paper

The Interstellar dust properties of nearby galaxies

arXiv:1711.07434 · doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-081817-051900

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the constitution, physical conditions and observables of dust in the interstellar medium of nearby galaxies. We first review the macroscopic, spatial distribution of dust in these objects, and its consequence on our ability to study grain physics. We also discuss the possibility to use dust tracers as diagnostic tools. We then survey our current understanding of the microscopic, intrinsic properties of dust in different environments, derived from different observables: emission, extinction, polarization, depletions, over the whole electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, we summarize the clues of grain evolution, evidenced either on local scales or over cosmic time. We put in perspective the different evolution scenarios. We attempt a comprehensive presentation of the main observational constraints, analysis methods and modelling frameworks of the distinct processes. We do not cover the dust properties of the Milky Way and distant galaxies, nor circumstellar or active galactic nucleus torus dust.

41 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication by Annual Review of Astronomy & Astrophysics. Version 2: only the acknowledgements have been edited. Version 3: the last sentence of the first paragraph in Sect. 3.3.2 (p. 21) has been edited. Version 4: Figure 1 has been corrected; the orientation of the polarization relative to the magnetic field was wrong; an erratum has been submitted to ARAA

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