SPICA and the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies: The Rise of Metals and Dust. (10th November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fernández-Ontiveros, J. A.; Armus, L.; Baes, M.; Bernard-Salas, J.; Bolatto, A. D.; Braine, J.; Ciesla, L.; De Looze, I.; Egami, E.; Fischer, J.; Giard, M.; González-Alfonso, E.; Granato, G. L.; Gruppioni, C.; Imanishi, M.; Ishihara, D.; Kaneda, H.; Madden, S.; Malkan, M.; Matsuhara, H.; Matsuura, M.; Nagao, T.; Najarro, F.; Nakagawa, T.; Onaka, T.; Oyabu, S.; Pereira-Santaella, M.; Pérez Fournon, I.; Roelfsema, P.; Santini, P.; Silva, L.; Smith, J.-D. T.; Spinoglio, L.; van der Tak, F.; Wada, T.; Wu, R.;
• Is Part Of: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Volume 34(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-11-10
• Subjects: galaxies: active – galaxies: evolution – galaxies: starburst – infrared: galaxies – techniques: spectroscopic telescopes; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Southern sky (Astronomy) -- Periodicals; Astrophysics -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1017/pasa.2017.43
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1323-3580

Abstract

Abstract: The physical processes driving the chemical evolution of galaxies in the last ~ 11Gyr cannot be understood without directly probing the dust-obscured phase of star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei. This phase, hidden to optical tracers, represents the bulk of the star formation and black hole accretion activity in galaxies at 1 < z < 3. Spectroscopic observations with a cryogenic infrared observatory like SPICA, will be sensitive enough to peer through the dust-obscured regions of galaxies and access the rest-frame mid- to far-infrared range in galaxies at high- z . This wavelength range contains a unique suite of spectral lines and dust features that serve as proxies for the abundances of heavy elements and the dust composition, providing tracers with a feeble response to both extinction and temperature. In this work, we investigate how SPICA observations could be exploited to understand key aspects in the chemical evolution of galaxies: the assembly of nearby galaxies based on the spatial distribution of heavy element abundances, the global content of metals in galaxies reaching the knee of the luminosity function up to z ~ 3, and the dust composition of galaxies at high- z . Possible synergies with facilities available in the late 2020s are also discussed.