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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
The Herschel Exploitation of Local Galaxy Andromeda (HELGA): VII. A SKIRT radiative transfer model and insights on dust heating
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 599, Article A64, Year 2017
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Description
The radiation from stars heats dust grains in the diffuse interstellar medium and in star-forming regions in galaxies. Modelling this interaction provides information on dust in galaxies, a vital ingredient for their evolution. It is not straightforward to identify the stellar populations heating the dust, and to link attenuation to emission on a sub-galactic scale. Radiative transfer models are able to simulate this dust-starlight interaction in a realistic, three-dimensional setting. We investigate the dust heating mechanisms on a local and global galactic scale, using the Andromeda galaxy (M 31) as our laboratory. We have performed a series of panchromatic radiative transfer simulations of Andromeda with our code SKIRT. The high inclination angle of M 31 complicates the 3D modelling and causes projection effects. However, the observed morphology and flux density are reproduced fairly well from UV to sub-millimeter wavelengths. Our model reveals a realistic attenuation curve, compatible with previous, observational estimates. We find that the dust in M 31 is mainly (91% of the absorbed luminosity) heated by the evolved stellar populations. The bright bulge produces a strong radiation field and induces non-local heating up to the main star-forming ring at 10 kpc. The relative contribution of unevolved stellar populations to the dust heating varies strongly with wavelength and with galactocentric distance. The dust heating fraction of unevolved stellar populations correlates strongly with NUV-r colour and specific star formation rate. These two related parameters are promising probes for the dust heating sources at a local scale. © ESO, 2017.
Authors & Co-Authors
Viaene, Sébastien
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Baes, Maarten
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Tamm, Antti
Estonia, Tartu
Tartu Observatoorium
Tempel, Elmo
Estonia, Tartu
Tartu Observatoorium
Bendo, George J.
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Blommaert, Joris A.D.L.
Belgium, Leuven
Ku Leuven
Belgium, Brussels
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Boquien, Médéric
Chile, Antofagasta
Universidad de Antofagasta
Boselli, Alessandro
France, Marseille
Aix Marseille Université
Camps, Peter
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Cooray, Asantha Roshan
United States, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
de Looze, Ilse
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
United Kingdom, London
University College London
de Vis, Pieter
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Fernández-Ontiveros, Juan Antonio Antonio
Italy, Rome
Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica, Rome
Fritz, Jacopo
Mexico, Morelia
Unam Campus Morelia
Galametz, Maud
Germany, Garching Bei Munchen
European Southern Observatory
Gentile, Gianfranco
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Madden, Suzanne C.
France, Gif-sur-yvette
Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation de Paris-saclay
Smith, Matthew W.L.
United Kingdom, Cardiff
Cardiff University
Spinoglio, Luigi
Italy, Rome
Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica, Rome
Statistics
Citations: 55
Authors: 19
Affiliations: 14
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1051/0004-6361/201629251
ISSN:
00046361
Research Areas
Cancer
Environmental