Title
The Ionized Gas in Nearby Galaxies as Traced by the [NII] 122 and 205 um Transitions
Author
Herrera-Camus, Rodrigo (University of Maryland; Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Garching)
Bolatto, Alberto (University of Maryland)
Smith, J. D T (University of Toledo)
Draine, Bruce (Princeton University)
Pellegrini, E. (University of Heidelberg)
Wolfire, Mark (University of Maryland)
Croxall, Kevin (Ohio State University)
Looze, Ilse De (University of Cambridge)
Calzetti, D. (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Kennicutt, Robert (University of Heidelberg)
Crocker, A. (Reed College)
Armus, Lee (California Institute of Technology)
Van Der Werf, P. (Universiteit Leiden)
Sandstrom, Karin (University of California)
Galametz, Maud (European Southern Observatory)
Brandl, B.R. (TU Delft Astrodynamics & Space Missions; Universiteit Leiden)
Groves, Brent (Australian National University)
Rigopoulou, D. (University of Oxford)
Walter, Fabian (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie)
Leroy, A. (Ohio State University)
Boquien, Mederic (University of Cambridge)
Tabatabaei, F. S. (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias)
Beirão, Pedro (Observatoire de Paris)
Date
2016
Abstract
The [NII] 122 and 205 um transitions are powerful tracers of the ionized gas in the ISM: (1) the [NII] 122/205 line ratio can be used to measure the electron density of the low-excitation, ionized gas, and (2) the intensity of these lines is directly related to the flux of ionizing photons, probing the most recent star formation activity. The study of these applications in nearby galaxies is specially relevant now that ALMA can observe both [NII] transitions at z>2. In this talk I will present Herschel observations of these pair of [NII] far-infrared lines in 21 nearby galaxies selected from the KINGFISH and Beyond the Peak samples. I will discuss the reliability of the [NII] lines as star formation tracers, and how the electron density of the ionized gas is related to other relevant ISM properties (e.g., radiation field strength, star formation activity, dust temperature, etc).
Subject
star formation
ISM
structure
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:0a39c618-cab0-4686-9660-aa758837d9ee
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/826/2/175
ISSN
0004-637X
Source
The Astrophysical Journal: an international review of astronomy and astronomical physics, 826 (175)
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
journal article
Rights
© 2016 Rodrigo Herrera-Camus, Alberto Bolatto, J. D T Smith, Bruce Draine, E. Pellegrini, Mark Wolfire, Kevin Croxall, Ilse De Looze, D. Calzetti, Robert Kennicutt, A. Crocker, Lee Armus, P. Van Der Werf, Karin Sandstrom, Maud Galametz, B.R. Brandl, Brent Groves, D. Rigopoulou, Fabian Walter, A. Leroy, Mederic Boquien, F. S. Tabatabaei, Pedro Beirão