Encoding the infrared excess (IRX) in the NUVrK color diagram for
  star-forming galaxies
  We present an empirical method of assessing the star formation rate (SFR) of
star-forming galaxies based on their locations in the rest-frame color-color
diagram (NUV-r) vs (r-K). By using the Spitzer 24 micron sample in the COSMOS
field (~16400 galaxies with 0.2 < z < 1.3) and a local GALEX-SDSS-SWIRE sample
(~700 galaxies with z < 0.2), we show that the mean infrared excess <IRX>= <
L_IR / L_UV > can be described by a single vector, NRK, that combines the two
colors. The calibration between <IRX> and NRK allows us to recover the IR
luminosity, L_IR, with an accuracy of ~0.21 dex for the COSMOS sample and ~0.27
dex for the local one. The SFRs derived with this method agree with the ones
based on the observed (UV+IR) luminosities and on the spectral energy
distribution fitting for the vast majority (~85 %) of the star-forming
population. Thanks to a library of model galaxy SEDs with realistic
prescriptions for the star formation history, we show that we need to include a
two-component dust model (i.e., birth clouds and diffuse ISM) and a full
distribution of galaxy inclinations in order to reproduce the behavior of the
<IRX> stripes in the NUVrK diagram. In conclusion, the NRK method, based only
on rest-frame UV and optical colors available in most of the extragalactic
fields, offers a simple alternative of assessing the SFR of star-forming
galaxies in the absence of far-IR or spectral diagnostic observations.
