[abridged] We use the latest release of CIGALE, a galaxy SED fitting model relying on energy balance, to study the influence of an AGN in estimating both the SFR and stellar mass in galaxies, as well as the contribution of the AGN to the power output
of the host. Using the galaxy formation SAM GALFORM, we create mock galaxy SEDs using realistic star formation histories (SFH) and add an AGN of Type 1, Type 2, or intermediate type whose contribution to the bolometric luminosity can be variable. We perform an SED fitting of these catalogues with CIGALE assuming three different SFHs: a single- and double-exponentially-decreasing, and a delayed SFH. Constraining thecontribution of an AGN to the LIR (fracAGN) is very challenging for fracAGN<20%, with uncertainties of ~5-30% for higher fractions depending on the AGN type, while FIR and sub-mm are essential. The AGN power has an impact on the estimation of $M_*$ in Type 1 and intermediate type AGNs but has no effect for galaxies hosting Type 2 AGNs. We find that in the absence of AGN emission, the best estimates of $M_*$ are obtained using the double-exponentially-decreasing model but at the expense of realistic ages of the stellar population. The delayed SFH model provides good estimates of $M_*$ and SFR, with a maximum offset of 10% as well as better estimates of the age. Our analysis shows that the underestimation of the SFR increases with fracAGN for Type 1 systems, as well as for low contributions of an intermediate AGN type, but it is quite insensitive to the emission of Type 2 AGNs up to fracAGN~45%. Similarly the UV emission is critical in accurately retrieving the $M_*$ for Type 1 and intermediate type AGN, and the SFR of all of the three AGN types. We show that the presence of AGN emission introduces a scatter to the SFR-$M_*$ main sequence relation derived from SED fitting, which is driven by the uncertainties on $M_*$.
We gather infrared (IR) photometric data from 8 to 500 microns (Spitzer, WISE, IRAS and Herschel) for all of the HRS galaxies. Draine & Li (2007) models are fit to the data from which the stellar contribution has been carefully removed. We find that
our photometric coverage is sufficient to constrain all of the models parameters and that a strong constraint on the 20-60 microns range is mandatory to estimate the relative contribution of the photo-dissociation regions to the IR SED. The SED models tend to systematically under-estimate the observed 500 microns flux densities, especially for low mass systems. We provide the output parameters for all of the galaxies: the minimum intensity of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF), the fraction of PAH, the relative contribution of PDR and evolved stellar population to the dust heating, the $M_{dust}$ and the $L_{IR}$. For a subsample of gas-rich galaxies, we analyze the relations between these parameters and the integrated properties of galaxies, such as $M_*$, SFR, metallicity, H$alpha$ and H-band surface brightness, and the FUV attenuation. A good correlation between the fraction of PAH and the metallicity is found implying a weakening of the PAH emission in galaxies with low metallicities. The intensity of the IRSF and the H-band and H$alpha$ surface brightnesses are correlated, suggesting that the diffuse dust component is heated by both the young stars in star forming regions and the diffuse evolved population. We use these results to provide a new set of IR templates calibrated with Herschel observations on nearby galaxies and a mean SED template to provide the z=0 reference for cosmological studies. For the same purpose, we put our sample on the SFR-$M_*$ diagram. The templates are compared to the most popular IR SED libraries, enlightening a large discrepancy between all of them in the 20-100 microns range.
The Herschel Reference Survey (HRS) is a guaranteed time Herschel key project aimed at studying the physical properties of the interstellar medium in galaxies of the nearby universe. This volume limited, K-band selected sample is composed of galaxies
spanning the whole range of morphological types (from ellipticals to late-type spirals) and environments (from the field to the centre of the Virgo Cluster). We present flux density measurements of the whole sample of 323 galaxies of the HRS in the three bands of the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), at 250, 350 and 500 microns. Aperture photometry is performed on extended galaxies and point spread function (PSF) fitting on timeline data for unresolved objects; we carefully estimate errors and upper limits. The flux densities are found to be in good agreement with those of the HeViCS and KINGFISH key projects in all SPIRE bands, and of the Planck consortium at 350 and 550 microns, for the galaxies in common. This submillimetre catalogue of nearby galaxies is a benchmark for the study of the dust properties in the local universe, giving the zero redshift reference for any cosmological survey.
