NGC 3521 as the Milky Way near twin: spectral energy distribution from UV to radio decameter ranges

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive, multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution of the Milky Way near-twin NGC 3521, using homogeneous aperture photometry from UV to radio, including new low-frequency radio observations, to aid in identifying and understanding Milky Way analogues.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed SED of NGC 3521 from UV to radio, including low-frequency constraints, and demonstrates its use in characterizing Milky Way-like systems.

Findings

Derived stellar mass of approximately 6.0×10^10 M_sun.

Estimated star formation rate around 1.65 M_sun/yr.

Set an upper limit of 11.22 Jy at 28 MHz for NGC 3521.

Abstract

Milky Way analogues (MWAs) are usually selected from structural and kinematic properties, but robust SED-based similarity criteria are limited by heterogeneous photometry and incomplete wavelength coverage. We present a homogeneous, aperture-photometry SED of the Milky Way near-twin NGC~3521 from the ultraviolet to the radio decameter range. Fluxes are measured within a fixed elliptical isophotal aperture using GALEX, SDSS, WISE, Spitzer/MIPS, Herschel/PACS+SPIRE, and VLA data, and supplemented by meter/decameter constraints. We report new observations obtained in Jan-Feb 2022 with the Ukrainian T-shape radio telescope and derive, for the first time, an upper limit in the 24--32~MHz band. The UV-to-decameter SED (27 points) is modelled with \textsc{CIGALE}, including a dedicated low-frequency radio prescription (\texttt{radio_extra}) that accounts for emission and absorption effects. Using ZTF and NEOWISE data (2014--2025), we detect genuine nuclear variability; optical trends at $\sim2^{\prime\prime}$ primarily trace the compact nucleus, while NEOWISE variability reflects a mix of nuclear changes and warm-dust emission within the larger aperture. The preferred fit yields $M_\star \simeq 6.0\times10^{10},M_\odot$, ${\rm SFR}\simeq1.65,M_\odot,{\rm yr}^{-1}$, $M_{\rm dust}\simeq1.3\times10^{8},M_\odot$, and an effective dust temperature of $\sim23$~K. The decameter constraint gives $S_{28,{\rm MHz}}<11.22$~Jy, consistent with expectations for a Milky Way-like system placed at 10.7~Mpc. We conclude that an integrated, homogeneous SED, especially below 100~MHz, provides a complementary diagnostic for identifying and validating MWAs and for interpreting how Milky Way properties would appear to an external observer.