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Next: Vladimir P. Lukin, Viktor Up: Session 1: Ground based Previous: Thibaut Le Bertre , Masahiro Tanaka ,


Nicolas Lehner and J. Christopher Howk
SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF EXTRAPLANAR PAH EMISSION FROM SPIRAL GALAXIES (Poster)

SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF EXTRAPLANAR PAH EMISSION FROM SPIRAL GALAXIES


Nicolas Lehner and J. Christopher Howk
University of Notre Dame


We present new Spitzer/IRAC observations of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission from interstellar material in the thick disks of normal spiral galaxies. These data show PAHs to be a common constituent of extraplanar material in spirals, implying that the processes that eject material from the thin interstellar disks of these systems do not destroy these very small grains. This knowledge is crucial for understanding the thermal physics of the interstellar thick disks. We discuss the distribution of extraplanar PAH emission in these systems, both on small scales (e.g., the observed filamentary and cloud-like morphology of the emission) and on large scales (e.g., the overall scale lengths and scale heights of the emission) in several galaxies. We also discuss how the new observations fit into our overall understanding of interstellar thick disks and halos in galaxies.


next up previous
Next: Vladimir P. Lukin, Viktor Up: Session 1: Ground based Previous: Thibaut Le Bertre , Masahiro Tanaka ,
LESIA, Observatoire de Paris
2006-03-16