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Issue A&A
Volume 412, Number 2, December III 2003
Page(s) 349 - 371
Section Galactic structure and dynamics
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20031427



A&A 412, 349-371 (2003)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20031427

Spectroscopic follow-up of FIRBACK-South bright galaxies

J. Patris1, 2, M. Dennefeld1, 2, G. Lagache3 and H. Dole4

1  Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (IAP), 98 bis Bd. Arago, 75014 Paris, France
2  Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), 4 place Jussieu 75005 Paris, France
3  Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Bât. 121, Université Paris XI, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
4  Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Ave Tucson AZ 85721, USA

(Received 23 September 2002 / Accepted 2 September 2003)

Abstract
We have performed optical spectroscopy of the brightest 170  $\mu$m sources in the FIRBACK South Marano (FSM) field. The spectroscopic sample is $90\%$ complete at the 4 $\sigma$ level. Analysis of spectra and comparison with spectra of a faint IRAS (60  $\mu$m selected) reference sample is conducted simultaneously. The sources in both samples are characterized by a predominance of emission-line spectra and moderate IR luminosities ( $10^{10.5} < L_{{\rm IR}} < 10^{12} L_\odot$ ) The fraction of AGN's is low (about  $15\%$) and the majority of sources are nearby ( z<0.3), dusty, star forming galaxies, with moderate star formation rates (a few 10 $M_\odot$ per year). The infrared emission of the FSM galaxies shows a colder spectral energy distribution than was expected. The galaxies in both samples (IRAS faint sources and FSM) are essentially undistinguishable with the available data, and seem to represent a population of closeby, cold, star forming galaxies rather neglected up to now. Although their contribution to the far-IR background seems to be low, they deserve a more detailed study on their own to assess their importance in the chemical evolution of the local universe. The contribution of fainter, presumably more distant, galaxies to the far-IR background will be discussed when we will have completed the follow-up of the fainter part of this 170  $\mu$m survey.


Key words: galaxies: infrared -- galaxies: evolution -- cosmology: observations

Offprint request: M. Dennefeld, dennefel@iap.fr

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