A Two-parameter Model for the Infrared/Submillimeter/Radio Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract

A two-parameter semi-empirical model is presented for the spectral energy distributions of galaxies with contributions to their infrared-submillimeter-radio emission from both star formation and accretion disk-powered activity. This model builds upon a previous one-parameter family of models for star-forming galaxies, and includes an update to the mid-infrared emission using an average template obtained from Spitzer Space Telescope observations of normal galaxies. Star-forming/active galactic nucleus (AGN) diagnostics based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon equivalent widths and broadband infrared colors are presented, and example mid-infrared AGN fractional contributions are estimated from model fits to the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey sample of nearby U/LIRGS and the Five mJy Unbiased Spitzer Extragalactic Survey sample of 24 μm selected sources at redshifts 0 <~ z <~ 4.