We investigate infrared properties of OGLE4 Mira variables in our Galaxy. For each object, we cross-identify the AllWISE, 2MASS, Gaia, and IRAS counterparts. We present various IR two-color diagrams (2CDs) and period-magnitude and period-color relations for the Mira variables. Generally, the Mira variables with longer periods are brighter in the IR fluxes and redder in the IR colors. In this work, we also revise and update the previous catalog of AGB stars in our Galaxy using the new sample of OGLE4 Mira variables. Now, we present a new catalog of 74,093 (64,609 O-rich and 9,484 C-rich) AGB stars in our Galaxy. A group of 23,314 (19,196 O-rich and 4,118 C-rich) AGB stars are identified based on the IRAS PSC and another group of 50,779 (45,413 O-rich and 5,366 C-rich) AGB stars are identified based on the AllWISE source catalog. For all of the AGB stars, we cross-identify the IRAS, AKARI, MSX, AllWISE, 2MASS, OGLE4, Gaia, and AAVSO counterparts and present various infrared 2CDs. Comparing the observations with the theory, we find that basic theoretical dust shell models can account for the IR observations fairly well for most of the AGB stars.

We will report our recent study on the properties of more than 1,600 galaxies detected by the AKARI All-Sky Survey with physical quantities based on optical and 21-cm observations, to understand the physics determining the infrared spectral energy distribution (Totani et al., 2011). We discover a tight linear correlation for normal star-forming galaxies between the radiation field strength of dust heating (corresponding to dust temperature) and the galactic-scale infrared radiation field, LTIR/R2 . This is the tightest correlation of dust temperature ever known, and the dispersion along the mean relation is 13% in dust temperature. This relation can be explained physically by a thin layer of heating sources embedded in a thicker, optically-thick dust screen. We also find that the number of galaxies sharply drops when galaxies become optically thin against dust-heating radiation, indicating that a feedback process to galaxy formation (e.g., by the photoelectric heating) is working when dust-heating radiation is not self-shielded on a galactic scale. We discuss implications from these findings for the MHI -size relation, the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, and galaxy formation in the cosmological context.

Lyman break Galaxies are galaxies selected in the rest-frame ultraviolet. But, one important and missing information for these Lyman break galaxies is the amount of dust attenuation. This is crucial to estimate the total star formation rate of this class of objects and, ultimately, the cosmic star formation density. AKARI, Spitzer and Herschel are therefore the major facilities that could provide us with this information. As part of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, we have began investigating the rest-frame far-infrared properties of a sample of more than 4,800 Lyman Break Galaxies in the GOODS-North fiels. Most LBGs are not detected individually, but we do detect a sub-sample of 12 objects at 0.7 < z <1.6 and one object at z = 2.0. The ones detected by Herschel SPIRE have redder observed NUV-U and U-R colors than the others, while the undetected ones have colors consistent with average LBGs at z > 2.5. We have analysed their UV-to-FIR spectral energy distributions using the code cigale to estimate their physical parameters. We find that LBGs detected by SPIRE are high mass, luminous infrared galaxies. They also appear to be located in a triangle-shaped region in the AFUV vs. logLFUV diagram limited by AFUV = 0 at the bottom and by a diagonal following the temporal evolution of the most massive galaxies from the bottom-right to the top-left of the diagram. In a second step, we move to the larger COSMOS field where we have been able to detect 80 Lyman break galaxies (out of ~ 15,600) in the far infrared. They form the largest sample of Lyman break galaxies at z > 2.5 detected in the far-infrared. We tentatively name them Submillimeter Lyman break galaxies (S-LBGs).

With AKARI, we carried out near-infrared spectroscopy of the nearby barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1097, categorized as Seyfert 1 with a circumnuclear starburst ring. Our observations mapped the galactic center region. As a result, we obtain the spatial distributions of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 3.3μm and the aliphatic hydrocarbon 3.4−3.6 μm emission. The former is detected from all the observed regions and the latter is enhanced near the bar connecting the ring with the nucleus. In addition, we detect absorption features due to H2O ice and CO/SiO at the ring and the galactic center, while we detect the hydrogen recombination line Brα only from the ring. Hence the observed spectra change dramatically within the central 1 kpc region.

We present the 18μm luminosity function (LF) of galaxies at 0.006 < z < 0.8 (the average redshift is ~ 0.04) using the AKARI mid-infrared All-Sky Survey catalogue. We have selected 243 galaxies at 18μm from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic region. These galaxies then have been classified into five types; Seyfert 1 galaxies (Sy1, including quasars), Seyfert 2 galaxies (Sy2), low ionization narrow emission line galaxies (LINER), galaxies that are likely to contain both star formation and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) activities (composites), and star forming galaxies (SF) using optical emission lines such as the line width of H α or the emission line ratios of [OIII]/ Hβ and [NII]/ Hα . As a result of constructing the LF of Sy1 and Sy2, we found the following results; (i) the number density ratio of Sy2 to Sy1 is 1.64±0.37 , larger than the results obtained from optical LF and (ii) the fraction of Sy2 in the entire AGN population may decrease with 18μm luminosity. These results suggest that most of the AGNs in the local universe are obscured by dust and the torus structure probably depends on the mid-infrared luminosity.

JHK near-infrared photometry of star clusters in the dwarf irregular/dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 1569 are presented. After adopting several criteria to exclude other sources (foreground stars, background galaxies, etc.), 154 candidates of star clusters are identified in the near-infrared images of NGC 1569, which include very young star clusters. Especially, from analysis based on theoretical background, we found ten very young star clusters near the center of NGC 1569. The total reddening values toward these clusters are estimated to be AV=1-9 mag from comparison with the theoretical estimates given by the Leitherer et al. (1999)'s star cluster model.

We present optical and near-infrared imaging and long-slit spectroscopy for the blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) Mrk 49 in the Virgo Cluster. The surface brightness distribution analysis shows that Mrk 49 consists of an off-centered blue bright compact core of r = 10′′ and a red faint outer exponential envelope. The Hα image and color difference suggest that these two components have different stellar populations: a high surface brightness population of massive young stars and an underlying low surface brightness population of older stars. The redder near-infrared colors of the inner most region suggest that the near-infrared flux of Mrk 49 originates from evolved massive stars associated with the current star-forming activity. The total apparent magnitude is BT = 14.32 mag and the mean effective surface brightness is μeff (B) = 21.56 mag arcsec−2. Long-slit spectroscopy shows that Mrk 49 rotates apparently as a solid body within r = 10′′ in a plane at position angle 55 degrees with an amplitude of about 20 km sec−1. The measured radial velocity of Mrk 49 was derived as 1,535 km sec−1; and the total mass of stars and gases is in the range of 3 to 6 × 109 M⊙. The mass-to-light ratios for the central region of Mrk 49 in I and B band are estimated 1.0 and 0.5, respectively. The upper limit of the dark matter to visible matter ratio seems to be < 5. The oxygen abundance is 12 + log(O/H) = 8.21 ± 0.1 which is about one quarter of the solar value while the relative helium abundance appears to be similar to that of the sun.

We present JHK-band near-infrared photometry of the star clusters in the dwarf irregular galaxy IC 5152. After excluding possible foreground stars, a number of candidate star clusters are identified in the near-infrared images of IC 5152, which include young populations. Especially, five young star clusters are identified in the(J-H, H-K) two color diagram and the total extinction values toward these clusters are estimated to be Av=2-6 from the comparison with the theoretical values given by the Leitherer et al.(1999)'s theoretical star cluster model.

A model for the galactic distribution of stars is developed by fitting IRAS 12㎛ source counts to the two-component density distribution of an exponential disk and an R~ spheroid. The model can reproduce the IRAS source counts fairly well when we assume the late type M giants mainly contribute to the 12 ㎛ luminosity function. By fitting the source counts we find he scale length and the scale height of the exponential disk are 2.2kpc and 300pc respectively. The axial ratio of the de Vaucouleurs spheroid is suggested to be 0.85, and the local spheroid to disk population ratio is found to be 1/300.