Probing the interstellar medium of NGC 1569 with Herschel

NGC 1569 has some of the most vigorous star formation among nearby galaxies. It hosts two super star clusters (SSCs) and has a higher star formation rate (SFR) per unit area than other starburst dwarf galaxies. Extended emission beyond the galaxy's optical body is observed in warm and hot ioniz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2014-11, Vol.445 (1), p.1003-1022
Main Authors: Lianou, S., Barmby, P., Rémy-Ruyer, A., Madden, S. C., Galliano, F., Lebouteiller, V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Dust
Dwarf galaxies
Emission
Emissions
Holes
Hydrogen
Interstellar matter
Knots
Photometry
Star formation
Stars & galaxies
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Summary:NGC 1569 has some of the most vigorous star formation among nearby galaxies. It hosts two super star clusters (SSCs) and has a higher star formation rate (SFR) per unit area than other starburst dwarf galaxies. Extended emission beyond the galaxy's optical body is observed in warm and hot ionized and atomic hydrogen gas; a cavity surrounds the SSCs. We aim to understand the impact of the massive star formation on the surrounding interstellar medium in NGC 1569 through a study of its stellar and dust properties. We use Herschel and ancillary multiwavelength observations, from the ultraviolet to the submillimetre regime, to construct its spectral energy distribution, which we model with magphys on ∼300 pc scales at the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) 250 μm resolution. The multiwavelength morphology shows low levels of dust emission in the cavity, and a concentration of several dust knots in its periphery. The extended emission seen in the ionized and neutral hydrogen observations is also present in the far-infrared emission. The dust mass is higher in the periphery of the cavity, driven by ongoing star formation and dust emission knots. The SFR is highest in the central region, while the specific SFR is more sensitive to the ongoing star formation. The region encompassing the cavity and SSCs contains only 12 per cent of the dust mass of the central starburst, in accord with other tracers of the interstellar medium. The gas-to-dust mass ratio is lower in the cavity and fluctuates to higher values in its periphery.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/stu1770