Deep submillimeter images of NGC 7331; dust at the periphery of spiral disks

Alton, P. B., Lequeux, J., Bianchi, S., Churches, David K., Davies, Jonathan Ivor and Combes, F. 2001. Deep submillimeter images of NGC 7331; dust at the periphery of spiral disks. Astronomy and Astrophysics 366 (2) , pp. 451-465. 10.1051/0004-6361:20000405

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Abstract

We present deep 450 and 850µ m SCUBA images of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 7331. Using the submillimeter emissivity inferred from COBE observations of Milky Way dust, we convert our SCUBA images into maps of optical depth. The opacity derived in this way is quite low at the visible limit of NGC 7331 (TB <0.22 at the R(25) radius for the disk seen face-on). In a similar fashion, we exploit SCUBA and ISOPHOT images of a further 10 galaxies and, collectively, these data indicate TB =0.1 -0.2 at the R(25) radius. Our constraints on disk opacity are fed into a simulation of how light emanating from high redshifts is attenuated by foreground spirals. In making this calculation, we consider the possibility that galactic disks may have also contained different dust masses in the past. We estimate that less than 10% of the light emitted by Hubble Deep Field galaxies fails to reach the B-band observer due to intervening spirals.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy
Uncontrolled Keywords:	ISM: dust, extinction; ISM: molecules; galaxies: spiral; galaxies: ISM; infrared: galaxies; galaxies: NGC 7331
Additional Information:	Pdf uploaded in accordance with publisher's policy at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0004-6361/ (accessed 17/04/2014)
Publisher:	EDP Sciences
ISSN:	0004-6361
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	13 May 2023 17:26
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/37906

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