The stellar masses of galaxies from the 3.4μm band of the WISE All-Sky Survey

Abstract

We study the rest-frame 3.4 μm band infrared luminosity as an indicator of the stellar masses of galaxies. We cross-match the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer All-Sky catalogue with the MPA-JHU Sloan Digital Sky Survey catalogue to produce a sample of 542 757 galaxies. We find that up to z ~ 0.35, the stellar mass (log10M*) is strongly correlated with the restframe 3.4 μm luminosity [log10νLν(3.4 μm)]. We have derived the formulae for using the log10νLν(3.4 μm) to calculate the stellar mass of the total galaxy sample. We can improve the calculation of stellar mass by classifying the sample into HII galaxies, composite galaxies, AGNs, absorption line galaxies and low-signal-to-noise (S/N) emission line galaxies, or by classifying the sample into early-type galaxies and late-type galaxies. The composite galaxies, AGNs, absorption galaxies and low-S/N emission line galaxies have similar peak values of log10M*/νLν(3.4 μm) as early-type galaxies have. HII galaxies and late-type galaxies also have similar peak values. For the same luminosity, slightly higher stellar mass estimates will result for composite galaxies, AGNs, absorption line galaxies and low-S/N emission line galaxies than for HII galaxies. Similarly, the mass estimates for early-type galaxies are higher than for late-type galaxies. The mass-to-luminosity ratio, log10M*/νLν(3.4 μm), correlates with [22]-[3.4] μm colour, g - r and u - r colour in the rest frame. We give the quadratic regression fitting of these quantities, which can also be used to estimate the stellar mass. The ratio also has a relationship with EQW(Hα) and weaker relationships with log10νLν(22 μm), oxygen abundances, the intrinsic extinction of galaxies and the strength of AGN features. © 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.