HII galaxies are relatively more active than the LINERs. The mid-infrared SEDs of absorption galaxies are well fitted simply by the 13 Gyr dust-free elliptical galaxy template, and the near-to-mid infrared SEDs of QSOs can be represented by AGN NGC 5506.
The relationship between star formation and super-massive black hole growth is central to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. Hyper-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (HLIRGs) are unique laboratories to investigate the connection between starburst (SB) and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), since they exhibit extreme star formation rates, and most of them show evidence of harbouring powerful AGN. Our previous X-ray study of a sample of 14 HLIRGs shows that the X-ray emission of most HLIRGs is dominated by AGN activity. To improve our estimate of the relative contribution of the AGN and SB emission to its total bolometric output, we have built broad band spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for these HLIRGs, and we have fitted empirical AGN and SB templates to these SEDs. In broad terms, most sources are well fitted using this method, and we found AGN and SB contributions similar to those obtained by previous studies of HLIRGs. We have classified the HLIRGs SEDs in two groups, named class A and class B. Class A HLIRGs show a flat SED from the optical to the infrared energy range. Three out of seven class A sources can be modelled with a pure luminosity-dependent QSO template, while the rest of them require a type 1 AGN template and a SB template. The SB component is dominant in three out of four class A objects. Class B HLIRGs show SEDs with a prominent and broad IR bump. These sources can not trivially be modelled with a combination of pure AGN and pure SB, they require templates of composite objects, suggesting that >50% of their emission comes from stellar formation processes. We propose that our sample is actually composed by three different populations: very luminous QSO, young galaxies going through their maximal star formation period and the high luminosity tail of ULIRG population distribution.
We are using optical/IR surface brightness fluctuations (SBFs) to validate the latest stellar population synthesis models and to understand the stellar populations of ellipticals. Integrated light and spectra measure only the first moment of the stellar luminosity function (Sigma n_i * L_i). Since SBFs also depend on the second moment (Sigma n_i * L_i^2), they provide novel information, in particular about the reddest, most luminous RGB and AGB stars, which are the most difficult stars to model. SBFs can also provide useful new constraints on the age/metallicity of unresolved stellar populations in ellipticals. Finally, developing accurate stellar population models benefits several aspects of SBF distance measurements to galaxies.
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