| Type |
Journal Article |
| Names |
John Moustakas, Robert C. Kennicutt, Christy A. Tremonti, Daniel A. Dale, John-David T. Smith, Daniela Calzetti |
| Publication |
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series |
| Volume |
190 |
| Issue |
2 |
| Pages |
233-266 |
| Date |
October 1, 2010 |
| URL |
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010ApJS..190..233M |
| Library Catalog |
NASA ADS |
| Abstract |
We present intermediate-resolution optical spectrophotometry of 65
galaxies obtained in support of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies
Survey (SINGS). For each galaxy we obtain a nuclear, circumnuclear, and
semi-integrated optical spectrum designed to coincide spatially with
mid- and far-infrared spectroscopy from the Spitzer Space Telescope. We
make the reduced, spectrophotometrically calibrated one-dimensional
spectra, as well as measurements of the fluxes and equivalent widths of
the strong nebular emission lines, publically available. We use optical
emission-line ratios measured on all three spatial scales to classify
the sample into star-forming, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and
galaxies with a mixture of star formation and nuclear activity. We find
that the relative fraction of the sample classified as star forming
versus AGN is a strong function of the integrated light enclosed by the
spectroscopic aperture. We supplement our observations with a large
database of nebular emission-line measurements of individual H II
regions in the SINGS galaxies culled from the literature. We use these
ancillary data to conduct a detailed analysis of the radial abundance
gradients and average H II-region abundances of a large fraction of the
sample. We combine these results with our new integrated spectra to
estimate the central and characteristic (globally averaged) gas-phase
oxygen abundances of all 75 SINGS galaxies. We conclude with an in-depth
discussion of the absolute uncertainty in the nebular oxygen abundance
scale. |
| Tags |
Atlases, GALAXIES: FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS, GALAXIES: STELLAR CONTENT, Galaxies: ISM, Techniques: Spectroscopic, galaxies: abundances |