Research: The Physics of Luminous Infrared Galaxies

For several years we have been studying the mid-infrared properties of luminous infrared galaxies based mostly on data obtained in the thermal infrared with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Recently this effort has been extended to the far-infrared with Herschel as well as a shorter wavelegths with Galex and Hubble. The goals of those projects are to identify the often obscured in the optical starburst regions, probe their star formation efficiency, and examine whether one can develop spectral diagnostics which will help us reveal the presence of embedded active galactic nuclei. (to the right SED fit of IRAS01494-1849 from da Cunha et al. 2010)

I am Co-I in the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), a comprehensive study of over 200 of the most luminous infrared-selected galaxies in the local Universe which combines imaging and spectroscopic data from Spitzer, Hubble, Chandra, GALEX and Herschel space-borne observatories.

Related Publications

  • M. A. Dopita, L. Armus, L. J. Kewley, J. A. Rich, D. Sanders, P. N. Appleton, B.H.P. Chan, V. Charmandaris, A.S. Evans, D.T. Frayer, J.H. Howell, H. Inami, J.A. Mazzarella, A. Petric, S. Stierwalt, J. Surace, "Modeling IR Spectral Energy Distributions: A Pilot Study of Starburst Parameters and Silicate Absorption Curves for Some GOALS Galaxies", 2011, Ap&SS, 333, 225
  • K.W. Willett, J. Darling, H.W.W. Spoon, V.Charmandaris, L. Armus, "Mid-Infrared Properties of OH Megamaser Galaxies. I. Spitzer/IRS Low- and High-Resolution Spectroscopy", 2011, ApJ Supp., 193, 18
  • K.W. Willett, J. Darling, H.W.W. Spoon, V.Charmandaris, L. Armus, "Mid-Infrared Properties of OH Megamaser Galaxies. II. Comparisson of Spitzer Spectroscopy for Masing and Non-masing ULIRGs", 2011, ApJ, 730, 56
  • A.O. Petric, L. Armus, J. Howell, B. Chan, J. Mazzarela, A.S. Evans, J.A. Surace, D. Sanders, P. Appleton, V. Charmandaris, T. Diaz-Santos, D. Frayer, S. Lord, S. Haan, H. Inami, K. Iwasawa, D. Kim, B. Madore, J. Marshall, H.W.W. Spoon, S. Stierwalt, E. Sturm, V. U, T. Vavilkin, S. Veilleux, "Mid-Infrared Diagnostics of Luminous Infrared Galaxies", 2011, ApJ, 730, 28
  • S. Haan, J.A. Surace, L. Armus, A.S. Evans, J.H. Howell, J.M. Mazzarella, D.C. Kim, T. Vavilkin, H. Inami, D.B. Sanders, A. Petric, C.R. Bridge, J.L. Melbourne, V. Charmandaris, T. Diaz-Santos, E.J. Murphy, V. U, S. Stierwalt, J.A. Marshall, "The Nuclear Structure in Nearby Luminous Infrared Galaxies: HST NICMOS Imaging of the GOALS Sample", 2011, AJ, 141, 100
  • E. da Cunha, V.Charmandaris, T. Dıaz-Santos, L. Armus, J. A. Marshall, and D. Elbaz, "Exploring the physical properties of local star-forming ULIRGs from the ultraviolet to the infrared", 2010, A&A, 523, A78
  • T. Diaz-Santos, V. Charmandaris, A. O. Petric, L. Armus, J.H. Howell, E.J. Murphy, J.M. Mazzarella, S. Veilleux, G. Bothun, P.N. Appleton, A.S. Evans, H. Inami, S. Haan, J.A. Marshall, D.B. Sanders, S. Stierwalt, and J.A. Surace, "The Spatial Extent of (U)LIRGs in the mid-Infrared I: The Continuum Emission", 2010, ApJ, 723, 993
  • P.P. van der Werf, K.G. Isaak, R. Meijerink, M. Spaans, A. Rykala, T. Fulton, A.F. Loenen, F. Walter, A. Weiss, L. Armus, J. Fischer, F.P. Israel, A.I. Harris, S. Veilleux, C. Henkel, G. Savini, S. Lord, H.A. Smith, E. Gonzalez-Alfonso, D. Naylor, S. Aalto, V. Charmandaris, K.M. Dasyra, A. Evans, Y. Gao, T. Greve, R. Gusten, C. Kramer, J. Martın-Pintado, J. Mazzarella, P.P. Papadopoulos, D.B. Sanders, L. Spinoglio, G. Stacey, C. Vlahakis, M.C. Wiedner, and E. Xilouris, "Black hole accretion and star formation as drivers of gas excitation and chemistry in Mrk 231", 2010, A&A, 518, 42
  • H. Inami, L. Armus, J.A. Surace, J.M. Mazzarella, A.S. Evans, D.B. Sanders, J.H. Howell, A. Petric, T. Vavilkin, K. Iwasawa, S. Haan, E.J. Murphy, S. Stierwalt, P.N. Appleton, J.E. Barnes, G. Bothun, C.R. Bridge, B. Chan, V. Charmandaris, D.T. Frayer, L.J. Kewley, D.-C. Kim, S. Lord, B.F. Madore, J.A. Marshall, H. Matsuhara, J.E. Melbourne, J. Rich, B. Schulz, H.W.W. Spoon, E. Sturm, V. U, S. Veilleux, K. Xu, "The buried starburst in the interacting galaxy IIZw096 as revealed by the Spitzer Space Telescope", 2010, AJ, 140, 63
  • J. H. Howell, L. Armus, J. M. Mazzarella, A.S. Evans, J. A. Surace, D.B. Sanders, A. Petric, P. Appleton, G. Bothun, C. Bridge, B.H.P. Chan, V. Charmandaris, D.T. Frayer, S. Haan, H. Inami, D.-C. Kim, S. Lord, B.F. Madore, J. Melbourne, B. Schulz, V. U, T. Vavilkin, S. Veilleux, K. Xu, "The Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey: Comparison of Ultraviolet and Far-Infrared Properties", 2010, ApJ, 715, 572
  • L. Armus, J.M. Mazzarella, A.S. Evans, J.A. Surace, D.B. Sanders, K. Iwasawa, D.T. Frayer, J.H. Howell, B. Chan, A. Petric, T. Vavilkin, D.C. Kim, S. Haan, H. Inami, E.J. Murphy, P.N. Appleton, J.E. Barnes, G. Bothun, C.R. Bridge, V. Charmandaris, J.B. Jensen, L.J. Kewley, S. Lord, B.F. Madore, J.A. Marshall, J.E. Melbourne, J. Rich, S. Satyapal, B. Schulz, H.W.W. Spoon, E. Sturm, S. Veilleux, K. Xu, "GOALS: The Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey", 2009, PASP, 121, 559
  • H.W.W. Spoon, L. Armus, J.A. Marshall, J. Bernard-Salas, D. Farrah, V. Charmandaris, B.R. Kent, "High-velocity Neon line Emission frh the ULIRG IRAS F00183-7111: Revealing the Shocked Optically Obscured base of a Nuclear Outflow", 2009, ApJ, 693, 1223
  • K. D. Tyler, E. Le Floc'h, G. H. Rieke, A. Dey, V. Desai, K. Brand, C. Borys, B. Jannuzi, L. Armus, H. Dole, C. Papovich, M. J. I. Brown, M., Blaylock, S. J. U. Higdon, J. L. Higdon, V. Charmandaris, M. L. N. Ashby, H. Smith, "Spitzer 70/160 micron Observations of High-Redshift ULIRGs and HyLIRGs in the Bootes Field", 2009, ApJ, 691, 1846
  • J.A. Marshall, T.L. Herter, L. Armus, V. Charmandaris, H.W.W. Spoon, J. Bernard-Salas, J.R. Houck, "Decomposing Dusty Galaxies I: Multicomponent Spectral Energy Distribution Fitting", 2007, ApJ, 670, 129
  • V. Desai, L. Armus, H.W.W. Spoon, V. Charmandaris, J.A. Marshall, H.I. Teplitz, J. Bernard-Salas, B.T. Soifer, J.R. Houck, D. Farrah, B.R. Brandl, D. Devost, S.J.U. Higdon, "PAH Emission from Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies", 2007, ApJ, 669, 810
  • D. Farrah, J. Bernard-Salas, H.W.W. Spoon, B.T. Soifer, L. Armus, B. Brandl, V. Charmandaris, V. Desai, S.J.U. Higdon, D. Devost, J.R. Houck, "High resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies", 2007, ApJ, 667, 149
  • H.I. Teplitz, V. Desai, L. Armus, R. Chary, J.A. Mashall, J.W. Colbert, D.T. Frayer, A. Pope, A. Blain, H.W.W. Spoon, V. Charmandaris, D. Scott,"Measuring PAH Emission in Ultradeep Spitzer IRS Spectroscopy of High Redshift IR Luminous Galaxies", 2007, ApJ, 659, 941
  • F. Lahuis, H.W.W. Spoon, A.G.G.M. Tielens, S.D. Doty, L. Armus, V. Charmandaris, J.R. Houck, P. Stuber, & E.F. van Dishoeck, "Infrared Molecular Starburst Fingerprints in Deeply Obscured ULIRG Nuclei", 2007, ApJ, 659, 296
  • L. Armus, V. Charmandaris, J. Bernard-Salas, H.W.W. Spoon, J.A. Marshall, S.J.U. Higdon, V. Desai, H.I Teplitz, L. Hao, D. Devost, B.R. Brandl, Yanling Wu, G.S. Sloan, B.T. Soifer, J.R., Houck, T.L. Herter, "Observations of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope II: The IRAS bright Galaxy Sample", 2007, ApJ, 656, 148
  • H.W.W. Spoon, J.A. Marshall, J.R. Houck, M. Elitzur, L. Hao, L. Armus, B.R. Brandl, V. Charmandaris, "Mid-IR Galaxy Classification Based on Silicate obscuration and PAH Equivalent Width", 2007, ApJ Letters, 654, 49
  • V. Desai, L. Armus, B.T. Soifer, S.J.U. Higdon, C. Bian, C. Borys, H.W.W. Spoon, V. Charmandaris, K. Brand, M.J.I. Brown, A. Dey, J. Higdon, J.R. Houck, B.T. Jannuzi, E. Le Floch, D.W. Weedman, M.L.N. Asby, H. Smith, "IRS Spectra of two Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies et z~1.3", 2006, ApJ, 641, 133
  • H. I. Teplitz, L. Armus, B.T. Soifer, V. Charmandaris, J. A. Marshal, H. W.W. Spoon, C. Lawrence, L. Hao, S.J.U. Higdon, Yanling Wu, M. Lacy, P.R. Eisenhardt, T. Herter, J.R. Houck, "Silicate Emission in the Spitzer/IRS spectrum of FSC10214+4724", 2006, ApJ, 631, L1
  • M. M. Kasliwal, V. Charmandaris, D. Weedman, J.R. Houck, E. Le Floc'h, S.J.U. Higdon, L. Armus, H.I. Teplitz, "Identifying silicate-absorbed ULIRGs at z=1-2 in the Bootes Field using Spitzer", 2005, ApJ Letters, 634, L1
  • H.W.W. Spoon, L. Armus, J. Cami, A.G.G.M Tielens, J. Chiar, E. Peeters, J.V. Keane, V. Charmandaris, P.N. Appleton, H.I. Teplitz, M.J. Bourgdorf, "Fire and ice: IRS mid-IR Spectroscopy of IRAS F00183-711", 2004, ApJS, 154, 184 (Spitzer Space Telescope Special Issue)
  • B.T. Soifer, V. Charmandaris, B.R. Brandl, et al., "Spitzer/IRS Observations of the Redshift 3.91 quasar APM 08279+5255", 2004, ApJS, 154, 151 (Spitzer Space Telescope Special Issue)
  • V. Charmandaris, O. Laurent, E. Le Floc'h, I.F. Mirabel, M. Sauvage, S.C. Madden, P. Gallais, L. Vigroux, & C. Cesarsky, "Mid-Infrared observations of the ultraluminous galaxies IRAS 14348-1447, IRAS 19254-7245, and IRAS 23128-5919", 2002, A&A, 391, 429
  • E. Le Floc'h, V. Charmandaris, O. Laurent, I.F. Mirabel, P. Gallais, M. Sauvage, L. Vigroux, & C. Cesarsky, "Extended Mid-Infrared emission from VV 114: probing the birth of a ULIRG", 2002, A&A, 391, 417
  • P.N. Appleton, V. Charmandaris, Y. Gao, F. Combes, F. Ghigo, C. Horellou, & I.F. Mirabel, "Mid-IR and CO Observations of the IR/X-Ray Luminous Seyfert I Galaxy NGC985: The Making or Breaking of a ULIRG?" 2002, ApJ, 566, 682
  • O. Laurent, I.F. Mirabel,V. Charmandaris, P. Gallais, S. Madden, M. Sauvage, L. Vigroux, & C. Cesarsky, "A mid-infrared diagnostic to distinguish AGNs from starbursts", 2000, A&A, 359, 887