We present 5 − 38µm mid-infrared spectra at a spectral resolution of R ≈ 65 − 130 of a large sample of 22 starburst nuclei taken with the Infrared Spectrograph IRS on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The spectra show a vast range in starburst SEDs. The silicate absorption ranges from essentially no absorption to heavily obscured systems with an optical depth of τ 9.8µm ∼ 5. The spectral slopes can be used to discriminate between starburst and AGN powered sources. The monochromatic continuum fluxes at 15µm and 30µm enable a remarkably accurate estimate of the total infrared luminosity of the starburst. We find that the PAH equivalent width is independent of the total starburst luminosity L IR as both continuum and PAH feature scale proportionally. However, the luminosity of the 6.2µm feature scales with L IR and can be used to approximate the total infrared luminosity of the starburst. Although our starburst sample covers about a factor of ten difference in the [Ne III] / [Ne II] ratio, we found no systematic correlation between the radiation field hardness and the PAH equivalent width or the 7.7µm / 11.3µm PAH ratio. These results are based on spatially integrated diagnostics over an entire starburst region, and local variations may be "averaged out". It is presumably due to this effect that unresolved starburst nuclei with significantly different global properties appear spectrally as rather similar members of one class of objects.are expected to depend on numerous parameters such as the initial stellar mass function (IMF), the duration and epoch of the individual starburst(s), the metallicity of the ISM, the size and distribution of the dust grains, the strength of the magnetic fields, gas pressure and temperature of the ISM, galactic shear, total luminosity, and total mass. Furthermore, nearby starbursts, for which high resolution imaging is possible, have revealed complex substructures -in both stellar distributions and ISM -ranging from ultra-compact H ii regions (UCHIIR) to large complexes of super star clusters (SSC), suggesting small-scale variations of the observables across a starburst region.We use the low resolution mode of the Infrared Spectrograph 3 (IRS) ) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope (Werner et al. 2004) to observe the central regions of 22 starburst galaxies. Our objects represent a sample of "classical" starbursts for which a wealth of literature exists. The sample includes both purely starburst and starbursts with weak AGN activity (as determined from X-ray, optical, or radio observations). The summary in Table 1 lists the observed targets, their general properties, the classifications we adopt, and the references from which they are derived. The continuous 5 − 38µm IRS spectra include the silicate bands around 10µm and 18µm, a large number of PAH emission features, and information on the slope of the spectral con-

We present spectra taken with the Infrared Spectrograph 8 on Spitzer covering the 5 − 38µm region of the ten Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs) found in the IRAS Bright Galaxy Sample. Among the BGS ULIRGs, we find a factor of 50 spread in the rest-frame 5.5 − 60µm spectral slope. The 9.7µm silicate optical depths range from at least τ 9.7 ≤ 0.4 to τ 9.7 ≥ 4.2, implying line of sight extinctions of A V ∼ 8 mag to nearly A V ≥ 78 mag. There is evidence for water ice and hydrocarbon absorption and C 2 H 2 and HCN absorption features in four and possibly six of the 10 BGS ULIRGs, indicating shielded molecular clouds and a warm, dense ISM. We have detected [NeV] emission in three of the ten BGS ULIRGs, at flux levels of 5 − 18 × 10 −14 erg cm −2 sec −1 and [NeV] 14.3/[NeII] 12.8 line flux ratios of 0.12 − 0.85. The remaining BGS ULIRGs have limits on their [NeV]/[NeII] line flux ratios which range from ≤ 0.15 to ≤ 0.01. Among the BGS ULIRGs, the AGN fractions implied by either the [NeV]/[NeII] or [OIV]/[NeII] line flux ratios (or their upper limits) are significantly lower than implied by

We present mid-infrared spectra of T Tauri stars in the Taurus star-forming region obtained with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph ( IRS). For the first time, the 5-36 m spectra of a large sample of T Tauri stars belonging to the same star-forming region is studied, revealing details of the mid-infrared excess due to dust in circumstellar disks. We analyze common features and differences in the mid-IR spectra based on disk structure, dust grain properties, and the presence of companions. Our analysis encompasses spectral energy distributions from the optical to the far-infrared, a morphological sequence based on the IRS spectra, and spectral indices in IRS wave bands representative of continuum emission. By comparing the observed spectra to a grid of accretion disk models, we infer some basic disk properties for our sample of T Tauri stars and find additional evidence for dust settling.

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The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) is one of three science instruments on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The IRS comprises four separate spectrograph modules covering the wavelength range from 5.3 to 38 m with spectral resolutions, R ¼ k=Ák % 90 and 600, and it was optimized to take full advantage of the very low background in the space environment. The IRS is performing at or better than the prelaunch predictions. An autonomous target acquisition capability enables the IRS to locate the mid-infrared centroid of a source, providing the information so that the spacecraft can accurately offset that centroid to a selected slit. This feature is particularly useful when taking spectra of sources with poorly known coordinates. An automated data-reduction pipeline has been developed at the Spitzer Science Center.

Observational parameters which can be used for redshift-independent distance determination using the Tully-Fisher (TF) technique are given for 782 spiral galaxies in the fields of 24 clusters or groups. I band photometry for the full sample was either obtained by us or compiled from published literature. Rotational velocities are derived either from 21 cm spectra or optical emission line long-slit spectra, and converted to a homogeneous scale. In addition to presenting the data, a discussion of the various sources of error on TF parameters is introduced, and the criteria for the assignment of membership to each cluster are given.

We have surveyed a field covering 9.0 deg 2 within the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey region in Bootes with the Multiband Imaging Photometer on the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) to a limiting 24 mm flux density of 0.3 mJy. Thirty-one sources from this survey with mJy that are optically very faint ( mag)have been observed with the low-resolution modules of the Infrared Spectrograph on SST (IRS). Redshifts derived primarily from strong silicate absorption features are reported here for 17 of these sources; 10 of these are optically invisible ( mag), with no counterpart in , R, or I. The observed redshifts for 16 sources are R տ 26 B 1.7 ! W . These represent a newly discovered population of highly obscured sources at high redshift with extreme z ! 2.8 infrared-to-optical ratios. Using IRS spectra of local galaxies as templates, we find that a majority of the sources have mid-infrared spectral shapes most similar to ultraluminous infrared galaxies powered primarily by active galactic nuclei. Assuming that the same templates also apply at longer wavelengths, bolometric luminosities exceed 10 13 L , .

We present Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra of 28 Class I protostars in the Taurus star-forming region. The 5 to 36 µm spectra reveal excess emission from the inner regions of the envelope and accretion disk surrounding these predecessors of low-mass stars, as well as absorption features due to silicates and ices. Together with shorter-and longer-wavelength data from the literature, we construct spectral energy distributions and fit envelope models to 22 protostars of our sample, most of which are well-constrained due to the availability of the IRS spectra. We infer that the envelopes of the Class I objects in our sample cover a wide range in parameter space, particularly in density and centrifugal radius, implying different initial conditions for the collapse of protostellar cores.