Analysis of galaxy SEDs from far-UV to far-IR with CIGALE: Studying a SINGS test sample

Understand

Photometric data of galaxies covering the rest-frame wavelength range from far-UV to far-IR make it possible to derive galaxy properties with a high reliability by fitting the attenuated stellar emission and the related dust emission at the same time.

• For this purpose we wrote the code CIGALE (Code Investigating GALaxy Emission) that uses model spectra composed of the Maraston (or PEGASE) stellar population models, synthetic attenuation functions based on a modified Calzetti law, spectral line templates, the Dale & Helou dust emission models, and optional spectral templates of obscured AGN.
• Depending on the input redshifts, filter fluxes are computed for the model set and compared to the galaxy photometry by carrying out a Bayesian-like analysis.
• CIGALE was tested by analysing 39 nearby galaxies selected from SINGS.