PROBING STAR FORMATION IN ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES USING AKARI NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

We performed systematic observations of the H $\small{I}$ $Br{\alpha}$ line ($4.05{\mu}m$) in 51 nearby (z<0.3) ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), using AKARI near-infrared spectroscopy. The $Br{\alpha}$ line is predicted to be the brightest among the H ${\small{I}}$ recombination lines in ULIRGs with visual extinction higher than 15 mag. We detected the $Br{\alpha}$ line in 33 ULIRGs. In these galaxies, the relative contribution of starburst to the total infrared luminosity ($L_{IR}$) is estimated on the basis of the ratio of the $Br{\alpha}$ line luminosity ($L_{Br{\alpha}}$) to $L_{IR}$. The mean $L_{Br{\alpha}}/L_{IR}$ ratio in LINERs or Seyferts is significantly lower (~50%) than that in H $\small{II}$ galaxies. This result indicates that active galactic nuclei contribute significantly (~50%) to $L_{IR}$ in LINERs, as well as Seyferts. We also estimate the absolute contribution of starburst to $L_{IR}$ using the ratio of star formation rates (SFRs) derived from $L_{Br{\alpha}}$ ($SFR_{Br{\alpha}}$) and those needed to explain $L_{IR}$ ($SFR_{IR}$). The mean $SFR_{Br{\alpha}}/SFR_{IR}$ ratio is only 0.33 even in H $\small{II}$ galaxies, where starburst is supposed to dominate the luminosity. We attribute this apparently low $SFR_{Br{\alpha}}/SFR_{IR}$ ratio to the absorption of ionizing photons by dust within H $\small{II}$ regions.