Spitzer Spectra of a 10 mJy Galaxy Sample and the Star Formation Rate in the Local Universe

TL;DR

This study uses Spitzer IRS spectra of a flux-limited galaxy sample to estimate the local universe's star formation rate density, confirming the 7.7um PAH feature as a reliable indicator for high-redshift galaxies.

Contribution

It provides the first complete flux-limited sample with spectral classifications and uses PAH luminosity to measure the local star formation rate density.

Findings

Local SFRD is 0.008 solar masses per year per cubic megaparsec.

Star formation rates in individual sources range from 0.14 to 160 solar masses per year.

The SFRD estimate is about half that derived from IRAS 60um data, mainly due to low-luminosity sources.

Abstract

A complete flux-limited sample of 50 galaxies is presented having f_{\nu}(24um) > 10mJy, chosen from a survey with the Multiband Imaging Photometer on Spitzer (MIPS) of 8.2 deg^{2} within the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey region in Bootes (NDWFS). Spectra obtained with the low-resolution modules of the Infrared Spectrograph on Spitzer (IRS) are described for 36 galaxies within this sample; 25 show strong PAH emission features characteristic of starbursts, and 11 show silicate absorption or emission, emission lines, or featureless spectra characteristic of AGN. Infrared or optical spectral classifications are available for 48 of the entire sample of 50; 33 galaxies are classified as starbursts and 15 as AGN. (There are an additional 19 Galactic stars with f_{\nu}(24um) > 10mJy in the survey area.) Using a relation between 7.7um PAH luminosity and star formation rate derived from previous IRS observations of starbursts, the star formation rate per unit volume of the local universe (SFRD) is determined from the complete sample and is found to be 0.008 \mdot Mpc^{-3}. Individual sources in the sample have star formation rates from 0.14 to 160 \mdot. The derived value for the local SFRD is about half that of the local SFRD deduced from bolometric luminosities of the IRAS 60um Bright Galaxy Sample, with the deficiency being at lower luminosities and arising primarily from the small number of low luminosity sources in the 10 mJy sample. The agreement for higher luminosities confirms the validity of using the 7.7um PAH feature as a measure of SFRD in the high redshift universe, where this is often the only indicator available for faint sources.