The Extraordinary Mid-infrared Spectrum of the Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy SBS 0335-052

September 2004 • 2004ApJS..154..211H

Authors • Houck, J. R. • Charmandaris, V. • Brandl, B. R. • Weedman, D. • Herter, T. • Armus, L. • Soifer, B. T. • Bernard-Salas, J. • Spoon, H. W. W. • Devost, D. • Uchida, K. I.

Abstract • SBS 0335-052 is a blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) with one of the lowest known metallicities, Z~Z_solar/41, making it a local example of how primordial starburst galaxies and their precursors might appear. A spectrum obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope clearly shows silicate absorption features and emission lines of [S IV] and [Ne III], and puts strong upper limits on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features. The observed low-resolution spectrum (R~90) extends from 5.3 to 35 μm and peaks at ~28 μm. The spectrum is compared to IRS observations of the prototypical starburst nucleus NGC 7714. SBS 0335-052 is quite unlike normal starburst galaxies, which show strong PAH bands, low-ionization emission lines, and a continuum peak near 80 μm. The continuum difference for λ>30 μm implies a substantial reduction in the mass of cold dust. If the spectrum of this very low-metallicity galaxy is representative of star-forming galaxies at higher redshifts, it may be difficult to distinguish them from active galactic nuclei, which also show relatively featureless flat spectra in the mid-IR.

Links

• PREPRINT http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0406150
• NED https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/uri/NED::InRefcode/2004ApJS..154..211H
• ELECTR https://doi.org/10.1086%2F423137
• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=2004ApJS..154..211H
• PDF https://stacks.iop.org/0067-0049/154/211/pdf
• DATA https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/bibdata/2004/H/2004ApJS..154..211H.html
• SPIRES http://inspirehep.net/search?p=find+eprint+astro-ph/0406150