EVOLVING STARBURST MODELING OF FAR-INFRARED/SUBMILLIMETER/MILLIMETER LINE EMISSION. III. APPLICATION TO NEARBY LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES

Journal Article · Thu Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/716/1/341· OSTI ID:21450869

Yao Lihong, E-mail: [e-mail].c ^[1]; Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 ^[2]

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1. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada)
2. (United States)

In a previous work, we showed that the observed far-infrared/submillimeter/millimeter line spectra of a starburst galaxy (M82) can be successfully modeled in terms of the evolutionary scheme of an ensemble of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and shells, and such studies can usefully constrain the age(s) or star formation history of a starburst galaxy. In this paper, we present a preliminary study of using the template of an ensemble of evolving GMCs/shells we developed for M82. We apply the model to represent various stages of starburst evolution in a well-known sample of nearby luminous infrared galaxies. In this way, we attempt to interpret the relationship between the degree of molecular excitation and ratio of far-infrared (FIR) to {sup 12}CO (or simply CO) luminosity to possibly reflect different stages of the evolution of star-forming activity within their nuclear regions.

• OSTI ID: 21450869
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 716, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/716/1/341; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
EMISSION
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
LUMINOSITY
STARS
EVOLUTION
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES