Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 1987
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1987nascp2466..387h&link_type=abstract
Star formation in galaxies, Proceedings of a conference at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, June 16
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Far Infrared Radiation, High Temperature Gases, Radio Sources (Astronomy), Star Formation, Stellar Luminosity, Stellar Spectra, Infrared Astronomy, Ionized Gases, Lyman Alpha Radiation, Molecular Clouds, Particle Collisions, Photon Density, Ultraviolet Absorption
Scientific paper
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) survey uncovered a class of Extremely Luminous Far Infrared Sources (ELFS), exhibiting luminosities up to and occasionally exceeding 10 to the 12th power L0. Arguments are presented to show that sources with luminosities L equal to or greater than 3 x 10 to the 10th power L0 may represent gas rich galaxies in collision. The more conventional explanation of these sources as sites of extremely active star formation fails to explain the observed low optical luminosities of ELFS as well as their high infrared excess. In contrast, a collisional model heats gas to a temperature of approx. 10 to the 6th power K where cooling takes place in the extreme ultraviolet. The UV is absorbed by dust and converted into far infrared radiation (FIR) without generation of appreciable optical luminosity. Gas recombination as it cools generates a Lyman alpha photon only once for every two extreme ultraviolet approx. 50eV photons emitted by the 10 to the 6th power gas. That accounts for the high infrared excess. Finally, the model also is able to explain the observed luminosity distribution of ELFS as well as many other traits.
Harwit Martin
Houck James R.
Palumbo Giorgio G. C.
Soifer Thomas B.
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