Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999ap%26ss.269..357l&link_type=abstract
Astrophysics and Space Science, v. 269/270, p. 357-364 (1999).
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
3
Scientific paper
We present a set of spectral characteristics distinguishing optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from starbursts in the mid-IR. In AGN spectra, the Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIBs) are not detected which is probably due to the destruction of their carriers by the UV-X radiation field. In addition, a non-negligible continuum below 10 μm commonly associated with emission from very hot dust is exclusively present in AGNs. On the contrary, starburst spectra present clearly detected UIBs with a faint underlying continuum between 5-10 μm. Based on these features, we build a mid-IR diagnostic diagram to identify emission induced by the AGN and that associated with the star formation activity. This diagnostic based on the mid-IR continuum and the UIB intensity allows us to estimate the relative importance of the three components (HII regions, photo-dissociation regions (PDRs), and AGN) contained in the integrated mid-IR emission of galaxies. Our diagnostic diagram can be applied to reveal the presence of very obscured active nuclei behind large columns of dust.
Cesarsky Catherine
Charmandaris Vassilios
Gallais Pascal
Laurent Olivier
Mirabel Felix I.
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