[Ne V] Emission from Optically Classified Starbursts

Details [Ne V] Emission from Optically Classified Starbursts [Ne V] Emission from Optically Classified Starbursts

Dec 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...21114111a&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #211, #141.11; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.992

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

The infrared [Ne V] emission lines at 14 and 24 microns is thought of as an excellent tracer of AGN activity. However, stellar evolution models predict Wolf-Rayet stars in young stellar clusters which emit photons capable of creating Ne4+. In addition, [Ne V] emission has been recently detected by Spitzer in galaxies which are optically classified as a starburst. These facts require models to investigate the possibility that the observed [Ne V] emission in optically classified starburst galaxies is due to starburst activity. We calculate the optical and IR spectrum of gas simultaneously exposed to a young starburst and AGN radiation field using Cloudy. We find: 1) a range of parameters where [Ne V] emission can be explained solely by a young starburst and 2) a range of relative AGN to starburst luminosities that reproduces the observed [Ne V] flux and leaves the optical spectrum looking like a starburst. We also find the infrared emission-line diagnostics are much more sensitive to the AGN than optical diagnostic ratios, particularly for weak AGN. We apply our model to the [Ne V] detection in NGC 3621, a galaxy which is optically classified as a starburst . We find as much as 50% of the galaxy's total luminosity can be explained by AGN activity. Our calculations show, when both the optical and IR spectrum is taken into account, [Ne V] emission is likely always the result of AGN activity. The models presented in this work can be used to estimate the AGN contribution to a galaxy's power output.

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