The Most Luminous Starbursts in the Universe

A summary of starburst luminosities based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features is given for 243 starburst galaxies with [image], observed with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph. Luminosity [image] (7.7 [mu]m) for the peak luminosity of the 7.7 [mu]m PAH emission feature is found to scal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2008-10, Vol.686 (1), p.127-137
Main Authors: Weedman, Daniel W, Houck, James R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
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Summary:A summary of starburst luminosities based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features is given for 243 starburst galaxies with [image], observed with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph. Luminosity [image] (7.7 [mu]m) for the peak luminosity of the 7.7 [mu]m PAH emission feature is found to scale as [image] for the most luminous starbursts observed. Empirical calibrations of [image] (7.7 [mu]m) are used to determine bolometric luminosity [image] and the star formation rate (SFR) for these starbursts. The most luminous starbursts found in this sample have [image], in ergs s[image], and the maximum star formation rates for starbursts in units of [image] yr[image] are [image], up to [image]. The exponent for pure luminosity evolution agrees with optical and radio studies of starbursts but is flatter than previous results based in infrared source counts. The maximum star formation rates are similar to the maxima determined for submillimeter galaxies; the most luminous individual starburst included within the sample has [image], which gives an SFR [image] yr[image].
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/591123