We present the data and our analysis of mid-infrared atomic fine-structure emission lines detected in Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph high-resolution spectra of 202 local Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) observed as part of the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). We readily detect emission lines of [S IV], [Ne II], [Ne v], [Ne III], [S III] 18.7 mu m, [OIV], [Fe II], [S III] 33.5, and [Si II]. More than 75% of these galaxies are classified as starburst-dominated sources in the mid-infrared, based on the [Ne v]/[Ne II] line flux ratios and equivalent width of the 6.2 mu m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon feature. We compare ratios of the emission-line fluxes to those predicted from stellar photo-ionization and shock-ionization models to constrain the physical and chemical properties of the gas in the starburst LIRG nuclei. Comparing the [S III]/[Ne II] and [Ne III]/[Ne II] line ratios to the Starburst-99-Mappings III models with an instantaneous burst history, the emission-line ratios suggest that the nuclear starbursts in our LIRGs have ages of 1-4.5 Myr, metallicities of 1-2 Z(circle dot), and ionization parameters of 2-8x10(7) cm s(-1). Based on the [S III](33.5 mu m)/[S III] 18.7 mu m ratios, the electron density in LIRG nuclei is typically one to a few hundred cm-3, with a median electron density of similar to 300 cm(-3), for those sources above the low density limit for these lines. We also find that strong shocks are likely present in 10 starburst-dominated sources of our sample. A significant fraction of the GOALS sources (80) have resolved neon emission-line profiles (FWHM >= 600 km s(-1)) and five show clear differences in the velocities of the [Ne III] or [Nev] emission lines, relative to [Ne II], of more than 200 km s-1. Furthermore, six starburst and five active galactic nucleus dominated LIRGs show a clear trend of increasing line width with ionization potential, suggesting the possibility of a compact energy source and stratified interstellar medium in their nuclei. We confirm a strong correlation between the sum of the [Ne II] 12.8 mu m and [Ne III] 15.5 mu m emission, as well as [S III] 33.5 mu m, with both the infrared luminosity and the 24 mu m warm dust emission measured from the spectra, consistent with all three lines tracing ongoing star formation. Finally, we find no correlation between the hardness of the radiation field or the emission-line width and the ratio of the total infrared to 8 mu m emission (IR8), a measure of the strength of the starburst and the distance of the LIRGs from the star-forming main sequence. This may be a function of the fact that the infrared luminosity and the mid-infrared fine-structure lines are sensitive to different timescales over the starburst, or that IR8 is more sensitive to the geometry of the region emitting the warm dust than the radiation field producing the Hii region emission.

We present a key result from our optical integral field spectroscopic survey of 27 nearby ultraluminous and luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) from the Great Observatory All-Sky LIRG Survey. Using spatially resolved multicomponent emission line fitting to trace the emission line ratios and velocity dispersion of the ionized gas, we quantify for the first time the widespread shock ionization in gas-rich merging U/LIRGs. Our results show a fractional contribution to the total observed Ha flux from radiative shocks increasing from a few percent during early merger stages to upward of 60% of the observed optical emission line flux in late-stage mergers. We compare our resolved spectroscopy to nuclear spectra and find that 3/4 of the galaxies in our sample that would be classified as "composite" based on optical spectroscopy are primarily characterized by a combination of star formation and merger-driven shocks. Our results have important implications for the interpretation of "composite" rest-frame optical spectra of U/LIRGs as starburst+active galactic nucleus (AGN), as the shock emission combined with star formation can mimic "composite" optical spectra in the absence of any contribution from an AGN.

The AllWISE processing pipeline has measured motions for all objects detected on Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) images taken between 2010 January and 2011 February. In this paper, we discuss new capabilities made to the software pipeline in order to make motion measurements possible, and we characterize the resulting data products for use by future researchers. Using a stringent set of selection criteria, we find 22,445 objects that have significant AllWISE motions, of which 3525 have motions that can be independently confirmed from earlier Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) images, yet lack any published motions in SIMBAD. Another 58 sources lack 2MASS counterparts and are presented as motion candidates only. Limited spectroscopic follow-up of this list has already revealed eight new L subdwarfs. These may provide the first hints of a "subdwarf gap" at mid-L types that would indicate the break between the stellar and substellar populations at low metallicities (i.e., old ages). Another object in the motion list-WISEA J154045.67-510139.3-is a bright (J approximate to 9mag) object of type M6; both the spectrophotometric distance and a crude preliminary parallax place it similar to 6 pc from the Sun. We also compare our list of motion objects to the recently published list of 762 WISE motion objects from Luhman. While these first large motion studies with WISE data have been very successful in revealing previously overlooked nearby dwarfs, both studies missed objects that the other found, demonstrating that many other nearby objects likely await discovery in the AllWISE data products.

The Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) is a comprehensive, multiwavelength study of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) in the local universe. Here, we present the results of a multi-component, spectral decomposition analysis of the low-resolution mid-infrared (MIR) Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra from 5-38 mu m of 244 LIRG nuclei. The detailed fits and high-quality spectra allow for characterization of the individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features, warm molecular hydrogen emission, and optical depths for both silicate dust grains and water ices. We find that starbursting LIRGs, which make up the majority of the GOALS sample, are very consistent in their MIR properties (i.e., tau(9.7) mu m, tau(ice), neon line ratios, and PAH feature ratios). However, as their EQW(6.2 mu m) decreases, usually an indicator of an increasingly dominant active galactic nucleus (AGN), LIRGs cover a larger spread in these MIR parameters. The contribution from PAH emission to the total IR luminosity (L(PAH)/L(IR)) in LIRGs varies from 2%-29% and LIRGs prior to their first encounter show significantly higher L(PAH)/L(IR) ratios on average. We observe a correlation between the strength of the starburst (represented by IR8 = L-IR/L-8 mu m) and the PAH fraction at 8 mu m but no obvious link between IR8 and the 7.7 to 11.3 PAH ratio, suggesting that the fractional photodissociation region (PDR) emission, and not the overall grain properties, is associated with the rise in IR8 for galaxies off the starburst main sequence. We detect crystalline silicate features in similar to 6% of the sample but only in the most obscure sources (s(9.7 mu m) < -1.24). Ice absorption features are observed in similar to 11% (56%) of GOALS LIRGs (ULIRGs) in sources with a range of silicate depths. Most GOALS LIRGs have L(H-2)/L(PAH) ratios elevated above those observed for normal star-forming galaxies and exhibit a trend for increasing L(H-2)/L(PAH) ratio with increasing L(H-2). While star formation appears to be the dominant process responsible for exciting the H-2 in most of the GOALS galaxies, a subset of LIRGs (similar to 10%) shows excess H-2 emission that is inconsistent with PDR models and may be excited by shocks or AGN-induced outflows.

We present the discovery of a prominent bifurcation between early-type galaxies and late-type galaxies, in [4.6]-[12] mu m colors from the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We then use an emission-line diagnostic comparison sample to explore the nature of objects found both within and near the edges of this WISE infrared transition zone (IRTZ). We hypothesize that this bifurcation might be due to the presence of hot dust and polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features in late-type galaxies. Using a sample of galaxies selected through the Shocked Poststarburst Galaxy Survey (SPOGS), we are able to identify galaxies with strong Balmer absorption (EW(H delta) > 5 angstrom) as well as emission lines inconsistent with star formation (deemed SPOG candidates, or SPOGs*) that lie within the optical green valley. Seyferts and low-ionization nuclear emission line regions, whose u - r colors tend to be red, are strongly represented within IRTZ, whereas SPOGs* tend to sit near the star-forming edge. Although active galactic nuclei are well represented in the IRTZ, we argue that the dominant IRTZ population is composed of galaxies that are in late stages of transitioning across the optical green valley, shedding the last of their remnant interstellar media.

We present a revised distance to the nearby galaxy NGC 6822 using a new multi-band fit to both previously published and new optical, near-, and mid-infrared data for Cepheid variables. The new data presented in this study include multi-epoch observations obtained in 3.6 mu m and 4.5 mu m with the Spitzer Space Telescope taken for the Carnegie Hubble Program. We also present new observations in J, H, and K-s with FourStar on the Magellan Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We determine mean magnitudes and present new period-luminosity relations in V, I, J, H, Ks, Infrared Array Camera 3.6 mu m, and 4.5 mu m. In addition to using the multi-band distance moduli to calculate extinction and a true distance, we present a new method for determining an extinction-corrected distance modulus from multi-band data with varying sample sizes. We combine the distance moduli and extinction for individual stars to determine E(B - V) = 0.35 +/- 0.04 and a true distance modulus mu(o) = 23.38 +/- 0.02(stat) +/- 0.04(sys).

We combine optical and near-infrared adaptive optics-assisted integral field observations of the merging ultraluminous infrared galaxies IRAS F17207-0014 from the Wide-Field Spectrograph and Keck/OH-Suppressing Infra-Red Imaging Spectrograph (OSIRIS). The optical emission line ratios [N II]/H alpha, [S II]/H alpha, and [O I]/H alpha reveal a mixing sequence of shocks present throughout the galaxy, with the strongest contributions coming from large radii (up to 100 per cent at similar to 5 kpc in some directions), suggesting galactic-scale winds. The near-infrared observations, which have approximately 30 times higher spatial resolution, show that two sorts of shocks are present in the vicinity of the merging nuclei: low-level shocks distributed throughout our field-of-view evidenced by an H-2/Br gamma line ratio of similar to 0.6-4, and strong collimated shocks with a high H-2/Br gamma line ratio of similar to 4-8, extending south from the two nuclear discs approximately 400 pc (similar to 0.5 arcsec). Our data suggest that the diffuse shocks are caused by the collision of the interstellar media associated with the two progenitor galaxies and the strong shocks trace the base of a collimated outflow coming from the nucleus of one of the two discs.

The classification of galaxy mergers and isolated disks is key for understanding the relative importance of galaxy interactions and secular evolution during the assembly of galaxies. Galaxy kinematics as traced by emission lines have been used to suggest the existence of a significant population of high-z star-forming galaxies consistent with isolated rotating disks. However, recent studies have cautioned that post-coalescence mergers may also display disk-like kinematics. To further investigate the robustness of merger/disk classifications based on kinematic properties, we carry out a systematic classification of 24 local (U) LIRGs spanning a range of morphologies: from isolated spiral galaxies, ongoing interacting systems, to fully merged remnants. We artificially redshift the Wide Field Spectrograph observations of these local (U) LIRGs to z = 1.5 to make a realistic comparison with observations at high-z, and also to ensure that all galaxies have the same spatial sampling of similar to 900 pc. Using both kinemetry-based and visual classifications, we find that the reliability of kinematic classification shows a strong trend with the interaction stage of galaxies. Mergers with two nuclei and tidal tails have the most distinct kinematics compared to isolated disks, whereas a significant population of the interacting disks and merger remnants are indistinguishable from isolated disks. The high fraction of mergers displaying disk-like kinematics reflects the complexity of the dynamics during galaxy interactions. Additional merger indicators such as morphological properties traced by stars or molecular gas are required to further constrain the merger/disk classifications at high-z.

We present CO(1-0) maps of 12 warm H-2-selected Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs), covering 14 individually imaged warm H-2 bright galaxies, with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter Astronomy. We found a variety of molecular gas distributions within the HCGs, including regularly rotating disks, bars, rings, tidal tails, and possibly nuclear outflows, though the molecular gas morphologies are more consistent with spirals and earlytype galaxies than mergers and interacting systems. Our CO-imaged HCG galaxies, when plotted on the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, shows star formation (SF) suppression of < S > = 10 +/- 5, distributed bimodally, with five objects exhibiting suppressions of S greater than or similar to 10 and depletion timescales greater than or similar to 10 Gyr. This SF inefficiency is also seen in the efficiency per freefall time of Krumholz et al. We investigate the gas-to-dust ratios of these galaxies to determine if an incorrect L-CO-M(H-2) conversion caused the apparent suppression and find that HCGs have normal gas-to-dust ratios. It is likely that the cause of the apparent suppression in these objects is associated with shocks injecting turbulence into the molecular gas, supported by the fact that the required turbulent injection luminosity is consistent with the bright H-2 luminosity reported by Cluver et al. Galaxies with high SF suppression (S greater than or similar to 10) also appear to be those in the most advanced stages of transition across both optical and infrared color space. This supports the idea that at least some galaxies in HCGs are transitioning objects, where a disruption of the existing molecular gas in the system suppresses SF by inhibiting the molecular gas from collapsing and forming stars efficiently. These observations, combined with recent work on poststarburst galaxies with molecular reservoirs, indicates that galaxies do not need to expel their molecular reservoirs prior to quenching SF and transitioning from blue spirals to red early-type galaxies. This may imply that SF quenching can occur without the need to starve a galaxy of cold gas first.

We present an integral field spectroscopic study of radiative shocks in 27 nearby ultraluminous and luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) from the Great Observatory All-sky LIRG Survey, a subset of the Revised Bright Galaxy Sample. Our analysis of the resolved spectroscopic data from the Wide Field Spectrograph focuses on determining the detailed properties of the emission-line gas, including a careful treatment of multicomponent emission-line profiles. The resulting information obtained from the spectral fits is used to map the kinematics of the gas, sources of ionizing radiation, and feedback present in each system. The resulting properties are tracked as a function of merger stage. Using emission-line flux ratios and velocity dispersions, we find evidence for widespread, extended shock excitation in many local U/LIRGs. These low-velocity shocks become an increasingly important component of the optical emission lines as a merger progresses. We find that shocks may account for as much as half of the Ha luminosity in the latest-stage mergers in our sample. We discuss some possible implications of our result and consider the presence of active galactic nuclei. and their effects on the spectra in our sample.