SPICA spectroscopic cosmological surveys to unravel galaxy evolution (1309.7862v1)

Abstract: The main energy-generating mechanisms in galaxies are black hole (BH) accretion and star formation (SF) and the interplay of these processes is driving the evolution of galaxies. MIR/FIR spectroscopy are able to distinguish between BH accretion and SF, as it was shown in the past by infrared spectroscopy from the space by the Infrared Space Observatory and Spitzer. Spitzer and Herschel spectroscopy together can trace the AGN and the SF components in galaxies, with extinction free lines, almost only in the local Universe, except for a few distant objects. One of the major goals of the study of galaxy evolution is to understand the history of the luminosity source of galaxies along cosmic time. This goal can be achieved with far-IR spectroscopic cosmological surveys. SPICA in combination with ground based large single dish submillimeter telescopes, such as CCAT, will offer a unique opportunity to do this. We use galaxy evolution models linked to the observed MIR-FIR counts (including Herschel) to predict the number of sources and their IR lines fluxes, as derived from observations of local galaxies. A shallow survey in an area of 0.5 square degrees, with a typical integration time of 1 hour per pointing, will be able to detect thousands of galaxies in at least three emission lines, using SAFARI, the far-IR spectrometer onboard of SPICA.