Symeonidis, M;
Page, M;
(2019)
What determines the shape of the local (z<0.1) infrared galaxy luminosity function?
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
, 485
(1)
L11-L15.
10.1093/mnrasl/slz022.
Preview |
Text
slz022.pdf - Published Version Download (399kB) | Preview |
Abstract
We investigate what shapes the infrared luminosity function of local galaxies by comparing it to the local infrared AGN luminosity function. The former corresponds to emission from dust heated by stars and AGN, whereas the latter includes emission from AGN-heated dust only. Our results show that infrared emission from AGN starts mixing into the galaxy luminosity function in the luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) regime and becomes significant in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) regime, with the luminosity above which local ULIRGs become AGN-dominated being in the log(LIR/Lsun)~12.2-12.7 range. We propose that as a result of the AGN contribution, the infrared galaxy luminosity function has a flatter high luminosity slope than UV/optical galaxy luminosity functions. Furthermore, we note that the increased AGN contribution as a function of LIR is reflected in the average dust temperature (Tdust) of local galaxies, and may be responsible for the local LIR-Tdust relation. However, although our results show that AGN play a central role in defining the properties of local ULIRGs, we find that the dominant power source in the local ULIRG population is star-formation.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | What determines the shape of the local (z<0.1) infrared galaxy luminosity function? |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/mnrasl/slz022 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slz022 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | galaxies: luminosity function, mass function, quasars: general, galaxies: star formation, infrared: galaxies |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Space and Climate Physics |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10074460 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
