Modeling the Stellar Spectral Energy Distributions of Star-Forming Galaxies

Abstract

I will review recent progress in the modeling of the stellar spectral energy distributions of star-forming galaxies. I will cover the full relevant wavelength range from the near-infrared to the extreme ultraviolet, with an emphasis on the ultraviolet long- and shortward of the Lyman break where most of the stellar luminosity is emitted. Uncertainties in stellar atmosphere and evolution models will be critically examined, and the impact on the total panchromatic luminosity will be highlighted.

20 pages, pdf file; Invited Review presented at "The Spectral Energy Distribution of Gas Rich Galaxies", Heidelberg (Germany), October 2004 To be published in The Spectral Energy Distribution of Gas Rich Galaxies, ed. C. Popescu & R. Tuffs (Melville: AIP), in press