Abstract
We use spatially resolved spectroscopy from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey to study the nature of the line emitting gas in galaxies of different Hubble types, ...focusing on the separation of star-forming (SF) regions from those better characterized as diffuse ionized gas (DIG). The diagnosis is carried out in terms of the equivalent width of H α (WH α). Three nebular regimes are identified. Regions where WH α < 3 Å define what we call the hDIG, the component of the DIG where photoionization is dominated by hot, low-mass, evolved stars. Regions where WH α > 14 Å trace SF complexes. WH α values in the intermediate 3–14 Å range reflect a mixed regime (mDIG) where more than one process contributes. This three-tier scheme is inspired both by theoretical and empirical considerations. Its application to CALIFA galaxies of different types and inclinations leads to the following results: (i) the hDIG component is prevalent throughout ellipticals and S0’s as well as in bulges, and explains the strongly bimodal distribution of WH α both among and within galaxies. (ii) Early-type spirals have some hDIG in their discs, but this component becomes progressively less relevant for later Hubble types. (iii) hDIG emission is also present above and below galactic discs, as seen in several edge-on spirals in our sample. (iv) The SF/mDIG proportion grows steadily from early- to late-type spirals, and from inner to outer radii. (v) Besides circumventing basic inconsistencies in conventional DIG/SF separation criteria based on the H α surface brightness, our WH α-based method produces results in agreement with a classical excitation diagram analysis.
ABSTRACT
We provide new ionization correction factors (ICFs) for carbon, nitrogen, neon, sulfur, chlorine, and argon in giant H ii regions. The ICFs were computed using the most representative ...photoionization models from a large initial grid. The models were selected using an observational sample of 985 giant H ii regions (GHR) in spiral galaxies and blue compact galaxies (BCG). The observational sample was also used to assign a weight to each model describing how well it agrees with observations in the O iii/H β versus N ii/H α diagram. In addition to the ICFs we provide, for the first time, analytical expressions for their formal uncertainties. We use our ICFs to compute the abundances of nitrogen, neon, sulfur, and argon in our samples. Our abundances are robust within the adopted framework, but may require revision in the case of important changes in atomic data or in the spectral energy distribution of the ionizing radiation in H ii regions. Considering the abundance patterns we obtained for the BCG sample (abundances for the GHR sample are less reliable) we find that oxygen is depleted into dust grains at a rate increasing with metallicity and reaching 0.12 dex at solar abundances. The discussion of possible depletion of sulfur and argon requires considering recent Type Ia Supernova yields, which are still uncertain.
We use the W
Hα versus N ii/Hα (WHAN) diagram introduced by us in previous work to provide a comprehensive emission-line classification of Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies. This classification is ...able to cope with the large population of weak line galaxies that do not appear in traditional diagrams due to a lack of some of the diagnostic lines. A further advantage of the WHAN diagram is to allow the differentiation between two very distinct classes that overlap in the low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) region of traditional diagnostic diagrams. These are galaxies hosting a weakly active galactic nucleus (wAGN) and 'retired galaxies' (RGs), i.e. galaxies that have stopped forming stars and are ionized by their hot low-mass evolved stars.
A useful criterion to distinguish true from fake AGN (i.e. the RGs) is the value of ξ, which measures the ratio of the extinction-corrected Hα luminosity with respect to the Hα luminosity expected from photoionization by stellar populations older than 108 yr. We find that ξ follows a markedly bimodal distribution, with a ξ≫ 1 population composed by systems undergoing star formation and/or nuclear activity, and a peak at ξ∼ 1 corresponding to the prediction of the RG model. We base our classification scheme not on ξ but on a more readily available and model-independent quantity which provides an excellent observational proxy for ξ: the equivalent width of Hα. Based on the bimodal distribution of W
Hα, we set the practical division between wAGN and RGs at W
Hα= 3 Å.
Five classes of galaxies are identified within the WHAN diagram:
pure star-forming galaxies:
and W
Hα > 3 Å;
strong AGN (i.e. Seyferts):
and W
Hα > 6 Å;
weak AGN:
and W
Hα between 3 and 6 Å;
RGs (i.e. fake AGN): W
Hα < 3 Å;
passive galaxies (actually, lineless galaxies): W
Hα and W
N ii < 0.5 Å.
A comparative analysis of star formation histories and of other physical and observational properties in these different classes of galaxies corroborates our proposed differentiation between RGs and wAGN in the LINER-like family. This analysis also shows similarities between strong and weak AGN on the one hand, and retired and passive galaxies on the other.
A numerous population of weak line galaxies (WLGs) is often left out of statistical studies on emission-line galaxies (ELGs) due to the absence of an adequate classification scheme, since classical ...diagnostic diagrams, such as O iii/Hβ versus N ii/Hα (the BPT diagram), require the measurement of at least four emission lines. This paper aims to remedy this situation by transposing the usual divisory lines between star-forming (SF) galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) hosts and between Seyferts and LINERs to diagrams that are more economical in terms of line quality requirements. By doing this, we rescue from the classification limbo a substantial number of sources and modify the global census of ELGs. More specifically, (1) we use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 to constitute a suitable sample of 280 000 ELGs, one-third of which are WLGs. (2) Galaxies with strong emission lines are classified using the widely applied criteria of Kewley et al., Kauffmann et al. and Stasińska et al. to distinguish SF galaxies and AGN hosts and Kewley et al. to distinguish Seyferts from LINERs. (3) We transpose these classification schemes to alternative diagrams keeping N ii/Hα as a horizontal axis, but replacing Hβ by a stronger line (Hα or O ii), or substituting the ionization-level sensitive O iii/Hβ ratio with the equivalent width of Hα(WHα). Optimized equations for the transposed divisory lines are provided. (4) We show that nothing significant is lost in the translation, but that the new diagrams allow one to classify up to 50 per cent more ELGs. (5) Introducing WLGs in the census of galaxies in the local Universe increases the proportion of metal-rich SF galaxies and especially LINERs. In the course of this analysis, we were led to make the following points. (i) The Kewley et al. BPT line for galaxy classification is generally ill-used. (ii) Replacing O iii/Hβ by WHα in the classification introduces a change in the philosophy of the distinction between LINERs and Seyferts, but not in its results. Because the WHα versus N ii/Hα diagram can be applied to the largest sample of ELGs without loss of discriminating power between Seyferts and LINERs, we recommend its use in further studies. (iii) The dichotomy between Seyferts and LINERs is washed out by WLGs in the BPT plane, but it subsists in other diagnostic diagrams. This suggests that the right wing in the BPT diagram is indeed populated by at least two classes, tentatively identified with bona fide AGN and ‘retired’ galaxies that have stopped forming stars and are ionized by their old stellar populations.
Context.
Finding and elucidating the properties of Lyman-continuum(LyC)-emitting galaxies is an important step in improving our understanding of cosmic reionization.
Aims.
Although the
z
∼ 0.3 − 0.4 ...LyC emitters found recently show strong optical emission lines, no consistent quantitative photoionization model taking into account the escape of ionizing photons and inhomogenous interstellar medium (ISM) geometry of these galaxies has yet been constructed. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent these emission lines can be used to distinguish LyC emitters.
Methods.
To address these questions we construct one- and two-zone photoionization models accounting for the observed LyC escape, which we compare to the observed emission line measurements. The main diagnostics used include lines of O
III
, O
II
, and O
I
plus sulfur lines (S
II
, S
III
) and a nitrogen line (N
II
), which probe regions of different ionization in the ISM.
Results.
We find that single (one-zone) density-bounded photoionization models cannot reproduce the emission lines of the LyC leakers, as pointed out by earlier studies, because they systematically underpredict the lines of species of low ionization potential, such as O
I
and S
II
. Introducing a two-zone model, with differing ionization parameter and a variable covering fraction and where one of the zones is density-bounded, we show that the observed emission line ratios of the LyC emitters are well reproduced. Furthermore, our model yields LyC escape fractions, which are in fair agreement with the observations and independent measurements. The O
I
λ
6300 excess, which is observed in some LyC leakers, can be naturally explained in this model, for example by emission from low-ionization and low-filling-factor gas. LyC emitters with a high escape fraction (
f
esc
≳ 38%) are deficient both in O
I
λ
6300 and in S
II
λ
λ
6716,6731. We also confirm that a S
II
λ
λ
6716,6731 deficiency can be used to select LyC emitter candidates, as suggested earlier. Finally, we find indications for a possible dichotomy in terms of escape mechanisms for LyC photons between galaxies with relatively low (
f
esc
≲ 10%) and higher escape fractions.
Conclusions.
We conclude that two-zone photoionization models are sufficient and required to explain the observed emission line properties of
z
∼ 0.3 − 0.4 LyC emitters. This is in agreement with UV absorption line studies, which also show the co-existence of regions with high hydrogen column density (i.e., no escape of ionizing photons) and density-bounded or very low column density regions responsible for the observed escape of LyC radiation. These simple but consistent models provide a first step towards the use of optical emission lines and their ratios as quantitative diagnostics of LyC escape from galaxies.
We revisit the question of the ionization of the diffuse medium in late-type galaxies, by studying NGC 891, the prototype of edge-on spiral galaxies. The most important challenge for the models ...considered so far was the observed increase of O iii/Hβ, O ii/Hβ and N ii/Hα with increasing distance to the galactic plane. We propose a scenario based on the expected population of massive OB stars and hot low-mass evolved stars (HOLMES) in this galaxy to explain this observational fact. In the framework of this scenario we construct a finely meshed grid of photoionization models. For each value of the galactic altitude z we look for the models which simultaneously fit the observed values of the O iii/Hβ, O ii/Hβ and N ii/Hα ratios. For each value of z we find a range of solutions which depends on the value of the oxygen abundance. The models which fit the observations indicate a systematic decrease of the electron density with increasing z. They become dominated by the HOLMES with increasing z only when restricting to solar oxygen abundance models, which argues that the metallicity above the galactic plane should be close to solar. They also indicate that N/O increases with increasing z.
ABSTRACT
We investigate the impact of the diffuse ionized gas (DIG) on abundance determinations in star-forming (SF) galaxies. The DIG is characterized using the H α equivalent width (WH α). From a ...set of 1 409 SF galaxies from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey, we calculate the fractional contribution of the DIG to several emission lines using high-S/N data from SF spaxels (instead of using noisy emission-lines in DIG-dominated spaxels). Our method is applicable to spectra with observed WH α ≳ 10 Å (which are not dominated by DIG emission). Since the DIG contribution depends on galactocentric distance, we provide DIG-correction formulae for both entire galaxies and single aperture spectra. Applying those to a sample of $\, \gt 90\, 000$ SF galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we find the following. (1) The effect of the DIG on strong-line abundances depends on the index used. It is negligible for the (O iii/H β)/(N ii/H α) index, but reaches ∼0.1 dex at the high-metallicity end for N ii/H α. (2) This result is based on the ∼kpc MaNGA resolution, so the real effect of the DIG is likely greater. (3) We revisit the mass–metallicity–star formation rate (SFR) relation by correcting for the DIG contribution in both abundances and SFR. The effect of DIG removal is more prominent at higher stellar masses. Using the N ii/Hα index, O/H increases with SFR at high stellar mass, contrary to previous claims.
This contribution, presented at the 2016 conference on Atomic Spectra and Oscillator Strengths for Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas (ASOS12), shows how atomic physics contributes to the ...interpretation of emission-line spectra observed in astronomical nebulae, and discusses a few unsolved issues where atomic physics may play a role, although other possible explanations are indeed possible. It is limited to the determinations of chemical abundances, the most sought-after information derived from emission lines.
This paper, the sixth in the Semi-Empirical Analysis of Galaxies series, studies the evolution of 82 302 star-forming (SF) galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Star formation histories (SFHs) ...are derived from detailed spectral fits obtained with our publicly available spectral synthesis code starlight. Our main goals are to explore new ways to derive SFHs from the synthesis results and apply them to investigate how SFHs vary as a function of nebular metallicity (Zneb). A number of refinements over our previous work are introduced, including (1) an improved selection criterion; (2) a careful examination of systematic residuals around Hβ; (3) self-consistent determination of nebular extinctions and metallicities; (4) tests with several Zneb estimators; (5) a study of the effects of the reddening law adopted and of the relation between nebular and stellar extinctions and the interstellar component of the Na i D doublet. Our main achievements may be summarized as follows. (1) A conventional correlation analysis is performed to study how global properties relate to Zneb, leading to the confirmation of previously known relations, such as those between Zneb and galaxy luminosity, mass, dust content, mean stellar metallicity and mean stellar age. (2) A simple formalism which compresses the results of the synthesis while at the same time yielding time-dependent star formation rates (SFR) and mass assembly histories is presented. (3) A comparison of the current SFR derived from the population synthesis with that obtained from Hα shows that these independent estimators agree very well, with a scatter of a factor of 2. An important corollary of this finding is that we now have a way to estimate SFR in galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei, where the Hα method cannot be applied. (4) Fully time-dependent SFHs were derived for all galaxies, and then averaged over six Zneb bins spanning the entire SF wing in the diagram. (5) We find that SFHs vary systematically along the SF sequence. Though all SF galaxies formed the bulk of their stellar mass over 1 Gyr ago, low-Zneb systems evolve at a slower pace and are currently forming stars at a much higher relative rate. Galaxies at the tip of the SF wing have current specific SFRs about two orders of magnitude larger than the metal-rich galaxies at its bottom. (6) At any given time, the distribution of specific SFRs for galaxies within a Zneb bin is broad and approximately lognormal. (7) The whole study was repeated grouping galaxies within bins of stellar mass and surface mass density, both of which are more fundamental drivers of SFH. Given the existence of strong Zneb−M★−Σ★ relations, the overall picture described above remains valid. Thus, low-M★ (low-Σ★) systems are the ones which evolve slower, with current specific SFRs much larger than more massive (dense) galaxies. (8) This overall pattern of SFHs as a function of Zneb, M★ or Σ★ is robust against changes in selection criteria, choice of evolutionary synthesis models for the spectral fits, and differential extinction effects.
The classification of galaxies as star forming or active is generally done in the (O iii/Hβ, N ii/Hα) plane. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has revealed that, in this plane, the distribution of ...galaxies looks like the two wings of a seagull. Galaxies in the right wing are referred to as Seyfert/LINERs, leading to the idea that non-stellar activity in galaxies is a very common phenomenon. Here, we argue that a large fraction of the systems in the right wing could actually be galaxies which stopped forming stars. The ionization in these ‘retired’ galaxies would be produced by hot post-asymptotic giant branch stars and white dwarfs. Our argumentation is based on a stellar population analysis of the galaxies via our starlight code and on photoionization models using the Lyman continuum radiation predicted for this population. The proportion of LINER galaxies that can be explained in such a way is, however, uncertain. We further show how observational selection effects account for the shape of the right wing. Our study suggests that nuclear activity may not be as common as thought. If retired galaxies do explain a large part of the seagull's right wing, some of the work concerning nuclear activity in galaxies, as inferred from SDSS data, will have to be revised.
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