| Description |
The Herschel Reference Survey (HRS) is a Herschel Key Program focused on the study of the interplay between dust and star formation in the local universe.The HRS represents the only volume- and magnitude-limited Herschel survey of resolved nearby galaxies, spanning the whole range of morphological types (ellipticals to late-type spirals) and environments (from the field to the center of the Virgo Cluster). Here we propose to use Herschel to acquire PACS 100 and 160 micron maps for 235 HRS galaxies. This will complete the coverage of the HRS in the spectral range 100-500 microns, currently biased towards early-type, cluster galaxies. These data are essential to characterize the far-infrared and sub-millimetre dust spectral energy distribution (SED) and to investigate how it varies with internal properties and environment.With complete PACS coverage, the HRS will be the ideal sample for statistical studies in the FIR/submm regime at z~0 and the reference for investigations at cosmological distances.In particular, we plan to combine the Herschel observations with UV, HI, CO, optical and near-infrared data already available to investigate the interplay between the interstellar radiation field and dust, to study the effects of the environment on dust content and star formation activity, to carry out the first complete morphological study of local galaxies in the far-infrared and to provide the community with the largest catalogue of UV-to-radio continuum integrated and resolved (at a kpc scale) SED. Thanks to its selection and multi-wavelength coverage, the HRS will thus represent a legacy for galaxy studies for many decades to come. |
