We propose to perform 6-band PACS & SPIRE imaging photometry of a sample of nearby Seyfert 1.x and 2 galaxies in order to characterise the physical nature of their infrared emission by means of a multi-component SED fitting (AGN, starburst and host galaxy), combining existing ground- and space-based data from UV to MIR with Herschel FIR observations.
Active galactic nucleus (AGN) and starburst activities, being among the most energetic extragalactic processes, have been studied separately until the past decade, when evidence that the two phenomena are related and, most frequently, coexistent started to accumulate. The FIR peak of cold dust emission constitute a powerful tracer of star formation. However, the study of such an important feature in the innermost regions of nearby AGN hosts has been, until the advent of Herschel, seriously limited by the low spatial resolution and limited spectral coverage of the existing facilities. These new data, given the unprecedented angular resolution and spectral coverage of the Herschel Space Observatory will overcome this limitation, allowing us to probe the cold and very cold dust components across the galaxy and even in the nuclear and circum-nuclear regions. In addition, it will allow us to unveil the nature of the dusty torus (e.g. clumpy vs. smooth, flared disc), breaking model degeneracies.
Publication
DustPedia: Multiwavelength photometry and imagery of 875 nearby galaxies in 42 ultraviolet-microwave bands . Clark C. J. R. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 609, id.A37, 30 pp. . 609 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201731419 . 2018A&A...609A..37C , Probing the spectral shape of dust emission with the DustPedia galaxy sample . Nersesian Angelos et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2021MNRAS.506.3986N , Infrared colours and spectral energy distributions of hard X-ray selected obscured and Compton-thick active galactic nuclei . Kilerci Eser Ece et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2020MNRAS.494.5793K , A nearby galaxy perspective on dust evolution. Scaling relations and constraints on the dust build-up in galaxies with the DustPedia and DGS samples . Galliano Frédéric et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2021A&A...649A..18G , Reproducing the Universe: a comparison between the EAGLE simulations and the nearby DustPedia galaxy sample . Trčka Ana et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2020MNRAS.494.2823T , Dust emissivity and absorption cross section in DustPedia late-type galaxies . Bianchi S. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2019A&A...631A.102B , DustPedia: the relationships between stars, gas, and dust for galaxies residing in different environments . Davies J. I. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2019A&A...626A..63D , Old and young stellar populations in DustPedia galaxies and their role in dust heating . Nersesian A. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics . null . null . 2019A&A...624A..80N , Fraction of bolometric... luminosity absorbed by dust in DustPedia galaxies . Bianchi S. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 620, id.A112, 21 pp. . 620 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201833699 . 2018A&A...620A.112B , UV to submillimetre luminosity functions of TNG50 galaxies . Trčka Ana et al. . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . null . null . 2022MNRAS.516.3728T , Local Swift-BAT active galactic nuclei prefer circumnuclear star formation . Lutz D. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 609, id.A9, 7 pp. . 609 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201731423 . 2018A&A...609A...9L , DustPedia: A Definitive Study of Cosmic Dust in the Local Universe . Davies J. I. et al. . Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 129, Issue 974, pp. 044102 (2017). . 129 . 10.1088\/1538-3873\/129\/974\/044102 . 2017PASP..129d4102D ,
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth 'cornerstone' mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
European Space Agency, 2012, Herschel Imaging Photometry Of Nearby Seyfert Galaxies: Testing The Co-Existence Of Agn And Starburst Activity And The Nature Of The Dusty Torus., SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-9qbdnz7
