SBS0335-052 is a blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) with one of the lowest known metallicities, Z∼Z⊙/41, making it a local example of how primordial starburst galaxies and their precursors might appear. A spectrum obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope clearly shows silicate absorption features, emission lines of [SIV] and [NeIII], and puts strong upper limits...

We present HST (WFPC2 and FOC) images and UV GHRS spectra plus ground-based optical spectra of four Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) that have Seyfert 2 nuclei (Mrk 477, NGC 7130, NGC 5135 and IC 3639). The data provide direct evidence of the existence of a central nuclear starburst that dominates the UV and optical light and are dusty and compact. The bolometric luminosity (∼ 1010 L⊙) of the...

As starburst galaxies show a star formation rate up to several hundred times larger than the one in a typical galaxy, the expected supernova rate is higher than average. This in turn implies a high rate of long gamma ray bursts (GRBs), which are extreme supernova events. We present a catalog of 127 local starburst galaxies with redshifts of z < 0.03. Using this catalog we investigate the possib...

We investigate expected sub-mm emission and dust properties of the Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF). The SCUBA Deep Survey (Hughes et al., 1998) provides an upper limit of the 850μm flux densities of the LBGs. With this constraint, we argue that a typical ultra-violet to far-infrared spectral shape of the high-redshift LBGs is rather close to a template spectrum of low...

Rest-frame far-ultraviolet (FUV) luminosities form the ‘backbone’ of our understanding of star formation at all cosmic epochs. These luminosities are typically corrected for dust by assuming that the tight relationship between the UV spectral slopes (β) and the FUV attenuations (AFUV) of starburst galaxies applies for all starforming galaxies. Data from seven independent UV experiments demonstr...

The UV region is the optimal spectral range for probing the star formation. Based on our extensive spectrophotometric modeling, we show that an UV{optical color such as (1550-V) is uniquely valuable for identifying starburst and post{starburst galaxies and study their star formation properties. We also discuss the necessity of reliable observed UV templates of nearby galaxies for studies of the...

We investigate the hierarchical build-up of stars in bulges within the standard Λcold dark matter scenario. By separating the population into stars born during starbursts that accompany the formation of spheroids in major mergers (starburst component), and stars that are previously formed in discs of progenitor galaxies (quiescent component) and added to the spheroid by dynamical interaction. O...

We assess the potential of nuclear starburst disks to obscure the Seyfert-like AGN that dominate the hard X-ray background at z ∼ 1. Over 1200 starburst disk models, based on the theory developed by Thompson et al., are calculated for five input parameters: the black hole mass, the radial size of the starburst disk, the dustto-gas ratio, the efficiency of angular momentum transport in the disk,...

We present the effects of limited spatial resolution to the observed mid-infrared (MIR) spectrum of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) surrounded by a disk with massive star forming regions. Using MIR observations of the face-on nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6814, we vary the observing aperture and examine the evolution of the observed AGN/starburst fraction with our MIR diagnostic. We show that th...