[en] We examine from a theoretical viewpoint how the physical parameters of H II regions are controlled both in normal galaxies and in starburst environments. These parameters are the H II region luminosity function, the time-dependent size, the covering fraction of molecular clouds, the pressure in the ionized gas and the ionization parameter. The factors which control them are the initial mass function of the exciting stars, the cluster mass function, the metallicity and the mean pressure in the surrounding interstellar medium. We investigate the sensitivity of the Hα luminosity to the IMF, and find that this can translate to about 30% variation in derived star formation rates. The molecular cloud dissipation timescale is estimated from a case study of M17 to be ∼ 1 Myr. Based upon H II luminosity function fitting for nearby galaxies, we propose that the cluster mass function has a log-normal form peaking at ∼ 185M_·. This suggests that the cluster mass function is the continuation of the stellar IMF to higher mass. The pressure in the H II regions is controlled by the mechanical luminosity flux from the central cluster. Since this is closely related to the ionizing photon flux, we show that the ionization parameter is not a free variable, and that the diffuse ionized medium may be composed of many large, faint and old H II regions. Finally, we derive theoretical probability distributions for the ionization parameter as a function of metallicity and compare these to those derived for SDSS galaxies

[en] The processes responsible for the broadband radiation of the young supernova remnant Cas A are explored by using a new code that is designed for a detailed treatment of the diffusive shock acceleration of particles in the nonlinear regime. The model is based on spherically symmetric hydrodynamic equations complemented with transport equations for relativistic particles. Electrons, protons, and the oxygen ions accelerated by forward and reverse shocks are included in the numerical calculations. We show that the available multi-wavelength observations in the radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands can be best explained by invoking particle acceleration by both forward and reversed shocks. Although the TeV gamma-ray observations can be interpreted by interactions of both accelerated electrons and protons/ions, the measurements by Fermi Large Area Telescope at energies below 1 GeV give a tentative preference to the hadronic origin of gamma-rays. Then, the acceleration efficiency in this source, despite the previous claims, should be very high; 25% of the explosion energy (or approximately 3 × 10⁵⁰ erg) should already be converted to cosmic rays, mainly by the forward shock. At the same time, the model calculations do not provide extension of the maximum energy of accelerated protons beyond 100 TeV. In this model, the acceleration of electrons is dominated by the reverse shock; the required 10⁴⁸ erg can be achieved under the assumption that the injection of electrons (positrons) is supported by the radioactive decay of ⁴⁴Ti.

[en] We present images from the Solar Blind Channel on the Hubble Space Telescope that resolve hundreds of far-ultraviolet (FUV) emitting stars in two ∼1 kpc"2 interarm regions of the grand-design spiral M101. The luminosity functions of these stars are compared with predicted distributions from simple star formation histories, and are best reproduced when the star formation rate has recently declined (past 10–50 Myr). This pattern is consistent with stars forming within spiral arms and then streaming into the interarm regions. We measure the diffuse FUV surface brightness after subtracting all of the detected stars, clusters, and background galaxies. A residual flux is found for both regions, which can be explained by a mix of stars below our detection limit and scattered FUV light. The amount of scattered light required is much larger for the region immediately adjacent to a spiral arm, a bright source of FUV photons

[en] We analyze a comprehensive set of MIR/FIR observations of Stephan's Quintet (SQ), taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our study reveals the presence of a luminous (L_IR ∼ 4.6 x 10⁴³ erg s^-1) and extended component of infrared dust emission, not connected with the main bodies of the galaxies, but roughly coincident with the X-ray halo of the group. We fitted the inferred dust emission spectral energy distribution of this extended source and the other main infrared emission components of SQ, including the intergalactic shock, to elucidate the mechanisms powering the dust and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission, taking into account collisional heating by the plasma and heating through UV and optical photons. Combining the inferred direct and dust-processed UV emission to estimate the star formation rate (SFR) for each source we obtain a total SFR for SQ of 7.5 M_sun yr^-1, similar to that expected for non-interacting galaxies with stellar mass comparable to the SQ galaxies. Although star formation in SQ is mainly occurring at, or external to the periphery of the galaxies, the relation of SFR per unit physical area to gas column density for the brightest sources is similar to that seen for star formation regions in galactic disks. We also show that available sources of dust in the group halo can provide enough dust to produce up to L_IR ∼ 10⁴² erg s^-1 powered by collisional heating. Though a minority of the total infrared emission (which we infer to trace distributed star-formation), this is several times higher than the X-ray luminosity of the halo, so could indicate an important cooling mechanism for the hot intergalactic medium (IGM) and account for the overall correspondence between FIR and X-ray emission. We investigate two potential modes of star formation in SQ consistent with the data, fueled either by gas from a virialized hot IGM continuously accreting onto the group, whose cooling is enhanced by grains injected from an in situ population of intermediate mass stars, or by interstellar gas stripped from the galaxies. The former mode offers a natural explanation for the observed baryon deficiency in the IGM of SQ as well as for the steep L_X-T_X relation of groups such as SQ with lower velocity dispersions.

[en] We quantify the effect of the galaxy group environment (for group masses of 10^12.5–10^14.0 M _⊙) on the current star formation rate (SFR) of a pure, morphologically selected sample of disk-dominated (i.e., late-type spiral) galaxies with redshift ≤0.13. The sample embraces a full representation of quiescent and star-forming disks with stellar mass M _* ≥ 10^9.5 M _⊙. We focus on the effects on SFR of interactions between grouped galaxies and the putative intrahalo medium (IHM) of their host group dark matter halos, isolating these effects from those induced through galaxy–galaxy interactions, and utilizing a radiation transfer analysis to remove the inclination dependence of derived SFRs. The dependence of SFR on M _* is controlled for by measuring offsets Δlog(ψ _*) of grouped galaxies about a single power-law relation in specific SFR, ${\mathrm{\psi <!--\; ??\; -->}}_{\ast <!--\; ???\; -->}\propto <!--\; ???\; -->M_{\ast <!--\; ???\; -->}^{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.45\pm <!--\; ??\; -->0.01}$, exhibited by non-grouped “field” galaxies in the sample. While a small minority of the group satellites are strongly quenched, the group centrals and a large majority of satellites exhibit levels of ψ _* statistically indistinguishable from their field counterparts, for all M _*, albeit with a higher scatter of 0.44 dex about the field reference relation (versus 0.27 dex for the field). Modeling the distributions in Δlog(ψ _*), we find that (i) after infall into groups, disk-dominated galaxies continue to be characterized by a similar rapid cycling of gas into and out of their interstellar medium shown prior to infall, with inflows and outflows of ∼1.5–5 x SFR and ∼1–4 x SFR, respectively; and (ii) the independence of the continuity of these gas flow cycles on M _* appears inconsistent with the required fueling being sourced from gas in the circumgalactic medium on scales of ∼100 kpc. Instead, our data favor ongoing fueling of satellites from the IHM of the host group halo on ∼Mpc scales, i.e., from gas not initially associated with the galaxies upon infall. Consequently, the color–density relation of the galaxy population as a whole would appear to be primarily due to a change in the mix of disk- and spheroid-dominated morphologies in the denser group environment compared to the field, rather than to a reduced propensity of the IHM in higher-mass structures to cool and accrete onto galaxies. We also suggest that the required substantial accretion of IHM gas by satellite disk-dominated galaxies will lead to a progressive reduction in the specific angular momentum of these systems, thereby representing an efficient secular mechanism to transform morphology from star-forming disk-dominated types to more passive spheroid-dominated types.

[en] We present an analysis of the mid-infrared Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) sources seen within the equatorial GAMA G12 field, located in the North Galactic Cap. Our motivation is to study and characterize the behavior of WISE source populations in anticipation of the deep multiwavelength surveys that will define the next decade, with the principal science goal of mapping the 3D large-scale structures and determining the global physical attributes of the host galaxies. In combination with cosmological redshifts, we identify galaxies from their WISE W1 (3.4 μm) resolved emission, and we also perform a star-galaxy separation using apparent magnitude, colors, and statistical modeling of star counts. The resulting galaxy catalog has ≃590,000 sources in 60 deg², reaching a W1 5σ depth of 31 μJy. At the faint end, where redshifts are not available, we employ a luminosity function analysis to show that approximately 27% of all WISE extragalactic sources to a limit of 17.5 mag (31 μJy) are at high redshift, $z><!--\; >\; -->1$. The spatial distribution is investigated using two-point correlation functions and a 3D source density characterization at 5 Mpc and 20 Mpc scales. For angular distributions, we find that brighter and more massive sources are strongly clustered relative to fainter sources with lower mass; likewise, based on WISE colors, spheroidal galaxies have the strongest clustering, while late-type disk galaxies have the lowest clustering amplitudes. In three dimensions, we find a number of distinct groupings, often bridged by filaments and superstructures. Using special visualization tools, we map these structures, exploring how clustering may play a role with stellar mass and galaxy type.

[en] We report the discovery of a well-defined correlation between B-band face-on central optical depth due to dust, τ^f_B, and the stellar mass surface density, μ_*, of nearby (z ≤ 0.13) spiral galaxies. This relation was derived from a sample of spiral galaxies taken from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey, which were detected in the FIR/submillimeter (submm) in the Herschel-ATLAS science demonstration phase field. Using a quantitative analysis of the NUV attenuation-inclination relation for complete samples of GAMA spirals categorized according to stellar mass surface density, we demonstrate that this correlation can be used to statistically correct for dust attenuation purely on the basis of optical photometry and Sérsic-profile morphological fits. Considered together with previously established empirical relationships of stellar mass to metallicity and gas mass, the near linearity and high constant of proportionality of the τ_B^f - μ_* relation disfavors a stellar origin for the bulk of refractory grains in spiral galaxies, instead being consistent with the existence of a ubiquitous and very rapid mechanism for the growth of dust in the interstellar medium. We use the τ_B^f - μ_* relation in conjunction with the radiation transfer model for spiral galaxies of Popescu and Tuffs to derive intrinsic scaling relations between specific star formation rate (SFR), stellar mass, and stellar surface density, in which attenuation of the UV light used for the measurement of SFR is corrected on an object-to-object basis. A marked reduction in scatter in these relations is achieved which we demonstrate is due to correction of both the inclination-dependent and face-on components of attenuation. Our results are consistent with a general picture of spiral galaxies in which most of the submm emission originates from grains residing in translucent structures, exposed to UV in the diffuse interstellar radiation field.

[en] The Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey furnishes a deep redshift catalog that, when combined with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), allows us to explore for the first time the mid-infrared properties of >110, 000 galaxies over 120 deg² to z ≅ 0.5. In this paper we detail the procedure for producing the matched GAMA-WISE catalog for the G12 and G15 fields, in particular characterizing and measuring resolved sources; the complete catalogs for all three GAMA equatorial fields will be made available through the GAMA public releases. The wealth of multiwavelength photometry and optical spectroscopy allows us to explore empirical relations between optically determined stellar mass (derived from synthetic stellar population models) and 3.4 μm and 4.6 μm WISE measurements. Similarly dust-corrected Hα-derived star formation rates can be compared to 12 μm and 22 μm luminosities to quantify correlations that can be applied to large samples to z < 0.5. To illustrate the applications of these relations, we use the 12 μm star formation prescription to investigate the behavior of specific star formation within the GAMA-WISE sample and underscore the ability of WISE to detect star-forming systems at z ∼ 0.5. Within galaxy groups (determined by a sophisticated friends-of-friends scheme), results suggest that galaxies with a neighbor within 100 h ^–1 kpc have, on average, lower specific star formation rates than typical GAMA galaxies with the same stellar mass.