[CII] at 158 μm as a star formation tracer in late-type galaxies

¹ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, BP 8, Traverse du Siphon, 13376 Marseille Cedex 12, France
² Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy e-mail: Giuseppe.Gavazzi@mib.infn.it
³ DEMIRM and URA 336 du CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, 61 Av. de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France e-mail: James.Lequeux@obspm.fr
⁴ Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, The University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft, Toledo, OH 43606, USA e-mail: pierini@ancona.astro.utoledo.edu

Corresponding author: A. Boselli, Alessandro.Boselli@astrsp-mrs.fr

Received: 3 December 2001
Accepted: 24 January 2002

Abstract

We present a calibration of the massive star formation rate vs. [CII] luminosity relation based on a sample of nearby, late-type galaxies observed with ISO-LWS and imaged in the Hα+[NII] line. The relation holds for far-IR luminosities . The derived star formation rates have an uncertainty of about a factor of 10. Part of this uncertainty is due to the different mix of contributions to the [CII] emission from the different components of the interstellar medium in individual galaxies, as discussed in an appendix.