The efficiency of ionising photon production and the radiation energy
  balance in compact star-forming galaxies
  We derive apparent and absolute ultraviolet (UV) magnitudes, and luminosities
in the infrared (IR) range of a large sample of low-redshift (0<z<1) compact
star-forming galaxies (CSFGs) selected from the Data Release 12 of the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). These data are used to constrain the extinction law
in the UV for our galaxies and to compare the absorbed radiation in the UV
range with the emission in the IR range. We find that the modelled far- and
near-UV apparent magnitudes are in good agreement with the observed GALEX
magnitudes. It is found that galaxies with low and high equivalent widths
EW(Hbeta) of the Hbeta emission line require different reddening laws with
steeper slopes for galaxies with higher EW(H$\beta$). This implies an important
role of the hard ionising radiation in shaping the dust grain size
distribution. The IR emission in the range of 8-1000 mum is determined using
existing data obtained by various infrared space telescopes. We find that the
radiation energy absorbed in the UV range is nearly equal to the energy emitted
in the IR range leaving very little room for hidden star formation in our
galaxies. Using extinction-corrected Hbeta luminosities and modelled SEDs in
the UV range we derive efficiencies of ionising photon production \xi for the
entire sample of CSFGs. It is found that $\xi$ in CSFGs with high EW(Hbeta) are
among the highest known for low- and high-redshift galaxies. If galaxies with
similar properties existed at redshifts z=5-10, they could be considered as
promising candidates for the reionisation of the Universe.
