High-resolution radiation transfer modelling of barred galaxies

Abstract

Dust radiative transfer simulations provide us with the unique opportunity to study the heating mechanisms of dust by the stellar radiation field. From 2D observational images we derive the 3D distributions of stars and dust. Our aim is to analyze the contribution of the different stellar populations to the radiative dust heating processes in the nearby face-on barred galaxies NGC 1365, M 83 and M 95. We wish to decompose the FIR-submm SED and quantify the fraction directly related to star formation. To model the complex geometries mentioned above, we used SKIRT, a state-of-the-art, 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code designed to simulate the absorption, scattering and thermal re-emission of dust in a variety of environments. We find that the contribution of the evolved stars (8 Gyr) to the dust heating is non-negligible (∼35%) and can reach as high as 70%. We also find a tight correlation between the heating fraction by the unevolved stars (⩽ 100 Myr) and the specific star formation rate.