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The spatially-resolved correlation between NII 205 \mum line emission and the 24 \mum continuum in nearby galaxies

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(2016)cite arxiv:1601.01317Comment: 7 pages, including 3 figures and 1 table, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Abstract

A correlation between the 24 \mum continuum and the NII 205 \mum line emission may arise if both quantities trace the star formation activity on spatially-resolved scales within a galaxy, yet has so far only been observed in the nearby edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891. We therefore assess whether the NII 205 - 24 \mum emission correlation has some physical origin or is merely an artefact of line-of-sight projection effects in an edge-on disc. We search for the presence of a correlation in Herschel and Spitzer observations of two nearby face-on galaxies, M51 and M83, and the interacting Antennae galaxies NGC 4038 and 4039. We show that not only is this empirical relationship also observed in face-on galaxies, but also that the correlation appears to be governed by the star formation rate (SFR). Both the nuclear starburst in M83 and the merger-induced star formation in NGC 4038/9 exhibit less NII emission per unit SFR surface density than the normal star-forming discs. These regions of intense star formation exhibit stronger ionization parameters, as traced by the 70/160 \mum far-infrared colour, that suggest the presence of higher ionization lines that may become more important for gas cooling, thereby reducing the observed NII 205 \mum line emission in regions with higher star formation rates. Finally, we present a general relation between the NII 205 \mum line flux density and SFR density for normal star-forming galaxies, yet note that future studies should extend this analysis by including observations with wider spatial coverage for a larger sample of galaxies.

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