This paper involves a data release of the observational campaign: Cosmicflows with Spitzer (CFS). Surface photometry of the 1270 galaxies constituting the survey is presented. An additional ∼400 ...galaxies from various other Spitzer surveys are also analysed. CFS complements the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies, that provides photometry for an additional 2352 galaxies, by extending observations to low galactic latitudes (|b| < 30°). Among these galaxies are calibrators, selected in the K band, of the Tully–Fisher relation. The addition of new calibrators demonstrates the robustness of the previously released calibration. Our estimate of the Hubble constant using supernova host galaxies is unchanged, H
0 = 75.2 ± 3.3 km s−1 Mpc−1. Distance-derived radial peculiar velocities, for the 1935 galaxies with all the available parameters, will be incorporated into a new data release of the Cosmicflows project. The size of the previous catalogue will be increased by 20 per cent, including spatial regions close to the Zone of Avoidance.
We present mid-infrared photometry and measured global properties of the 100 largest galaxies in the sky, including the well-studied Magellanic Clouds, Local Group galaxies M31 and M33, the Fornax ...and Virgo galaxy cluster giants, and many of the most spectacular Messier objects (e.g., M51 and M83). This is the first release of a larger catalog of extended sources as imaged in the mid-infrared, called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Extended Source Catalog (WXSC). In this study, we measure their global attributes, including integrated flux, surface brightness, and radial distribution. The largest of the large are the LMC, SMC, and Andromeda galaxy, which are also the brightest mid-infrared galaxies in the sky. We interrogate the large galaxies using WISE colors, which serve as proxies for four general types of galaxies: bulge-dominated spheroidals, intermediate semi-quiescent disks, star-forming (SF) spirals, and AGN-dominated. The colors reveal a tight "sequence" that spans 5 mag in W2-W3 color, ranging from early to late types and low to high SF activity; we fit the functional form given by . Departures from this sequence may reveal nuclear, starburst, and merging events. Physical properties and luminosity attributes are computed, notably the diameter, aggregate stellar mass, and dust-obscured star formation activity. To effectively study and compare these galaxy characteristics, we introduce the "pinwheel" diagram, which depicts physical properties with respect to the median value observed for WISE galaxies in the local universe. Utilized with the WXSC, this diagram will delineate between different kinds of galaxies, identifying those with similar star formation and structural properties. Finally, we present the mid-infrared photometry of the 25 brightest globular clusters in the sky, of which many are also the largest and brightest objects orbiting the Milky Way, including Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae, and a number of famed night-sky targets (e.g., M13).
We present accurate resolved WISE photometry of galaxies in the combined SINGS and KINGFISH sample. The luminosities in the W3 12 m and W4 23 m bands are calibrated to star formation rates (SFRs) ...derived using the total infrared luminosity, avoiding UV/optical uncertainties due to dust extinction corrections. The W3 relation has a 1 scatter of 0.15 dex that is over nearly 5 orders of magnitude in SFR and 12 m luminosity, and a range in host stellar mass from dwarfs (107 ) to (1011.5 ) galaxies. In the absence of deep silicate absorption features and powerful active galactic nuclei, we expect this to be a reliable SFR indicator chiefly due to the broad nature of the W3 band. By contrast, the W4 SFR relation shows more scatter (1 dex). Both relations show reasonable agreement with radio-continuum-derived SFRs and excellent accordance with so-called "hybrid" H + 24 m and FUV+24 m indicators. Moreover, the WISE SFR relations appear to be insensitive to the metallicity range in the sample. We also compare our results with IRAS-selected luminous infrared galaxies, showing that the WISE relations maintain concordance, but systematically deviate for the most extreme galaxies. Given the all-sky coverage of WISE and the performance of the W3 band as an SFR indicator, the SFR relation could be of great use to studies of nearby galaxies and forthcoming large-area surveys at optical and radio wavelengths.
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is an extremely capable and efficient black hole finder. We present a simple mid-infrared color criterion, W1 - W2 > or =, slanted 0.8 (i.e., 3.4 -4.6 > ...or =, slanted 0.8, Vega), which identifies 61.9 + or - 5.4 active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidates per deg super(2) to a depth of W2 ~ 15.0. Uiis implies a much larger census of luminous AGNs than found by typical wide-area surveys, attributable to the fact that mid-infrared selection identifies both unobscured (type 1) and obscured (type 2) AGNs. Optical and soft X-ray surveys alone are highly biased toward only unobscured AGNs, while this simple WISE selection likely identifies even heavily obscured, Compton-thick AGNs. Using deep, public data in the COSMOS field, we explore the properties of WISE-selected AGN candidates. At the mid-infrared depth considered, 160 mu Jy at 4.6 mu m, this simple criterion identifies 78% of Spitzer mid-infrared AGN candidates according to the criteria of Stern et al. and the reliability is 95%. We explore the demographics, multiwavelength properties and redshift distribution of WISE-selected AGN candidates in the COSMOS field.
We present the Lambda Adaptive Multi-Band Deblending Algorithm in R (lambdar), a novel code for calculating matched aperture photometry across images that are neither pixel- nor PSF-matched, using ...prior aperture definitions derived from high-resolution optical imaging. The development of this program is motivated by the desire for consistent photometry and uncertainties across large ranges of photometric imaging, for use in calculating spectral energy distributions. We describe the program, specifically key features required for robust determination of panchromatic photometry: propagation of apertures to images with arbitrary resolution, local background estimation, aperture normalization, uncertainty determination and propagation, and object deblending. Using simulated images, we demonstrate that the program is able to recover accurate photometric measurements in both high-resolution, low-confusion, and low-resolution, high-confusion, regimes. We apply the program to the 21-band photometric data set from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) Panchromatic Data Release (PDR; Driver et al. 2016), which contains imaging spanning the far-UV to the far-IR. We compare photometry derived from lambdar with that presented in Driver et al. (2016), finding broad agreement between the data sets. None the less, we demonstrate that the photometry from lambdar is superior to that from the GAMA PDR, as determined by a reduction in the outlier rate and intrinsic scatter of colours in the lambdar data set. We similarly find a decrease in the outlier rate of stellar masses and star formation rates using lambdar photometry. Finally, we note an exceptional increase in the number of UV and mid-IR sources able to be constrained, which is accompanied by a significant increase in the mid-IR colour–colour parameter-space able to be explored.
We study the star formation properties of 59 void galaxies as part of the Void Galaxy Survey (VGS). Current star formation rates are derived from H α and recent star formation rates from near-UV ...imaging. In addition, infrared 3.4, 4.6, 12 and 22 μm Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer emission is used as star formation and mass indicator. Infrared and optical colours show that the VGS sample displays a wide range of dust and metallicity properties. We combine these measurements with stellar and
$\rm {H\,\small {I}}$
masses to measure the specific SFRs (SFR/M
*) and star formation efficiencies (
$\rm {SFR/{\it M }_{H\,\small {I}}}$
). We compare the star formation properties of our sample with galaxies in the more moderate density regions of the cosmic web, ‘the field’. We find that specific SFRs of the VGS galaxies as a function of stellar and
$\rm {H\,\small {I}}$
mass are similar to those of the galaxies in these field regions. Their SFR α is slightly elevated than the galaxies in the field for a given total
$\rm {H\,\small {I}}$
mass. In the global star formation picture presented by Kennicutt–Schmidt, VGS galaxies fall into the regime of low average star formation and correspondingly low
$\rm {H\,\small {I}}$
surface density. Their mean
$\rm {SFR\,\alpha /{\it M}_{H\,\small {I}}}$
and SFR α/M
* are of the order of 10− 9.9 yr− 1. We conclude that while the large-scale underdense environment must play some role in galaxy formation and growth through accretion, we find that even with respect to other galaxies in the more mildly underdense regions, the increase in star formation rate is only marginal.
We analyse photometry from deep B-band images of 59 void galaxies in the Void Galaxy Survey (VGS), together with their near-infrared 3.6 mu m and 4.5 mu m Spitzer photometry. The VGS galaxies ...constitute a sample of void galaxies that were selected by a geometric-topological procedure from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 data release, and which populate the deep interior of voids. Our void galaxies span a range of absolute B-magnitude from M sub( B) = -15.5 to -20, while at the 3.6 mu m band their magnitudes range from M sub( 3.6) = -18 to -24. Their B-3.6 colour and structural parameters indicate these are star-forming galaxies. A good reflection of the old stellar population, the near-infrared band photometry also provide a robust estimate of the stellar mass, which for the VGS galaxies we confirm to be smaller than ... In terms of the structural parameters and morphology, our findings align with other studies in that our VGS galaxy sample consists mostly of small late-type galaxies. Most of them are similar to Sd-Sm galaxies, although a few are irregularly shaped galaxies. The sample even includes two early-type galaxies, one of which is an AGN. Their Sersic indices are nearly all smaller than n = 2 in both bands and they also have small half-light radii. In all, we conclude that the principal impact of the void environment on the galaxies populating them mostly concerns their low stellar mass and small size. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
We have carried out a survey of the north and south ecliptic poles, EP-N and EP-S, respectively, with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The primary ...objective was to cross-calibrate WISE with the Spitzer and Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) photometric systems by developing a set of calibration stars that are common to these infrared missions. The ecliptic poles were continuous viewing zones for WISE due to its polar-crossing orbit, making these areas ideal for both absolute and internal calibrations. The Spitzer IRAC and MIPS imaging survey covers a complete area of 0.40 deg2 for the EP-N and 1.28 deg2 for the EP-S. WISE observed the whole sky in four mid-infrared bands, 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 Delta *mm, during its eight-month cryogenic mission, including several hundred ecliptic polar passages; here we report on the highest coverage depths achieved by WISE, an area of ~1.5 deg2 for both poles. Located close to the center of the EP-N, the Sy-2 galaxy NGC 6552 conveniently functions as a standard calibrator to measure the red response of the 22 Delta *mm channel of WISE. Observations from Spitzer-IRAC/MIPS/IRS-LL and WISE show that the galaxy has a strong red color in the mid-infrared due to star-formation and the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), while over a baseline >1 year the mid-IR photometry of NGC 6552 is shown to vary at a level less than 2%. Combining NGC 6552 with the standard calibrator stars, the achieved photometric accuracy of the WISE calibration, relative to the Spitzer and MSX systems, is 2.4%, 2.8%, 4.5%, and 5.7% for W1 (3.4 Delta *mm), W2 (4.6 Delta *mm), W3 (12 Delta *mm), and W4 (22 Delta *mm), respectively. The WISE photometry is internally stable to better than 0.1% over the cryogenic lifetime of the mission. The secondary objective of the Spitzer-WISE Survey was to explore the poles at greater flux-level depths, exploiting the higher angular resolution Spitzer observations and the exceptionally deep (in total coverage) WISE observations that potentially reach down to the confusion limit of the survey. The rich Spitzer and WISE data sets were used to study the Galactic and extragalactic populations through source counts, color-magnitude and color-color diagrams. As an example of what the data sets facilitate, we have separated stars from galaxies, delineated normal galaxies from power-law-dominated AGNs, and reported on the different fractions of extragalactic populations. In the EP-N, we find an AGN source density of ~260 deg--2 to a 12 Delta *mm depth of 115 Delta *mJy, representing 15% of the total extragalactic population to this depth, similar to what has been observed for low-luminosity AGNs in other fields.
We have measured the relationships between H i mass, stellar mass, and star formation rate using the Hi Parkes All-Sky Survey Catalog (HICAT) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Of ...the 3513 HICAT sources, we find 3.4 m counterparts for 2896 sources (80%), and provide new WISE-matched aperture photometry for these galaxies. For our principal sample of spiral galaxies with W1 ≤ 10 mag and z ≤ 0.01, we identify H i detections for 93% of the sample. We measure lower H i-stellar mass relationships for H i-selected samples that do not include spiral galaxies with little H i gas. Our observations of the spiral sample show that H i mass increases with stellar mass with a power-law index of 0.35; however, this value is dependent on T-type, which affects both the median and the dispersion of Hi mass. We also observe an upper limit on the H i gas fraction, which is consistent with a halo spin parameter model. We measure the star formation efficiency of spiral galaxies to be constant at 10−9.57 yr−1 0.4 dex for 2.5 orders of magnitude in stellar mass, despite the higher stellar mass spiral showing evidence of quenched star formation.
Combining high-fidelity group characterization from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey and source-tailored z < 0.1 photometry from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey, we present a ...comprehensive study of the properties of ungrouped galaxies, compared to 497 galaxy groups (4 ≤ NFoF ≤ 20) as a function of stellar and halo mass. Ungrouped galaxies are largely unimodal in WISE color, the result of being dominated by star-forming, late-type galaxies. Grouped galaxies, however, show a clear bimodality in WISE color, which correlates strongly with stellar mass and morphology. We find evidence for an increasing early-type fraction, in stellar mass bins between 1010 M Mstellar 1011 M , with increasing halo mass. Using ungrouped, late-type galaxies with star-forming colors (W2−W3 > 3), we define a star-forming main sequence (SFMS), which we use to delineate systems that have moved below the sequence ("quenched" for the purposes of this work). We find that with increasing halo mass, the relative number of late-type systems on the SFMS decreases, with a corresponding increase in early-type, quenched systems at high stellar mass (Mstellar > 1010.5 M ), consistent with mass quenching. Group galaxies with masses Mstellar < 1010.5 M show evidence of quenching consistent with environmentally driven processes. The stellar mass distribution of late-type, quenched galaxies suggests that it may be an intermediate population as systems transition from being star-forming and late-type to the "red sequence." Finally, we use the projected area of groups on the sky to extract groups that are (relatively) compact for their halo mass. Although these show a marginal increase in their proportion of high-mass and early-type galaxies compared to nominal groups, a clear increase in quenched fraction is not evident.
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