Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies

We present nuclear (100–150 pc) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for a sample of 23 nearby luminous infrared galaxies hosting a total of 28 nuclei. We gather aperture photometry from high-resolution X-ray to submillimeter data for each nuclear region localized by Atacama Large Millimeter/submill...

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Main Authors: Tianmu Gao, Vivian U, Connor W. Auge, Yiqing Song, Sean T. Linden, Kazushi Iwasawa, Alessandro Peca, George C. Privon, David B. Sanders, Núria Torres-Albà, Loreto Barcos-Muñoz, James Agostino, Anne M. Medling
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add0b2
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author Tianmu Gao
Vivian U
Connor W. Auge
Yiqing Song
Sean T. Linden
Kazushi Iwasawa
Alessandro Peca
George C. Privon
David B. Sanders
Núria Torres-Albà
Loreto Barcos-Muñoz
James Agostino
Anne M. Medling
author_facet Tianmu Gao
Vivian U
Connor W. Auge
Yiqing Song
Sean T. Linden
Kazushi Iwasawa
Alessandro Peca
George C. Privon
David B. Sanders
Núria Torres-Albà
Loreto Barcos-Muñoz
James Agostino
Anne M. Medling
author_sort Tianmu Gao
collection DOAJ
description We present nuclear (100–150 pc) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for a sample of 23 nearby luminous infrared galaxies hosting a total of 28 nuclei. We gather aperture photometry from high-resolution X-ray to submillimeter data for each nuclear region localized by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the dust continuum. We model the broadband SEDs using X-CIGALE. Binning the merging systems by interaction class, we find that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction (fraction of AGN infrared luminosity to total infrared luminosity) appears enhanced in the late- and post-merger stages compared to the early-merger stage. Examining the relationship between X-ray emission and infrared emission of the nuclear regions, we find that the infrared emission in the nuclei is dominated by dust and AGNs, with minimal contribution from stars. We also find that nuclear regions have higher X-ray hardness ratios than the host galaxies globally among both the AGN and non-AGN population. We highlight the similarities and differences in the SEDs of dual nuclei in five closely separated late-stage merging systems: Arp 220 ( d _nuc  ∼ 0.5 kpc), NGC 6240 ( d _nuc  ∼ 1 kpc), IRAS 07251−0248 ( d _nuc  ∼ 2 kpc), IRAS F12112+0305 ( d _nuc  ∼ 4 kpc), and IRAS F14348+1447 ( d _nuc  ∼ 6 kpc). The SEDs for these resolved pairs are distinct, suggesting that the AGN state is much more susceptible to the stellar and dust content within the immediate circumnuclear (<150 pc) environment than to the host’s global infrared luminosity or merger stage.
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spelling doaj-art-5bc962be2d6442f0b5f5f4ecef59fca92025-08-20T03:25:29ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01988218510.3847/1538-4357/add0b2Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared GalaxiesTianmu Gao0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1158-6372Vivian U1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1912-0024Connor W. Auge2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5504-8752Yiqing Song3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3139-3041Sean T. Linden4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1000-6081Kazushi Iwasawa5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4923-3281Alessandro Peca6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2196-3298George C. Privon7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3474-1125David B. Sanders8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1233-9998Núria Torres-Albà9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3638-8943Loreto Barcos-Muñoz10https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0057-8892James Agostino11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8122-3032Anne M. Medling12https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7421-2944Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Weston Creek, ACT 2611, Australia ; tianmu.gao@anu.edu.au; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , AustraliaIPAC , Caltech, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4129 Frederick Reines Hall, University of California , Irvine, CA 92697, USAEureka Scientific , 2452 Delmer Street, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 94602-3017, USA; Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USAEuropean Southern Observatory , Alonso de Córdova, 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, 763-0355, Chile; Joint ALMA Observatory , Alonso de Córdova, 3107, Vitacura, Santiago, 763-0355, ChileSteward Observatory, University of Arizona , 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAInstitut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB) , Martí i Franquès, 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; ICREA , Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, SpainEureka Scientific , 2452 Delmer Street, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 94602-3017, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University , P.O. Box 208120, New Haven, CT 06520, USANational Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia , 530 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Florida , P.O. Box 112055, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of Virginia , 530 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University , Kinard Lab of Physics, Clemson, SC 29634, USANational Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia , 530 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USARitter Astrophysical Research Center and Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Toledo , Toledo, OH 43606, USAARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia; Ritter Astrophysical Research Center and Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Toledo , Toledo, OH 43606, USAWe present nuclear (100–150 pc) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for a sample of 23 nearby luminous infrared galaxies hosting a total of 28 nuclei. We gather aperture photometry from high-resolution X-ray to submillimeter data for each nuclear region localized by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the dust continuum. We model the broadband SEDs using X-CIGALE. Binning the merging systems by interaction class, we find that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction (fraction of AGN infrared luminosity to total infrared luminosity) appears enhanced in the late- and post-merger stages compared to the early-merger stage. Examining the relationship between X-ray emission and infrared emission of the nuclear regions, we find that the infrared emission in the nuclei is dominated by dust and AGNs, with minimal contribution from stars. We also find that nuclear regions have higher X-ray hardness ratios than the host galaxies globally among both the AGN and non-AGN population. We highlight the similarities and differences in the SEDs of dual nuclei in five closely separated late-stage merging systems: Arp 220 ( d _nuc  ∼ 0.5 kpc), NGC 6240 ( d _nuc  ∼ 1 kpc), IRAS 07251−0248 ( d _nuc  ∼ 2 kpc), IRAS F12112+0305 ( d _nuc  ∼ 4 kpc), and IRAS F14348+1447 ( d _nuc  ∼ 6 kpc). The SEDs for these resolved pairs are distinct, suggesting that the AGN state is much more susceptible to the stellar and dust content within the immediate circumnuclear (<150 pc) environment than to the host’s global infrared luminosity or merger stage.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add0b2Active galaxiesGalaxy interactionsGalaxy photometryInfrared galaxiesGalaxy nucleiSpectral energy distribution
spellingShingle Tianmu Gao
Vivian U
Connor W. Auge
Yiqing Song
Sean T. Linden
Kazushi Iwasawa
Alessandro Peca
George C. Privon
David B. Sanders
Núria Torres-Albà
Loreto Barcos-Muñoz
James Agostino
Anne M. Medling
Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
The Astrophysical Journal
Active galaxies
Galaxy interactions
Galaxy photometry
Infrared galaxies
Galaxy nuclei
Spectral energy distribution
title Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
title_full Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
title_fullStr Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
title_full_unstemmed Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
title_short Nuclear Spectral Energy Distributions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
title_sort nuclear spectral energy distributions of luminous infrared galaxies
topic Active galaxies
Galaxy interactions
Galaxy photometry
Infrared galaxies
Galaxy nuclei
Spectral energy distribution
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add0b2
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