On the nature of the first galaxies selected at 350 microns

Abstract

[abridged] We present constraints on the nature of the first galaxies selected at 350 microns. The sample includes galaxies discovered in the deepest blank-field survey at 350 microns (in the Bootes Deep Field) and also later serendipitous detections in the Lockman Hole. Spectral energy distribution templates are fit to identified counterparts, and the sample is found to comprise IR-luminous galaxies at 1<z<3 predominantly powered by star formation. The first spectrum of a 350-micron-selected galaxy provides an additional confirmation, showing prominent dust grain features typically associated with star-forming galaxies. Compared to submillimeter galaxies selected at 850 and 1100 microns, galaxies selected at 350 microns have a similar range of far-infrared color temperatures. However, no 350-micron-selected sources are reliably detected at 850 or 1100 microns. Galaxies in our sample with redshifts 1<z<2 show a tight correlation between the far- and mid-infrared flux densities, but galaxies at higher redshifts show a large dispersion in their mid- to far-infrared colors. The 350-micron flux densities (15<S(350)<40 mJy) place these objects near the Herschel/SPIRE 350-micron confusion threshold, with the lower limit on the star formation rate density suggesting the bulk of the 350-micron contribution will come from less luminous infrared sources and normal galaxies.

Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (17)

• The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS)
• The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
• Mid-Infrared Spectral Diagnosis of Submillimeter Galaxies
• SHARC-2 350 Micron Observations of Distant Submillimeter Selected Galaxies
• Variations of the Mid-IR Aromatic Features Inside and Among Galaxies
• Evidence for a Population of High-Redshift Submillimeter Galaxies from Interferometric Imaging
• The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) -- VI. 350 micron mapping of submillimetre galaxies
• Spitzer/IRS 5-35 um Low-Resolution Spectroscopy of the 12 um Seyfert Sample
• A catalogue of micro-Jy radio sources in northern legacy fields
• The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) - VII. Optical/IR photometry and stellar masses of sub-millimeter galaxies
• Estimating the total infrared luminosity of galaxies up to z~2 from mid- and far-infrared observations
• The SCUBA Half-Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) - VIII. The Nature of Faint Submm Galaxies in SHADES, SWIRE and SXDF Surveys
• The Most Luminous Starbursts in the Universe
• Submillimetre surveys: The prospects for Herschel
• Photometric redshift accuracy in AKARI Deep Surveys
• First Constraints on Source Counts at 350 Microns
• The Bolocam 1.1 mm Lockman Hole Galaxy Survey: SHARC II 350 micron Photometry and Implications for Spectral Models, Dust Temperatures, and Redshift Estimation

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Submillimeter Number Counts at 250, 350 and 500 microns in BLAST data
• Optical-faint, Far-infrared-bright Herschel Sources in the CANDELS Fields: Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies at z>1 and the Effect of Source Blending