Nuclear activity versus star formation: emission-line diagnostics at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths

Abstract

In the context of observations of the rest-frame ultraviolet and optical emission from distant galaxies, we explore the emission-line properties of photoionization models of active and inactive galaxies. Our aim is to identify new line-ratio diagnostics to discriminate between gas photoionization by active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star formation. We use a standard photoionization code to compute the emission from AGN narrow-line regions and compare this with calculations of the nebular emission from star-forming galaxies achieved using the same code. We confirm the appropriateness of widely used optical spectral diagnostics of nuclear activity versus star formation and explore new diagnostics at ultraviolet wavelengths. We find that combinations of a collisionally excited metal line or line multiplet, such as C iv λλ1548, 1551, O iii] λλ1661, 1666, N iii] λ1750, [Si iii] λ1883+Si iii] λ1892 and [C iii] λ1907+C iii] λ1909, with the He ii λ1640 recombination line are individually good discriminants of the nature of the ionizing source. Diagrams involving at least three of these lines allow an even more stringent distinction between active and inactive galaxies, as well as valuable constraints on interstellar gas parameters and the shape of the ionizing radiation. Several line ratios involving Ne-based emission lines, such as [Ne iv] λ2424, [Ne iii] λ3343 and [Ne v] λ3426, are also good diagnostics of nuclear activity. Our results provide a comprehensive framework to identify the sources of photoionization and physical conditions of the ionized gas from the ultraviolet and optical nebular emission from galaxies. This will be particularly useful to interpret observations of high-redshift galaxies with future facilities, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and extremely large ground-based telescopes.