SHOCK-ENHANCED C+ EMISSION AND THE DETECTION OF H2O FROM THE STEPHAN'S QUINTET GROUP-WIDE SHOCK USING HERSCHEL
We present the first Herschel spectroscopic detections of the [OI]63µm and [CII]158µm fine-structure transitions, and a single para-H_2O line from the 35 x 15 kpc^2 shocked intergalactic filament in Stephan's Quintet. The filament is believed to have been formed when a high-speed intruder to the group collided with clumpy intergroup gas. Observations with the PACS spectrometer provide evidence for broad (> 1000 km s^(-1)) luminous [CII] line profiles, as well as fainter [OI]63µm emission. SPIRE FTS observations reveal water emission from the p-H_2O (1_(11)-0_(00)) transition at several positions in the filament, but no other molecular lines. The H_2O line is narrow, and may be associated with denser intermediate-velocity gas experiencing the strongest shock-heating. The [CII]/PAH_(tot) and [CII]/FIR ratios are too large to be explained by normal photo-electric heating in PDRs.  
region excitation or X-ray/Cosmic Ray heating can also be ruled out. The observations lead to the conclusion that a large fraction the molecular gas is diffuse and warm. We propose that the [CII], [OI] and warm H_2 line emission is powered by a turbulent cascade in which kinetic energy from the galaxy collision with the IGM is dissipated to small scales and low-velocities, via shocks and turbulent eddies. 
Low-velocity magnetic shocks can help explain both the [CII]/[OI] ratio, and the relatively high [CII]/H_2 ratios observed. The discovery that [CII] emission can be enhanced, in large-scale turbulent regions in collisional environments has implications for the interpretation of [CII] emission in high-z galaxies.

title: A Herschel Survey of the [N II] 205 micron Line in Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies --- The [N II] 205 micron Emission as a Star Formation Rate Indicator
abstract: We present, for the first time, a statistical study of [N II] 205 mciron line emission for a large sample of local luminous infrared galaxies using Herschel Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver Fourier Transform Spectrometer (SPIRE FTS) data. For our sample of galaxies, we investigate the correlation between the [N II] luminosity (LNII) and the total infrared luminosity (LIR), as well as the dependence of LNII/LIR ratio on LIR, far infrared colors (IRAS $f_{60}/f_{100}$) and the [O III] 88 micron to [N II] luminosity ratio. We find that LNII correlates almost linearly with LIR for non AGN galaxies (all having $L_{IR} < 10^{12} L_solar$) in our sample, which implies that LNII can serve as a SFR tracer which is particularly useful for high redshift galaxies which will be observed with forthcoming submm spectroscopic facilities such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Our analysis shows that the deviation from the mean LNII-LIR relation correlates with tracers of the ionization parameter, which suggests the scatter in this relation is mainly due to the variations in the hardness, and/or ionization parameter, of the ambient galactic UV field among the sources in our sample.

title: A Complete Multiwavelength Characterization of Faint Chandra X-Ray Sources Seen in the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) Survey
abstract: We exploit deep combined observations with Spitzer and Chandra of the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE) in the ELAIS N1 region to investigate the nature of the faint X-ray and IR sources in common, to identify active galactic nucleus (AGN)/starburst diagnostics, and to study the sources of the X-ray and IR cosmic backgrounds (XRB and CIRB). In the 17' × 17' area of the Chandra ACIS-I image there are approximately 3400 SWIRE near-IR sources with 4 σ detections in at least two Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands and 988 sources detected at 24 μm with the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) brighter than S24 0.1 mJy. Of these, 102 IRAC and 59 MIPS sources have Chandra counterparts, out of a total of 122 X-ray sources present in the area with S0.5–8 keV > 10-15 ergs cm-2 s-1. We have constructed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for each source using data from the four IRAC wavebands, Chandra fluxes in the hard (2–8 keV) and soft (0.5–2 keV) X-rays, and optical follow-up data in the wavebands U, g', r', i', Z, and H. We fit a number of spectral templates to the SEDs at optical and IR wavelengths to determine photometric redshifts and spectral categories and also make use of diagnostics based on the X-ray luminosities, hardness ratios, X-ray to IR spectral slopes, and optical morphologies. Although we have spectroscopic redshifts for only a minority of the Chandra sources (10 type 1 QSOs or Seyfert sources and three galaxies), the available SEDs constrain the redshifts for most of the sample sources, which turn out to be typically at 0.5 < z < 2. We find that 39% of the Chandra sources are dominated by type 1 AGN emission (QSOs or Seyfert 1), 23% display optical/IR spectra typical of type 2 AGNs, while the remaining 38% show starburst-like or even normal galaxy spectra (including five passively evolving early-type galaxies). Since we prove that all these galaxies are dominated by AGN emission in X-rays (considering their large 0.5–8 keV rest-frame X-ray luminosities and their high X-ray to IR flux ratios), this brings the fraction of type 1 AGNs to 80% of the type 2 AGNs; even assuming that all the Chandra sources undetected by Spitzer are type 2 AGNs, the type 1 fraction would exceed 1/3 of the total population. Our analysis of the mid-IR MIPS 24 μm–selected sources, making up ~50% of the CIRB, shows that the fraction of those dominated by an AGN (either type 1 or type 2) is relatively constant with the IR flux and around 10%–15%. Our combined IR and hard X-ray observations allow us to verify that the dust covering fraction in type 1 AGNs is widely distributed between ~10% and 100%. A significant fraction, from 15% to 30% or more, of the sources of the XRB are hosted in galaxies whose optical/IR spectra are dominated by starburst (or normal galaxy) emission and for which only the hard X-ray spectra reveal the presence of a moderately luminous hidden AGN.

title: The Herschel-SPIRE Legacy Survey (HSLS): the scientific goals of a shallow and wide submillimeter imaging survey with SPIRE
abstract: A large sub-mm survey with Herschel will enable many exciting science opportunities, especially in an era of wide-field optical and radio surveys and high resolution cosmic microwave background experiments. The Herschel-SPIRE Legacy Survey (HSLS), will lead to imaging data over 4000 sq. degrees at 250, 350, and 500 micron. Major Goals of HSLS are: (a) produce a catalog of 2.5 to 3 million galaxies down to 26, 27 and 33 mJy (50% completeness; 5 sigma confusion noise) at 250, 350 and 500 micron, respectively, in the southern hemisphere (3000 sq. degrees) and in an equatorial strip (1000 sq. degrees), areas which have extensive multi-wavelength coverage and are easily accessible from ALMA. Two thirds of the of the sources are expected to be at z > 1, one third at z > 2 and about a 1000 at z > 5. (b) Remove point source confusion in secondary anisotropy studies with Planck and ground-based CMB data. (c) Find at least 1200 strongly lensed bright sub-mm sources leading to a 2% test of general relativity. (d) Identify 200 proto-cluster regions at z of 2 and perform an unbiased study of the environmental dependence of star formation.

title: Galaxy Pairs in COSMOS -- Merger Rate Evolution Since z=1
abstract: We present results of a statistical study of the cosmic evolution of the mass dependent major-merger rate since z=1. A stellar mass limited sample of close major-merger pairs (the CPAIR sample) was selected from the archive of the COSMOS survey. Pair fractions at different redshifts derived using the CPAIR sample and a local K-band selected pair sample show no significant variations with stellar mass. The pair fraction exhibits moderately strong cosmic evolution, with the best-fitting evolutionary index m=2.2+-0.2. The best-fitting function for the merger rate implies that galaxies with stellar mass between 1E+10 -- 3E+11 M_sun have undergone 0.5 -- 1.5 major-mergers since z=1. Our results show that, for massive galaxies at z<1, major mergers involving star forming galaxies (i.e. wet and mixed mergers) can account for the formation of both ellipticals and red quiescent galaxies (RQGs). On the other hand, major mergers cannot be responsible for the formation of most low mass ellipticals and RQGs. Our quantitative estimates indicate that major mergers have significant impact on the stellar mass assembly of the most massive galaxies, but for less massive galaxies the stellar mass assembly is dominated by the star formation. Comparison with the mass dependent (U)LIRG rates suggests that the frequency of major-merger events is comparable to or higher than that of (U)LIRGs.

title: NIR/Optical Selected Local Mergers: Spatial Density and sSFR Enhancement
abstract: Mergers play important roles in triggering the most active objects in the 
universe, including (U)LIRGs and QSOs. However, whether they are also important for 
the total stellar mass build-up in galaxies in general is unclear and controversial. Answer 
to that question depends on the merger rate and on the average strength of merger 
induced star formation. In this talk, I will review studies on spatial density and sSFR 
enhancement of local mergers found in NIR/optical selected pair samples. In line with 
the current literature on galaxy formation/evolution, special attention will be paid on the 
dependence of the local merger rate and the sSFR enhancement on four fundamental 
observables: (1) stellar mass, (2) mass ratio, (3) separation, and (4) environment.

title: Higher spin realizations of the bosonic string
abstract: It has been shown that certain W algebras can be linearized by the inclusion of a spin-one current. This provides a way of obtaining new realizations of the W algebras. Recently such new realizations of W3 were used in order to embed the bosonic string in the critical and noncritical W3 strings. In this letter, we consider similar embeddings in W2,4 and W2,6 strings. The linearization of W2,4 is already known, and can be achieved for all values of central charge. We use this to embed the bosonic string in critical and noncritical W2,4 strings. We then derive the linearization of W2,6 using a spin-one current, which turns out to be possible only at central charge c=390. We use this to embed the bosonic string in a noncritical W2,6 string.

title: The complete spectrum of the WN string
abstract: We obtain the complete physical spectrum of the W N string, for arbitrary N . The W N constraints freeze N −2 coordinates, while the remaining coordinates appear in the currents only via their energy-momentum tensor. The spectrum is then effectively described by a set of ordinary Virasoro-like string theories, but with a non-critical value for the central charge and a discrete set of non-standard values for the spin-2 intercepts. In particular, the physical spectrum of the W N string includes the usual massless states of the Virasoro string. By looking at the norms of low-lying states, we find strong indications that all the W N strings are unitary.