GAMA/H-ATLAS: THE DUST OPACITY–STELLAR MASS SURFACE DENSITY RELATION FOR SPIRAL GALAXIES

We report the discovery of a well-defined correlation between B-band face-on central optical depth due to dust, [tau [supf] [subB]] , and the stellar mass surface density, mu , of nearby (z 0.13) spiral galaxies: log([tau [supf] [subB]]) = 1.12([+ or -]0.11). This relation was derived from a sample...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2013-03, Vol.766 (1), p.1-17
Main Authors: Grootes, M W, TUFFS, R J, Popescu, C C, PASTRAV, B, Andrae, E, GUNAWARDHANA, M, Kelvin, L S, Liske, J, Seibert, M, Taylor, E N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
Attenuation
CORRELATIONS
COSMIC DUST
DENSITY
Dust
GALAXIES
GROWTH
INCLINATION
OPACITY
PHOTOMETRY
REFRACTORIES
Samples
SCALING
Spiral galaxies
STARS
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
Stellar mass
SURFACES
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
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Summary:We report the discovery of a well-defined correlation between B-band face-on central optical depth due to dust, [tau [supf] [subB]] , and the stellar mass surface density, mu , of nearby (z 0.13) spiral galaxies: log([tau [supf] [subB]]) = 1.12([+ or -]0.11). This relation was derived from a sample of spiral galaxies taken from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey, which were detected in the FIR/sub-millimeter (sub-mm) in the Herschel-ATLAS science demonstration phase field. Using a quantitative analysis of the NUV attenuation-inclination relation for complete samples of GAMA spirals categorized according to stellar mass surface density, we demonstrate that this correlation can be used to statistically correct for dust attenuation purely on the basis of optical photometry and Sersic-profile morphological fits. Our results are consistent with a general picture of spiral galaxies in which most of the sub-mm emission originates from grains residing in translucent structures, exposed to UV in the diffuse interstellar radiation field.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1088/0004-637X/766/1/59