A Herschel/PACS Far-infrared Line Emission Survey of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies

We present an analysis of [O I](63), [O III](88), [N II](122), and [C II](158) far-infrared (FIR) fine-structure line observations obtained with Herschel/PACS, for similar to 240 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey. We find pronounced declines ("deficits") of line-to-FIR continuum emission for [N II](122), [O I](63), and [C II](158) as a function of FIR color and infrared luminosity surface density, Sigma(IR). The median electron density of the ionized gas in LIRGs, based on the [N II](122)/[N II](205) ratio, is n(e) = 41 cm(-3). We find that the dispersion in the [C II](158) deficit of LIRGs is attributed to a varying fractional contribution of photodissociation regions (PDRs) to the observed [C II](158) emission, f ([C II](158)(PDR)) = [C II](158)(PDR)/C II](158), which increases from similar to 60% to similar to 95% in the warmest LIRGs. The [O I](63)/[C II](158)(PDR) ratio is tightly correlated with the PDR gas kinetic temperaturein sources where [O I] 63 is not optically thick or self-absorbed. For each galaxy, we derive the average PDR hydrogen density, n(H), and intensity of the interstellar radiation field, G, in units of G(0) and find G/n(H) ratios of similar to 0.1-50 G(0) cm(3), with ULIRGs populating the upper end of the distribution. There is a relation between G/n(H) and Sigma(IR), showing a critical break at Sigma(IR)* similar or equal to 5 x 10(10) L-circle dot kpc(-2). Below Sigma(IR)*, G/n(H) remains constant, similar or equal to 0.32G(0) cm(3), and variations in Sigma(IR) are driven by the number density of star-forming regions within a galaxy, with no change in their PDR properties. Above Sigma(IR)*, G/n(H) increases rapidly with Sigma(IR), signaling a departure from the typical PDR conditions found in normal star-forming galaxies toward more intense/harder radiation fields and compact geometries typical of starbursting sources.

Keywords

galaxies: evolution, galaxies: ISM, galaxies: nuclei, galaxies: starburst, infrared: galaxies, C-II LINE, SPACE-OBSERVATORY MEASUREMENTS, STAR-FORMATION, MICRON LINE, MU-M, PHOTODISSOCIATION REGIONS, MOLECULAR CLOUDS, O-I, SPECTROSCOPY, CONTINUUM