Overview

Active Galaxy Nuclei hosts versus Normal Star Forming galaxies

• the first diagnostic diagrams
• better techniques and larger samples changes our views

emission line studies • new diagnostics (Stasinska, Cid Fernandez, Mateus, Sodre, Vale Asari 2006)

of thousands of galaxies The chemical composition of the interstellar medium in galaxies

• methods of determinations
• strong line methods
Grazyna Stasinska • new (well behaved) abundance calibrators (Stasinska 2006)
2006
The chemical composition of metal-poor emission line galaxies
(Izotov, Stasinska, Meynet, Guseva, Thuan 2006)
LUTH, Observatoire de Meudon • abundance ratios
• trends on a time scale of a few Myr

segregation of emission line objects in The next step

emission-line ratio diagrams

Veilleux & Osterbrock 1987

[OIII]/H!

• more diagrams
• comparison with sequences of models
PNe
Baldwin, Phillips, Terlevich
AGNs 1981
the BPT diagram
[OIII]/H! vs [NII]/H"
GHRs

[OIII]/H! vs [NII]/H" [OIII]/H! vs [SII]/H" [OIII]/H! vs [OI]/H"

[NII]/H"
 First statistics on AGN vs normal galaxies Recent «!pre-massive survey!» results
Veron-Cetty & Veron 2000
compilation of all nuclear emission line galaxies with published spectra
CFA redshift survey (Davis et al 1983) •three classes of emission line galaxies
•star forming galaxies form a sequence in the BPT diagram ([OIII]/H! vs [NII]/H")
Spectra of 2400 galaxies

[OIII]/H!
Huchra & Burg 1992
• 2% of them were found to be Seyfert galaxies
=> Nuclear activity in galaxies: a rare phenomenon

High S/N Spectroscopy of 486 nuclei of galaxies

subtraction of stellar templates to see emission lines
Ho et al 1997
• 206 are star forming
• 211 show AGN activity (most are LINERs)
=> Low level nuclear activity: a common phenomenon

[NII]/H" [OI]/H"

Recent the Sloan Digital Sky Survey revolution

«!pre-massive survey!»
results Kauffmann et al 2003
[OIII]/H! vs [NII]/H" • 100 000 galaxies

• subtraction of stellar continua

Kewley et al 2001 obtained by population synthesis
Kewley et al line
=>
A sample of 285 warm Infrared galaxies
•55000 objects with well measured
• the sample is biased towards luminous
emission lines
[OIII]/H! vs [SII]/H" galaxies

• 22600 lie above the empirical line

theoretical upper limit to ionization by
delimiting NSF galaxies
massive stars
• based on photoionization models
• galaxies hosting AGNs Kauffmann line
• using ionizing radiation from
also form a sequence!
stellar population synthesismodels

[OIII]/H! vs [OI]/H"
 the Sloan Digital Sky Survey revolution The SEAGal collaboration
Semi
Kauffmann et al 2003 Empirical
• 100 000 galaxies
Analysis of sloan digital sky survey
GALaxies
• subtraction of stellar continua obtained • Roberto Cid Fernandes
by population synthesis (Florianopolis, SP)

=> • Abilio Mateus

•55000 objects with well measured (Sao Paulo, Bresil)
emission lines
• Laerte Sodré
(Sao Paulo, Bresil)
• 22600 lie above the empirical line
delimiting NSF galaxies • Grazyna Stasinska
(Meudon, France)
• galaxies hosting AGNs
also form a sequence!

Thisreminds the wings of a seagull

the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) The SEAGal project

http://www.sdss.org

What do we call semi-empirical analysis of galaxies?

«!The Sloan Digital Sky Survey is the the SDSS is using a • Caractérisation of the stars composing a galaxy using the integrated spectrum
most ambitious astronomical survey dedicated 2.5 meter • Search of correlations between various parameters of galaxies
project ever undertaken. wide-field telescope at
• Interpretation via (simple) modelling
Apache Point
The survey will map in detail How do we proceed?
Observatory (New
one-quarter of the entire sky, Mexico) • we represent the stellar population of a galaxy by a sum of simple populations (SSPs),
determining the positions and absolute each caracterized by an age and a metallicity
brightnesses of more than 100 million • the spectrum of each SSP is obtained from a stellar evolutionary synthesis models
celestial objects!» based on stellar evolution tracks coupled to stellar atmosphere libraries
• We find which combinations of populations reproduce the observed spectrum at best
spectra are obtained with 2
multi-fiber spectrographs,
imaging is What for?
conducted in 3!’’ diameter fibers,
• in the long term, to uncover the history of each galaxy and its chemical evolution
u, g, r, i and z spectral range: 3800-9200 A,
bands Why do that for hundred of thousands of galaxies?
resolution: R=2000 (65km s-1) • to minimize statistical uncertainties and refine diagnostics
• to infer the relations between the many parameters describing a galaxy and its
environment
now available: DR4 spectra of 550 000 galaxies selected from the imaging data •, to obtain a complete and unbiased representation of the Local Universe
 Our basic tool
AGN hosts vs Normal Star Forming galaxies
the STARLIGHT code
• developed byRoberto Cid Fernandes and Laerte Sodré
• base of 45 (150) SSPs obtained with the population synthesis
code of Bruzual & Charlot (2003)

Exemple of fitting a galaxy spectrum

• green:observed spectrum
• black: fitted spectrum (spectral zones with emission lines
and bad pixels are not used for the fitting)

results
•combination of simple stellar populations accounting
for the observed continuum
• extinction and reddening due to dust
• possibility to measure emission line intensities
(even for weak lines buried in the stellar continuum)

AGN hosts vs Normal Star Forming galaxies AGN hosts vs Normal Star Forming galaxies
the sample

•flux limited sample of 20000 galaxies

extracted randomly from SDSS DR3
•(this is not a volume limited sample!)
the NSF galaxies sequence
Kewley et al line
or left wing of the seagull Kewley et al line
•with S/N > 5 in g, r and i bands (to
avoid lowest quality data) •is very thin
•for redshifts z > 0.05 (to minimize
aperture effects) •has exactly the same shape as the
giant HII region sequence despite

the BPT diagram

•the effect of abundance gradients
•the contribution of the
•“only” 10702 objects out of 20000
Kauffmann line diffuse ionized medium Kauffmann line
can be plotted in this diagram
 modelling of the upper envelope of the left wing
motivation: previous dividing lines
were “too generous” for NSF galaxies
• photoionization models using
• the code PHOTO (Stasinska)
• and ionizing radiation from
evolutionary population synthesis
models computed with Starburst 99
•nLTE expanded model
atmospheres from Smith et al
(2001)
•Geneva tracks with
“enhanced mass loss”
Modelling of the upper envelope of the left wing
the model
• Constant star formation
except at low Z where we
use instantaneous bursts
Kewley et al line • abundance ratios taken
from Izotov et al 2006
result
• ionization parameter U
decreases az Z increases
log U=.92 tanh(-5.42*Z+3.28)-2.26
Kauffmann line •[OIII]/H! vs [OII]/H!,
•[OIII]/H! vs [NII]/H" well fitted
• low ionization lines [SII] & [OI]
predicted too small with our
one-zone models

distinguishing AGN hosts and NSF galaxies only

Modelling of the right wing on the basis of NII/H"?
models
composite models
NSF galaxy + “typical AGN”
(broken power-law spectrum)
models are combined with
different values of
#=L(H!)AGN/ L(H!)NSF
#=0.03 red
#=0.1 green
#=0.3 blue
#=1 cyan

result
• the right wing corresponds
to AGN models between
U=0.01 (blue) and 0.03 (red)
•low Z AGNs, if they exist,
cannot be detected
 distinguishing AGN hosts and NSF galaxies only
on the basis of NII/H"? AGN hosts vs NSF galaxies

• feasible a new diagnostic diagram: DEW (D4000 vs EW[OII])

• allows to consider
utilisable jusqu’à un redshift z=1.3! can be used up to a redshift of z=1.3!
more galaxies of the au lieu de z=0.4 pour les diagrammes traditionnels instead of z=0.4 for traditional diagrams
initial sample Stasinska et al 2006 Stasinska et al 2006
(intensities of [OIII] and all galaxies can be represented in one diagram
H! not needed)

• allows to see
D4000 vs EW[OII]
relations with another
the DEW classification
parameter (here D4000) is more compatible
with the BPT one than
the classification using
[OIII]/Hb vs [OII]/Hb

Results from AGN/NSF galaxy classification Abundance determinations from emission lines
with the DEW diagram
Te-based methods (direct)
yet to come •generally possible only for low metallicity objects ([OIII]4363 detected)

strong line methods (statistical)

•assume that metallicity is closely related to other parameters of the object
•need calibration
•some are double valued

photoionization modelling
•if Te-diagnostic lines not observed do not give unique solution (unless “astrophysical “
constraints are applied, eg N/O ve O/H.
•if Te-diagnostic lines are measured, no real advantage over direct Te-based

Abundance determinations from emission lines

....
 Why is the problem degenerate when Te is Double valued strong line methods
not measured?
Intensity ratio: [OIII]5007/H! = A n(O++) / n(H+) Te-0.5 exp (-28800/Te) / Te-1 red: HII regions in spiral galaxies, O/H from Pilyugin 2001
blue: BCD from Izotov et al, O/H from Te-based methods
Thermal balance equation: n(H+) ne T* " B ni j ne Te-0.5 exp (- Eexc/Te) cyan: DR3 SDSS galaxies with [OIII]4363 present. O/H from Te-based methods
at low metallicity
• cooling is due to H Ly ",
•Te is independent of O/H
[OIII]5007/H! " C T* O/H

at high metallicity
• cooling is due to [OIII]52,88µ
[OIII]5007/H! " C T* f(Te)
where f(Te) = Te exp (- 28800/Te)
f(Te) decreases when O/H increases

This is why abundances based on such ratios are double values

and why photoionization models do not help.
An “astrophysical constraint” (eg N/O) is necessary to break the degeneracy

Methods involving [NII] lines to derive O/H How should an ideal metallicity indicator be?
N/O may vary from object to object
importance of diffuse ionized field in integrated spectra of galaxies

red: HII regions in spiral galaxies, O/H from Pilyugin 2001
blue: BCD from Izotov et al, O/H from Te-based methods
cyan: DR3 SDSS galaxies with [OIII]4363 present. O/H from Te-based methods
• be single valued
• have a behaviour dominated by a well understood physical reason
• be unaffected by the presence of diffuse ionized gas
• be independent of chemical evolution
 two new well behaved metallicity indicators Comparison of O/H
from various metallicity indicators
Stasinska 2006
[ArIII]/[OIII] ~[SIII]/[OIII]
[ArIII]/[OIII] [SIII]/[OIII]
$=0.23 $=0.25
nb: all strong line methods will need recalibration when we undertand better the physics
of metal-rich HII regions, (Stasinska 2005, Stasinska, Bresolin, Schaerer 2007 ?)

[ArIII]/[OIII] vs [NII]/H"
•larger dispersion
(effect of N/O and ionization)
•slight bias

Biases in Te-based abundance derivation

Abundance determinations using [ArIII]/[OIII]
for high metallicity HII regions

yet to come Stasinska 2005

the chemical composition of metal-poor emission main results on abundance ratios vs 12+log 0/H
line galaxies from SDSS DR3 +BCG sample
Izotov, Stasinske, Meynet, Guseva, Thuan 06 N/O
flat at low Z
then increases with Z and highly dispersed
Ne/O
almost no trend with Z

S/O
no trend with Z

the samples Cl/O

no trend with Z
• SDSS DR3 with [OIII] measured with S/N>3 (>300 objects)
•BCG sample of Izotov et al (100 objects) Ar/O
no trend with Z
reassessment of methods of abundance determination
•(atomic data, analytic expressions for ionic abundances and ICFs etc...
Fe/O
decreases with Z (likely depletion on grains)

main results on abundance ratios vs 12+log 0/H Abundance ratios vs EW(H!)

N/O galaxies are divided in metallicity bins
flat at low Z EW(H!) is an empirical measure of tiome since the last starburst
then increases with Z and highly dispersed
L
Ne/O
almost no trend with Z

S/O
no trend with Z abundance ratios I
in HII galaxies
Cl/O #
no trend with Z solar values !

Ar/O H
N/O Ne/O S/O Ar/O Fe/O
no trend with Z

Fe/O
decreases with Z (likely depletion on grains)
 Abundance ratios vs EW(H!)
prospects
only trends seen at “high” metallicities
only N/O and Fe/O show trends with EW(Hb)

our favoured nterpretation a lot...

Fe/O
dust in giant HII regions is gradually destroyed on time scales of a few Myr

N/O
N in the ISM is enriched on the timescales of a few Myr (ie by massive stars)