Quantification of the Age Dependence of Mid-infrared Star Formation Rate Indicators
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We combine James Webb Space Telescope images of the nearby galaxy NGC 5194 in the hydrogen recombination line Paα (1.8756 μm) from the Cycle 1 program JWST-FEAST with 21 μm dust continuum images from the Cycle 2 Treasury program JWGT to quantify the difference in the calibration of mid-infrared star formation rates (SFRs) between H II regions and galaxies. We use archival Hubble Space Telescope Hα imaging to correct the Paα emission for the effects of dust attenuation. Our data confirm previous results that the dust-corrected Paα flux is tightly correlated with the 21 μm emission at the scales of H II regions. When combined with published JWST data for the H II regions of the galaxy NGC 628 and Spitzer Space Telescope 24 μm data for whole galaxies and for kiloparsec-size galaxy regions, we show that the L(24)–L(Paα) relation has exponent > 1 across six decades in luminosity. In addition, the hybrid 24 μm + Hα SFR indicator has a scaling constant about 4.4 times higher for H II regions than for whole galaxies, also in agreement with previous results. Models of stellar populations with a range of star formation histories reveal that the observed trends can be entirely ascribed to and quantified with the contribution to the infrared emission by stellar populations older than ∼5–6 Myr. Based on the models’ results, we provide (1) a calibration for the infrared SFR across 6 orders of magnitude in L(24), from H II regions to luminous galaxies, and (2) a prescription for the scaling constant of the hybrid infrared SFR indicators as a function of the star formation timescale.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Authors: Daniela Calzetti, Robert C. Kennicutt, Angela Adamo, Karin Sandstrom, Daniel A. Dale, Bruce Elmegreen, John S. Gallagher, Benjamin Gregg, Varun Bajaj, Torsten Böker, Giacomo Bortolini, Martha Boyer, Matteo Correnti, Ilse De Looze, Bruce T. Draine, Ana Duarte-Cabral, Helena Faustino Vieira, Kathryn Grasha, L. K. Hunt, Kelsey E. Johnson, Ralf S. Klessen, Mark R. Krumholz, Thomas S.-Y. Lai, Drew Lapeer, Sean T. Linden, Matteo Messa, Göran Östlin, Alex Pedrini, Mònica Relaño, Elena Sabbi, Eva Schinnerer, Evan Skillman, Linda J. Smith, Monica Tosi, Fabian Walter, Tony D. Weinbeck
Institutions: University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, University of California San Diego, University of Wyoming, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Space Telescope Science Institute, European Space Agency, Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, National Institute for Astrophysics, Ghent University, Princeton University, Cardiff University, Australian National University, ASTRO-3D, ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, University of Virginia, Harvard University, Heidelberg University, Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, California Institute of Technology, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio, Universidad de Granada, NSF NOIRLab, International Gemini Observatory, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, University of Minnesota
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
OpenAlex ID: W4414616262