PAHs as tracers of local AGN-Starburst connection

TL;DR

This study develops new diagnostic tools using PAH emissions and infrared ratios to distinguish between AGN activity and starburst processes in galaxies, enhancing understanding of their interrelation.

Contribution

Introduces novel diagnostic diagrams based on PAH emission and infrared ratios to differentiate galaxy types and their energetic processes.

Findings

Diagnostic diagrams effectively separate quasars and Seyfert galaxies from starburst and LIRG/ULIRG objects.

PAH emissions serve as reliable tracers for AGN-starburst connection.

New methods improve classification accuracy of galaxy activity types.

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was to investigate how energetic processes associated with Active Galactic Nuclei are related to those due to nuclear or circumnuclear star formation activity. Photometric and spectroscopic data were used to discriminate these processes in a sample of starburst, infrared galaxies and AGNs. Herein, we propose new diagnostic diagrams based on the 7.7 {\mu}m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission band, the L(MIR, FIR) infrared ratio and the q parameter. The diagnostic diagrams allow us to discriminate the behavior of quasars and Seyfert 1-Seyfert 2 galaxies from starburst and LIRGs-ULIRGs objects.