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[63.25] The Relationship of Mid-Infrared PAH Emission to Far-Infrared Luminosity in Star-Forming Galaxies in the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Survey

J. A. Monkiewicz (Steward Observatory), M. E. Dickinson (National Optical Astronomy Observatory), P. Davoodi, S. J. Oliver (University of Sussex), C. A. Tremonti (Steward Observatory), R. Chary (Spitzer Science Center)

We examine the behavior of the 6-9 \mum PAH complex as a function of L_IR, using integrated 8, 24, and 70 \mum fluxes for star-forming galaxies in the Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE). Using redshifts measured by the Sloan Digitized Sky Survey, we measure 8 \mum-FIR flux ratios for 520 galaxies at z < 0.3, with 8-1000 \mum bolometric luminosities between 8.0 < log₁₀(L_IR) < 11.8. We use spectral line indices from the MPA/JHU Value-Added Catalog to study the behavior of the (f₈/f_IR)-L_IR relation as a function of metallicity and nuclear activity. Comparing with pre-Spitzer spectral templates (e.g., Chary & Elbaz 2001; Dale & Helou 2002) suggests that empirical refinements can be made which would improve the agreement of the mid- to far-infrared luminosity ratios. This low-redshift recalibration may be important when interpreting mid-infrared (e.g. MIPS 24 \mum) observations of galaxies at z ~2.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #4
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.