Using [CII] 158 micron Emission From Isolated ISM Phases as a Star-Formation Rate Indicator

TL;DR

This study investigates the [CII] 158 micron emission line as a star formation rate indicator, analyzing its origins in different ISM phases and comparing it with other tracers like [NII] and PAH emissions in nearby galaxies.

Contribution

It provides a calibration of [CII] emission as a star formation rate indicator and clarifies its origin in neutral versus ionized ISM phases.

Findings

[CII] emission from the neutral ISM correlates well with infrared luminosity.

[CII] from the ionized ISM shows a deficit relative to infrared luminosity.

Neutral phase [CII] is a more reliable star formation tracer in normal galaxies.

Abstract

The brightest observed emission line in many star-forming galaxies is the [CII] 158 micron line, making it detectable up to z~7. In order to better understand and quantify the [CII] emission as a tracer of star-formation, the theoretical ratio between the [NII] 205 micron emission and the [CII] 158 micron emission has been employed to empirically determine the fraction of [CII] emission that originates from the ionized and neutral phases of the ISM. Sub-kiloparsec measurements of the [CII] 158 micron and [NII] 205 micron line 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 (BtP) programs. With the information from these two far-infrared lines along with the multi-wavelength suite of KINGFISH data, a calibration of the [CII] emission line as a star formation rate indicator and a better understanding of the [CII] deficit are pursued. [CII] emission is also compared to PAH emission in these regions to compare photoelectric heating from PAH molecules to cooling by [CII] in the neutral and ionized phases of the ISM. We find that the [CII] 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 [CII] emission originating in the ionized phase of the ISM as a star formation rate indicator for the normal star-forming galaxies included in this sample.