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The Evolution of and Starburst-AGN Connection in Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies and their Link to Globular Cluster Formation
Stephanie L. Fiorenza Graduate Center, City University of New York
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THE EVOLUTION OF AND STARBURST- AGN CONNECTION IN LUMINOUS AND ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES AND THEIR LINK TO GLOBULAR CLUSTER FORMATION
by
Stephanie Lynn Fiorenza
A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Physics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014
i
© 2014
Stephanie Lynn Fiorenza
All Rights Reserved
ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Physics in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Dr. Charles T. Liu
______Date Chair of Examining Committee
Dr. Steven G. Greenbaum
______Date Executive Officer
Dr. Alfred Levine Dr. Matthew O’Dowd Dr. Emily Rice Dr. Sivarani Thirupathi ______Supervisory Committee
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
iii Abstract
THE EVOLUTION OF AND STARBURST- AGN CONNECTION IN LUMINOUS AND ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES AND THEIR LINK TO GLOBULAR CLUSTER FORMATION
BY
STEPHANIE LYNN FIORENZA
Advisor: Dr. Charles T. Liu
The evolutionary connection between nuclear starbursts and active galactic nuclei (AGN) in
11 12 luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs; 10 o 12 13 (ULIRGs; 10 < LIR < 10 L), which result from galaxy interactions and mergers and produce the bulk of their radiation as infrared (IR) emission, is not well understood. To this effort, I first 11 13 spectroscopically examine U/LIRGs (10 < LIR < 10 L⊙) within the IRAS 2 Jansky Redshift Survey with 0.05 < z < 0.16. Using new spectrophotometric data, I classify the primary source of IR radiation as being a nuclear starburst or a type of AGN by using the Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich (BPT) diagrams. I iv show that for the U/LIRGs in my sample the properties that describe their nuclear starbursts and AGN (e.g. star formation rate (SFR), L[O III], optical D parameter, D4000, and EW(Hδ)) are independent of one another, ensuring that no biases affect correlations between these properties and objects' locations on the BPT diagrams. I then derive evolutionary paths on the BPT diagram involving [N II]/Hα that are based on how these properties vary between two U/LIRGs positioned at the end-points. The paths involve U/LIRGs that decrease in SFR and increase in AGN activity. Paths with U/LIRGs that evolve into high luminosity AGN likely do so due to recent, strong starbursts. Second, to study how the properties of the IR power sources in U/LIRGs vary, I use a combination of photometric data points that I carefully measure (using photometry from SDSS, 2MASS, WISE, and Spitzer) and that I retrieve from catalogues (IRAS, AKARI, and ISO) to perform UV to FIR SED-fitting with CIGALE (Code Investigating GALaxy Emission) for 34 U/LIRGs from the IRAS 2 Jy Redshift Survey with 0.01 < z < 0.16. CIGALE allows for the estimation of numerous physical properties by means of a Bayesian-like analysis, but for this work I focus on derived outputs for the SFR, AGN contribution, D4000, stellar mass (Mstar), young stellar population age (i.e. the age of the most recent starburst activity), starburst mass fraction, luminosity absorbed by dust, and stellar mass-weighted age. Comparing the properties of the IR power sources in U/LIRGs with age-related properties provides clues as to which type of IR power source forms first and how starburst age varies with starburst/AGN strength. I find evidence that the nuclear starburst forms first in U/LIRGs, and also find that U/LIRGs with relatively similar SFRs show increased AGN activity if they are older. However, I also find that a young U/LIRG can show a relatively large amount of AGN activity if a very large starburst is present. Then, I quantify the timescales at which the starburst activity in my v U/LIRGs evolves with the use of the Tukey-Kramer method of statistical analysis, and fit an exponential curve to the data to describe the expected amount of decrease in SFR seen for a U/LIRG in my sample over a given change in starburst age. Finally, I find evidence that the stellar mass and starburst mass fractions influence whether a U/LIRG in my sample will have a strong AGN and SFR, respectively. I compare the SFR-Mstar relationship seen in my sample with those predicted by models and found from previous observations. I find that the U/LIRGs with older starbursts (>125 Myr) agree with previous results, while those with younger starbursts show a large dispersion in Mstar. I conclude that this is supporting evidence that the star formation histories and timescales at which the IR power sources in U/LIRGs evolve are responsible for the scatter found for the SFR-Mstar relationship. U/LIRGs that form from merging gas-rich disk galaxies could also represent a stage of galaxy evolution involving heavy formation of globular clusters (GCs). It has been suggested that a large number of stellar clusters form during the merging of two gas-rich disk galaxies, leading to open and young massive clusters with the latter likely evolving into GCs. Furthering our understanding of GC formation can uncover the connection between GCs and their host galaxies, which could, at some point during their formation or evolution, be U/LIRGs. To understand GC formation in the context of hierarchical galaxy formation, it is necessary to understand the origin of their abundance patterns. To this effort, I use SDSS spectra from Data Release 8 and 9 to estimate carbon (C) abundances for five GCs by matching synthetic spectra, created with TURBOSPECTRUM using atmospheric parameters derived from the Segue Stellar Parameter Pipeline, with observed spectra at the CH G-band feature. I find large spreads in the C abundances throughout the color magnitude diagrams of the GCs, which serves as evidence for multiple stellar populations, in contrast to standard models of GC formation. vi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my parents, Todd and Donna, for always being there for me, and for always believing that I could do anything I wanted. You both gave me more than I could have ever imagined of both the stuff that money can buy and the things in life that are even harder to find. I want to thank my brother, Mike, for helping me with computer glitches and discussing programming in Python with me – and you know you always have fun doing it! I want to thank my sister, Mallory, for her encouraging words over the years. I also would like to thank my entire extended family for their encouragement, and give a special thank you to Randy Fiorenza, my Godfather and uncle, for all of the financial and moral support he has given me over the years. Without your generosity my life would be very different. I would like to thank all of the research advisors that I have had the pleasure of working with: Dr. Charles Liu, my thesis advisor, Dr. Tsutomu Takeuchi of Nagoya University in Japan, and Dr. Sivarani Thirupathi of the Indian Institute for Astrophysics in Bangalore, India. I also want to thank Dr. Timothy Beers for giving me an opportunity to continue the work I began in India at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, AZ. I also wish to thank Dr. Kasia Malek of Nagoya University for the many useful comments and scientific discussions. I am also appreciative of the members of my thesis committee for taking the time to read my dissertation and prepare thoughtful questions for my defense: my thesis advisor, Dr. Charles Liu, as well as Dr. Alfred Levine, Dr. Matthew O’Dowd, Dr. Emily Rice, and Dr. Sivarani Thirupathi. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who believed in me, but also all of those who did not. It has been fun proving you wrong! vii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies ...... 1 1.1 What are Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies? ...... 2 1.2 Overview of Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies ...... 4 1.2.1 Discovery ...... 4 1.2.2 Interactions and Merging in U/LIRGs ...... 6 1.2.3 Nuclear Starbursts and AGN as Nuclear Power Sources in U/LIRGs ...... 8 1.2.4 Understanding the Starburst-AGN Connection in U/LIRGs ...... 10 Chapter 2: Evolutionary Paths along the BPT Diagram for Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies ...... 15 2.1 Abstract ...... 16 2.2 Introduction ...... 17 2.3 Sample and Observations ...... 20 2.3.1 IRAS 2 Jy Redshift Survey...... 20 2.3.2 Optical Spectrophotometry ...... 21 2.3.3 Spectral Corrections Using Emission-line Measurements ...... 26 2.3.4 Measurement of Emission Lines ...... 29 2.4 Spectroscopic Classification ...... 31 2.5 Determination of Spectroscopic Properties ...... 36 2.5.1 Star Formation Rates ...... 37 2.5.2 AGN Strength ...... 38 2.5.2.1 [O III] Luminosity ...... 38 2.5.2.2 Optical D Parameter ...... 40 2.5.3 Stellar Population Age ...... 41 2.5.4 Recent Starburst Activity ...... 42 2.5.5 A Comparison of Total and Corrected Flux Values ...... 43 2.6 Discussion ...... 45 2.6.1 Trends of Measured Properties ...... 45 2.6.2 Evolutionary Paths along the BPT Diagram ...... 54 2.7 Summary ...... 60 Chapter 3: Properties of Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies Derived from SED-fitting with CIGALE ...... 63 3.1 Abstract ...... 64 3.2 Introduction ...... 66 3.3 Sample and Data ...... 72 3.4 SED-fitting Technique: Description of the CIGALE Code ...... 91 3.4.1 Stellar Populations and Star Formation Histories...... 92 3.4.2 Dust Attenuation and Infrared Emission ...... 95 3.4.3 Active Galactic Nucleus Contribution ...... 98 3.4.4 Construction of Mock Catalogue Dedicated to the Sample to Check Reliability of Parameters...... 101 3.5 Results of the SED-fitting Analysis ...... 103 3.5.1 Analysis of Results for the Mock Catalogue ...... 103 3.5.2 Analysis of Results for the U/LIRG Sample ...... 112 3.6 Discussion ...... 123 3.6.1 Relative Ages of U/LIRGs of Varying Star Formation Rate and AGN Contribution ...... 123 3.6.2 Timescales for the Evolution of U/LIRGs ...... 130 viii 3.6.3 The Influence of Stellar Mass on Star Formation Rate ...... 141 3.7 Summary ...... 148 Chapter 4: The Connection Between Globular Cluster Formation and Galaxy Evolution ...... 151 4.1 Introduction to Globular Cluster Formation ...... 152 4.2 Insights into Galaxy Evolution from Studies of Globular Cluster Formation ...... 154 Chapter 5: Carbon Abundances from SDSS Globular Clusters: Exploring the Origin in the Large Spread in [C/Fe] ...... 157 5.1 Abstract ...... 158 5.2 Introduction ...... 159 5.3 Sample and Data ...... 163 5.4 Carbon Abundance Estimation ...... 168 5.5 Results and Discussion ...... 171 5.6 Summary ...... 179 5.7 Follow-Up Study ...... 182 Chapter 6: Summary and Future Work ...... 217 Appendix A: Discussion of How the BPT Diagrams Distinguish between Star-forming Galaxies and those with Seyfert- and LINER-type AGN ...... 227 Appendix B: Spectral Energy Distributions for U/LIRGs with Measured Photometric Points and Data from the Literature ...... 230 Appendix C: Best-Fit Model Spectral Energy Distributions from CIGALE ...... 249 References ...... 257 Autobiographical Statement ...... 272 ix List of Tables Table 2.1 Observational Data...... 23 Table 2.2 Emission Line Fluxes ...... 30 Table 2.3 Spectral Classifications of the Nuclear Spectra ...... 35 Table 2.4 Properties Derived from Spectrophotometry ...... 36 Table 2.5 Comparison of Total Emission Line Flux Values to Corrected Values ...... 44 Table 3.1 Filter Flux Values for all Available Passbands ...... 77 Table 3.2 Parameter Values and Image Information for SDSS DR10 Photometry ...... 89 Table 3.3 Parameter Values and Image Information for 2MASS Photometry ...... 89 Table 3.4 Parameter Values and Image Information for Spitzer IRAC and MIPS Photometry ...... 90 Table 3.5 Parameter Values and Image Information for WISE Photometry ...... 90 Table 3.6 Values of Parameters Input into CIGALE ...... 99 Table 3.7 Properties of U/LIRG Subgroup Pairs ...... 138 Table 5.1 Globular Cluster Spectroscopic and Physical Properties ...... 164 Table 5.2 V-magnitudes of the Red Giant Branch Bumps for the Sample of Globular Clusters ...... 200 x List of Figures Figure 2.1: Thumbnail composite g–r–i images of all sample U/LIRGs taken from SDSS DR10 ...... 22 Figure 2.2: Optical spectrophotometry of the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 25 Figure 2.3: BPT diagrams for the nuclear data of the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 32 Figure 2.4: SFR vs. L[O III] for our sample of U/LIRGs...... 47 Figure 2.5: D vs. SFR for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 48 Figure 2.6: D4000 vs. SFR for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 49 Figure 2.7: D vs. L[O III] for the sample of U/LIRGs...... 50 Figure 2.8: D4000 vs. L[O III] for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 51 Figure 2.9: EW(Hδ) vs. L[O III] for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 52 Figure 2.10: EW(Hδ) vs. SFR for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 53 Figure 2.11: BPT diagrams with evolutionary paths ...... 59 Figure 3.1: Thumbnail composite g–r–i images of IRAS 02203+3158 and IRAS 08507+3520 ...... 73 Figure 3.2: Example curve of growth and aperture selection from APT ...... 74 Figure 3.3: The AGN templates from Fritz et al. (2006) ...... 100 Figure 3.4: log(SFR) for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 104 Figure 3.5: fAGN for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 105 Figure 3.6: D4000 for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 106 Figure 3.7: log(Mstar) for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 107 Figure 3.8: log(t2) for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 108 Figure 3.9: log(fySP) for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 109 Figure 3.10: log(Ldust) for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE...... 110 Figure 3.11: ageM for the mock catalogue vs. CIGALE ...... 111 Figure 3.12: The best-fit model SED superimposed over the observed data for IRAS 13496+0221 and IRAS 12265+0219 ...... 112 Figure 3.13: The reduced 2 distribution ...... 114 Figure 3.14: The distribution of SFRs for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 115 Figure 3.15: The distribution of AGN contributions for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 116 Figure 3.16: The distribution of D4000 for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 117 Figure 3.17: The distribution of Mstar for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 118 Figure 3.18: The distribution of ageM for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 119 xi Figure 3.19: The distribution of fySP for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 120 Figure 3.20: The distribution of Ldust for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 121 Figure 3.21: The distribution of ageM for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 122 Figure 3.22: SFR vs. AGN contribution for varying D4000 ...... 126 Figure 3.23: SFR vs. AGN contribution for varying t2 ...... 127 Figure 3.24: SFR vs. AGN contribution for varying ageM ...... 129 Figure 3.25: Box-whisker plot comparing SFRs for t2 < 125 Myr and t2 > 125 Myr ... 131 Figure 3.26: Box-whisker plot comparing SFRs for t2 < 150 Myr and t2 > 150 Myr ... 132 Figure 3.27: Box-whisker plot comparing SFRs for t2 < 155 Myr and t2 > 155 Myr ... 133 Figure 3.28: SFR vs. t2 ...... 140 Figure 3.29: SFR vs. AGN contribution for varying Ldust ...... 142 Figure 3.30: SFR vs. AGN contribution for varying Mstar ...... 143 Figure 3.31: SFR vs. AGN contribution for varying fySP ...... 144 Figure 3.32: The SFR-Mstar relationship for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 147 Figure 5.1: Stars with available photometry in the field of M13 ...... 166 Figure 5.2: An example of the spectral matching process for the estimation of carbon abundance in a member star of M13 ...... 170 Figure 5.3: CMDs, [Fe/H] distribution, & [C/Fe] distribution for M2 ...... 174 Figure 5.4: CMDs, [Fe/H] distribution, & [C/Fe] distribution for M3 ...... 175 Figure 5.5: CMDs, [Fe/H] distribution, & [C/Fe] distribution for M13 ...... 176 Figure 5.6: CMDs, [Fe/H] distribution, & [C/Fe] distribution for M15 ...... 177 Figure 5.7: CMDs, [Fe/H] distribution, & [C/Fe] distribution for M92 ...... 178 Figure 5.8: Examples of detections of CH G-band ...... 186 Figure 5.9: Examples of upper and lower limits of [C/Fe] ...... 187 Figure 5.10: [Fe/H] distribution for all stars detected, M2 ...... 189 Figure 5.11: Radial velocity distribution for all stars detected, M2 ...... 190 Figure 5.12: [Fe/H] distribution for all stars detected, M3 ...... 191 Figure 5.13: Radial velocity distribution for all stars detected, M3 ...... 192 Figure 5.14: [Fe/H] distribution for all stars detected, M13...... 193 Figure 5.15: Radial velocity distribution for all stars detected, M13 ...... 194 Figure 5.16: [Fe/H] distribution for all stars detected, M15...... 195 Figure 5.17: Radial velocity distribution for all stars detected, M15 ...... 196 xii Figure 5.18: [Fe/H] distribution for all stars detected, M92...... 197 Figure 5.19: Radial velocity distribution for all stars detected, M92 ...... 198 Figure 5.20: [C/Fe] distribution for stars below the RGB bump in M2 ...... 201 Figure 5.21: [C/Fe] distribution for stars above the RGB bump in M2 ...... 202 Figure 5.22: [C/Fe] distribution for stars below the RGB bump in M3 ...... 203 Figure 5.23: [C/Fe] distribution for stars above the RGB bump in M3 ...... 204 Figure 5.24: [C/Fe] distribution for stars below the RGB bump in M13 ...... 205 Figure 5.25: [C/Fe] distribution for stars above the RGB bump in M13 ...... 206 Figure 5.26: [C/Fe] distribution for stars below the RGB bump in M15 ...... 207 Figure 5.27: [C/Fe] distribution for stars above the RGB bump in M15 ...... 208 Figure 5.28: [C/Fe] distribution for stars below the RGB bump in M92 ...... 209 Figure 5.29: V-magnitude vs. [C/Fe] for the member stars in M2 ...... 212 Figure 5.30: V-magnitude vs. [C/Fe] for the member stars in M3 ...... 213 Figure 5.31: V-magnitude vs. [C/Fe] for the member stars in M13 ...... 214 Figure 5.32: V-magnitude vs. [C/Fe] for the member stars in M15 ...... 215 Figure 5.33: V-magnitude vs. [C/Fe] for the member stars in M92 ...... 216 Figure B.1 Spectral energy distributions for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 231 Figure C.1 The best-fit model SEDs as determined by CIGALE superimposed over the observed data for the sample of U/LIRGs ...... 250 xiii Chapter 1 Introduction to Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies 1 1.1 What are Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies? Luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are galaxies that emit the majority of their radiation as infrared (IR) emission. LIRGs and ULIRGs have IR 11 12 luminosities (LIR, defined as the emission between 8 – 1000 m) between 10 and 10 L and 12 13 between 10 and 10 L, respectively. Some of the brightest galaxies in the universe are LIRGs, 13 ULIRGs, or even hyperluminous infrared galaxies (HyLIRGs), which have LIR < 10 L. However, this was not realized until the 1983 launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS; Neugebauer et al. 1984), which surveyed ~96% of the sky at near-IR (NIR) to far-IR (FIR) wavelengths. IRAS resulted in the detection of tens of thousands of galaxies, most of which had not been previously detected in the optical, and revolutionized galaxy classification. Using IRAS data, one can determine LIR from the equations: ( ) L 8 − 1000 �m = 4�D F (L), (1.1)