Spitzer Space Telescope - Archive Research Proposal #40341


Opening the Window on Warm Dust in Starburst- and AGN-Driven Superwinds

Principal Investigator: Sylvain Veilleux
           Institution: University of Maryland

     Technical Contact: David Rupke, University of Maryland

Co-Investigators: 
David Rupke, University of Maryland                                   
Charles Engelbracht, University of Arizona                            
Michael Regan, Space Telescope Science Institute                      
Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Anglo-Australian Observatory                     
Jackie Cooper, Australian National University                         
Geoffrey Bicknell, Australian National University                     
Ralph Sutherland, Australian National University                      

Science Category: starburst galaxies 
Dollars Approved: 97921 

Abstract:
We propose an archival imaging survey to study galactic winds from starbursts
and active galactic nuclei. We will use all IRAC channels to map the detailed
distribution of warm (T~500-1000 K) dust and PAH molecules in a sample of
galaxies that are known to host outflows. These data will be compared to
state-of-the-art, 3D numerical simulations of superwinds and predicted IRAC
fluxes. Direct and indirect evidence shows that dust is present on large
(kiloparsec) scales in outflows in some starburst and active galaxies. However,
this dust has never been mapped at wavelengths of 1-20 micron, and its geometry,
mass, and energy are almost completely unknown. Recent spectacular IRAC results
on M82, as well as preliminary IRAC color maps made with archival data, suggest
that this survey will yield exciting new insights on the warm dust and PAH
emission in these outflows. We will ascertain the significance of dusty
superwinds in the context of outflow physics and the impact of the outflows on
the host galaxies and the intergalactic medium. We will compare the
distribution, mass, and energy of the warm dust to optical emission-line and
absorption-line, X-ray, and radio data compiled by us and other groups. Using
new numerical simulations, we will also compare to the distribution and quantity
of dust predicted by theory. Our archival survey will use observations of
outflowing warm dust from various Spitzer programs that are focused on other
science and combine them into a coherent program to study outflows. No such
comprehensive program currently exists, but one is necessary to take full
advantage of Spitzer in this field. The proposed IRAC survey is complementary to
a MIPS survey of cold (T<100 K) dust in outflows, and will provide many
advantages over the MIPS data.