A Multi-Wavelength Infrared Study of NGC 891
  We present a multi-wavlength infrared study of the nearby, edge-on, spiral
galaxy NGC 891. We have examined 20 independent, spatially resolved IR images
of this galaxy, 14 of which are newly reduced and/or previously unpublished
images. These images span a wavelength regime from 1.2 microns in which the
emission is dominated by cool stars, through the MIR, in which emission is
dominated by PAHs, to 850 microns, in which emission is dominated by cold dust
in thermal equilibrium with the radiation field. The changing morphology of the
galaxy with wavelength illustrates the changing dominant components. We detect
extra-planar dust emission in this galaxy, consistent with previously published
results, but now show that PAH emission is also in the halo, to a vertical
distance of z >= 2.5 kpc. We compare the vertical extents of various components
and find that the PAHs (from 7.7 and 8 micron data) and warm dust (24 microns)
extend to smaller z heights than the cool dust (450 microns). For six locations
in the galaxy for which the S/N was sufficient, we present SEDs of the IR
emission, including two in the halo - the first time a halo SED in an external
galaxy has been presented. We have modeled these SEDs and find that the PAH
fraction is similar to Galactic values (within a factor of two), with the
lowest value at the galaxy's center, consistent with independent results of
other galaxies. In the halo environment, the fraction of dust exposed to a
colder radiation field, is of order unity, consistent with an environment in
which there is no star formation. The source of excitation is likely from
photons escaping from the disk.
