Dust Emission by AGN and Starbursts

Abstract

Present AGN and starburst models aiming to account for the observed infrared SEDs consider a physical description of the dust and a solution of the radiative transfer problem. MIR spectra obtained at different spatial scales (SST-IRS, ISO and TIMMI2) are presented. They show that PAH bands are detected in starburst regions but significantly reduced near the centre of AGN. This is explained by examining the heating mechanism of PAHs after hard (FUV, X-ray) photon interactions. Economic radiative transfer models of starbursts and AGN are made available. The successful application of the starburst model is demonstrated by fitting broad band data and detailed Spitzer spectra of NGC7714. The AGN model is applied to ISO data of a sample of 68 radio galaxies and quasars of the 3CR catalogue. Radiative transfer models of galaxies with Hidden Broad Line Regions are shown. Their SED enable us to separate the contributions from the dusty disc of the AGN and the starbursts. The composite model is consistent with the unified scheme and the idea that the infrared emission of AGN is dominated in the MIR and starbursts in the FIR. According to the unified scheme, the observed diversity of AGN properties results from the different orientations relative to our line of sight. The strong resonance of silicate dust at 10mic is therefore, as expected, seen in absorption towards many type-2 AGN. In type-1 AGN, it should be seen in emission because the hot inner surface of the dust torus becomes visible. However, this has not been observed so far, thus challenging the unification scheme or leading to exotic modifications of the dust-torus model. Here the recent discovery of the 10mic silicate feature in emission in luminous quasar spectra is reported.