Comparison between the distributions of median-likelihood estimates of the physical parameters of 15 of our ULIRGs with (red histograms), and of 1538 local star-forming galaxies of lower infrared luminosities () selected from the SDSS-IRAS sample of da Cunha et al. 2010 (grey histograms). a) dust luminosity, ; b) stellar mass, M_∗ ; c) Specific star formation rate averaged over the last 100 Myr, ψ_S ; d) doubling timescale for the stellar mass, assuming the galaxies would continue forming stars at the present rate; e) dust mass, M_d ; f) fraction of total dust luminosity contributed by the diffuse ISM, f_μ ; g) temperature of warm dust in the birth cloud component, ; h) fraction of total dust luminosity contributed by warm dust in thermal equilibrium, ; i) temperature of cold dust in the diffuse ISM, ; j) fraction of total dust luminosity contributed by cold dust in thermal equilibrium, .