Using [C II] 158 μm Emission from Isolated ISM Phases as a Star Formation Rate Indicator

Creators: Sutter, Jessica; Dale, Daniel A.; Croxall, Kevin V.; Pelligrini, Eric W.; Smith, J. D. T.; Appleton, Philip N.; Beirão, Pedro; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Calzetti, Daniela; Crocker, Alison; De Looze, Ilse; Draine, Bruce; Galametz, Maud; Groves, Brent A.; Helou, George; Herrera-Camus, Rodrigo; Hunt, Leslie K.; Kennicutt, Robert C.; Roussel, Hélène; Wolfire, Mark G.

Abstract

The brightest observed emission line in many star-forming galaxies is the [C II] 158 μm line, making it detectable up to z ~ 7. In order to better understand and quantify the [C II] emission as a tracer of star formation, the theoretical ratio between the [N II] 205 μm emission and the [C II] 158 μm emission has been employed to empirically determine the fraction of [C II] emission that originates from the ionized and neutral phases of the interstellar medium (ISM). Sub-kiloparsec measurements of the [C II] 158 μm and [N II] 205 μm lines in nearby galaxies have recently become available as part of the Key Insights in Nearby Galaxies: a Far Infrared Survey with Herschel (KINGFISH) and Beyond the Peak programs. With the information from these two far-infrared lines along with the multi-wavelength suite of KINGFISH data, a calibration of the [C II] emission line as a star formation rate (SFR) indicator and a better understanding of the [C II] deficit are pursued. [C II] emission is also compared to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission in these regions to compare photoelectric heating from PAH molecules to cooling by [C II] in the neutral and ionized phases of the ISM. We find that the [C II] emission originating in the neutral phase of the ISM does not exhibit a deficit with respect to the infrared luminosity and is therefore preferred over the [C II] emission originating in the ionized phase of the ISM as an SFR indicator for the normal star-forming galaxies included in this sample.

Additional Information

© 2019 The American Astronomical Society. Received 2019 March 15; revised 2019 October 1; accepted 2019 October 10; published 2019 November 20. We would like to thank George Privon and Tanio Díaz-Santos for enlightening discussions and contributions. D.A.D. would like to thank IPAC/Caltech for hosting him during the beginning stages of this research. This work was supported by NASA Headquarters under the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship Program, Grant #80NSSC18K1107, as the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium, NASA Grant #NNX15AI08H. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. IRAF, the Image Reduction and Analysis Facility, has been developed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

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