2003AJ....125.1210A -
Astron. J., 125, 1210-1225 (2003/March-0)
The [Fe II] 1.644 micron emission in M82 and NGC 253: is it a measure of the supernova rate?
ALONSO-HERRERO A., RIEKE G.H., RIEKE M.J. and KELLY D.M.
Abstract (from CDS):
We present Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS [Fe II] 1.644 µm, Paα (1.87 µm), and continuum images of the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 253 at an unprecedented spatial resolution. In both galaxies we detect [Fe II] compact sources superposed on a diffuse background in the disk of the galaxies, together with a component above and below the plane of the galaxy. The radio and [Fe II] emissions perpendicular to the disk of M82 show a remarkable similarity to each other, suggesting that both emissions originate in shocks from supernova explosions. We find a spatial correspondence between bright compact [Fe II]-emitting regions and the location of radio supernova remnants (SNRs) for approximately 30%-50% of radio SNRs in M82 and NGC 253. This lack of a one-to-one correspondence, more than being indicative of a different origin for the radio and [Fe II] emission in starbursts, suggests two populations of SNRs: an older population (≲104 yr), traced by the [Fe II] emission, and a younger population (a few hundred years old), traced by the radio SNRs. We therefore conclude that the [Fe II] emission in starburst galaxies provides a good estimate of the supernova activity. Using our newly determined [Fe II] luminosities (corrected for extinction) of M82 and NGC 253, we reevaluate the calibration of the supernova rate in terms of the [Fe II] luminosity for starburst galaxies.
Abstract Copyright:
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Journal keyword(s):
Galaxies: Individual: Messier Number: M82 - Galaxies: Individual: NGC Number: NGC 253 - Galaxies: Nuclei - Galaxies: Stellar Content - Infrared Radiation
CDS comments:
Table 2: Regions E1, W1, W2 not in SIMBAD.
Simbad objects:
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