recent near infrared observations of starburst galaxies and active galactic nuclei have revealed that such objects are often prominent sources of forbidden fe ii emission lines at 1.26 and 1.64 microns. the origin of the fe ii emission is uncertain and has been attributed to hot gas in hii regions, photon-dominated regions, or supernova remnants associated with star-formation, and to x-ray irradiated or shocked gas associated with non-stellar energy sources in active galactic nuclei. identification of the primary fe ii emission sources is crucial in order to use the fe ii emission lines as quantitative diagnostics of processes in sbgs and agns. the iso sws offers the opportunity to study such infrared fe ii emission sources in a way never attempted before. we propose to use the sws to observe the mid-infrared 5.34, 17.93, and 25.98 micron lines of fe ii in a sample of objects containing seyfert 1.s and 2.s, and starburst galaxies. our measurements will provide new constraints on the physical conditions in the fe ii emitting regions, and will provide unique information about the gas temperatures, densities, sizes and iron abundances in them. our model computations show that these lines should be easily detectable in galaxies which produce bright near infrared fe ii emission. our proposed observations will complement several sws measurements of galactic fe ii emission sources which will be carried out within the central programme. our iso observations will provide crucial new information about the nature of infrared extra- galactic fe ii emitters.
Instrument
SWS02
Temporal Coverage
1996-05-15T06:02:24Z/1997-01-06T11:20:00Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the worlds first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
European Space Agency, STERNBERG et al., 1999, 'SQUARE_BRACKET_OPENFEIISQUARE_BRACKET_CLOSE EMISSION IN STARBURST GALAXIES AND ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI', 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-hl8q0qw
