Browsing by Author "Stierwalt, S."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    A Herschel/PACS Far-infrared Line Emission Survey of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Diaz Santos, T.; Armus, L.; Charmandaris, V.; Lu, N.; Stierwalt, S.; Stacey, G.; Malhotra, S.; van der Werf, P. P.; Howell, J. H.; Privon, G. C.; Mazzarella, J. M.; Goldsmith, P. F.; Murphy, E. J.; Barcos Munoz, L.; Linden, S. T.; Inami, H.; Larson, L.; Evans, A. S.; Appleton, P.; Iwasawa, K.; Lord, S.; Sanders, D. B.; Surace, J. A.
    We present an analysis of [O I](63), [O III](88), [N II](122), and [C II](158) far-infrared (FIR) fine-structure line observations obtained with Herschel/PACS, for similar to 240 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey. We find pronounced declines ("deficits") of line-to-FIR continuum emission for [N II](122), [O I](63), and [C II](158) as a function of FIR color and infrared luminosity surface density, Sigma(IR). The median electron density of the ionized gas in LIRGs, based on the [N II](122)/[N II](205) ratio, is n(e) = 41 cm(-3). We find that the dispersion in the [C II](158) deficit of LIRGs is attributed to a varying fractional contribution of photodissociation regions (PDRs) to the observed [C II](158) emission, f ([C II](158)(PDR)) = [C II](158)(PDR)/C II](158), which increases from similar to 60% to similar to 95% in the warmest LIRGs. The [O I](63)/[C II](158)(PDR) ratio is tightly correlated with the PDR gas kinetic temperaturein sources where [O I] 63 is not optically thick or self-absorbed. For each galaxy, we derive the average PDR hydrogen density, n(H), and intensity of the interstellar radiation field, G, in units of G(0) and find G/n(H) ratios of similar to 0.1-50 G(0) cm(3), with ULIRGs populating the upper end of the distribution. There is a relation between G/n(H) and Sigma(IR), showing a critical break at Sigma(IR)* similar or equal to 5 x 10(10) L-circle dot kpc(-2). Below Sigma(IR)*, G/n(H) remains constant, similar or equal to 0.32G(0) cm(3), and variations in Sigma(IR) are driven by the number density of star-forming regions within a galaxy, with no change in their PDR properties. Above Sigma(IR)*, G/n(H) increases rapidly with Sigma(IR), signaling a departure from the typical PDR conditions found in normal star-forming galaxies toward more intense/harder radiation fields and compact geometries typical of starbursting sources.
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    A Widespread, Clumpy Starburst in the Isolated Ongoing Dwarf Galaxy Merger dm1647+21
    (IOP PUBLISHING LTD, 2017) Privon, G. C.; Stierwalt, S.; Patton, D. R.; Besla, G.; Pearson, S.; Putman, M.; Johnson, K. E.; Kallivayalil, N.; Liss, S.
    Interactions between pairs of isolated dwarf galaxies provide a critical window into low-mass hierarchical, gas-dominated galaxy assembly and the build-up of stellar mass in low-metallicity systems. We present the first Very Large Telescope/Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (VLT/MUSE) optical integral field unit (IFU) observations of the interacting dwarf pair dm1647+21 selected from the TiNy Titans survey. The Ha emission is widespread and corresponds to a total unobscured star formation rate (SFR) of 0.44 M-circle dot yr(-1), which is 2.7 times higher than the SFR inferred from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data. The implied specific SFR (sSFR) for the system is elevated by more than an order of magnitude above non-interacting dwarfs in the same mass range. This increase is dominated by the lower-mass galaxy, which has a sSFR enhancement of > 50. Examining the spatially resolved maps of classic optical line diagnostics, we find that the interstellar medium (ISM) excitation can be fully explained by star formation. The velocity field of the ionized gas is not consistent with simple rotation. Dynamical simulations indicate that the irregular velocity field and the stellar structure is consistent with the identification of this system as an ongoing interaction between two dwarf galaxies. The widespread, clumpy enhancements in the star formation in this system point to important differences in the effect of mergers on dwarf galaxies, compared to massive galaxies; rather than the funneling of gas to the nucleus and giving rise to a nuclear starburst, starbursts in low-mass galaxy mergers may be triggered by large-scale ISM compression, and thus may be more distributed.
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    Excitation Mechanisms for HCN (1-0) and HCO+ (1-0) in Galaxies from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey.
    (2015) Privon, G. C.; Treister, Ezequiel; Herrero-Illana, R.; Evans, Aaron S.; Iwasawa, K.; Perez-Torres, M. A.; Armus, Lee; Díaz-Santos, T.; Murphy, E. J.; Stierwalt, S.; Aalto, S.