Diagnosing the interstellar medium of galaxies with far-infrared emission lines. I. The [C II] 158 µm line at z ∼ 0

Abstract

Context. Atomic fine structure lines have been detected in the local Universe and at high redshifts over the past decades. The [C II] emission line at 158 μm is an important observable as it provides constraints on the interstellar medium (ISM) cooling processes.
Aims: We develop a physically motivated framework to simulate the production of far-infrared line emission from galaxies in a cosmological context. This first paper sets out our methodology and describes its first application: simulating the [C II] 158 μm line emission in the local Universe.
Methods: We combine the output from EAGLE cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with a multi-phase model of the ISM. Gas particles are divided into three phases: dense molecular gas, neutral atomic gas, and diffuse ionised gas (DIG). We estimate the [C II] line emission from the three phases using a set of CLOUDY cooling tables.
Results: Our results agree with previous findings regarding the contribution of these three ISM phases to the [C II] emission. Our model shows good agreement with the observed L_{[C II}-star formation rate (SFR) relation in the local Universe within 0.4 dex scatter.
Conclusions: The fractional contribution to the [C II] line from different ISM phases depends on the total SFR and metallicity. The neutral gas phase dominates the [C II] emission in galaxies with SFR ∼ 0.01-1 M_⊙ yr^-1, but the ionised phase dominates at lower SFRs. Galaxies above solar metallicity exhibit lower L_{[C II}/SFR ratios for the neutral phase. In comparison, the L_{[C II}/SFR ratio in the DIG is stable when metallicity varies. We suggest that the reduced size of the neutral clouds, caused by increased SFRs, is the likely cause for the L_{[C II} deficit at high infrared luminosities, although EAGLE simulations do not reach these luminosities at z = 0.