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Energy diagnoses of nine infrared luminous galaxies based on 3-4 micron spectra

Aug, 2000
29 pages
Published in:
  • Astrophys.J. 545 (2000) 701-711
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Abstract: (arXiv)
The energy sources of nine infrared luminous galaxies (IRLGs) are diagnosed based on their ground-based 3--4 μ\mum spectra. Both the equivalent width of the 3.3 μ\mum polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission feature and the 3.3 μ\mum PAH to far-infrared luminosity ratio (L3.3/LFIRL_{3.3}/L_{\rm FIR}) are analyzed. Assuming nuclear compact starburst activity in these sources produces the 3.3 μ\mum PAH emission as strongly as that in starburst galaxies with lower far-infrared luminosities, the followings results are found: For six IRLGs, both the observed equivalent widths and the L3.3/LFIRL_{3.3}/L_{\rm FIR} ratios are too small to explain the bulk of their far-infrared luminosities by compact starburst activity, indicating that active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity is a dominant energy source. For the other three IRLGs, while the 3.3 μ\mum PAH equivalent widths are within the range of starburst galaxies, the L3.3/LFIRL_{3.3}/L_{\rm FIR} ratios after correction for screen dust extinction are a factor of ∼\sim3 smaller. The uncertainty in the dust extinction correction factor and in the scatter of the intrinsic L3.3/LFIRL_{3.3}/L_{\rm FIR} ratios for starburst galaxies do not allow a determination of the ultimate energy sources for these three IRLGs.
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