Dust-Bounded ULIRGs? Model Predictions for Infrared Spectroscopic
  Surveys
  The observed faintness of infrared fine-structure line emission along with
the warm far-infrared (FIR) colors of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs)
is a long-standing problem. In this work, we calculate the line and continuum
properties of a cloud exposed to an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) and starburst
spectral energy distribution (SED). We use an integrated modeling approach,
predicting the spectrum of ionized, atomic, and molecular environments in
pressure equilibrium. We find that the effects of high ratios of impinging
ionizing radiation density to particle density (i.e. high ionization
parameters, or U) can reproduce many ULIRG observational characteristics.
Physically, as U increases, the fraction of UV photons absorbed by dust
increases, corresponding to fewer photons available to photoionize and heat the
gas, producing what is known as a "dust-bounded" nebula. We show that high U
effects can explain the "[C II] deficit", the ~1 dex drop in the [C II] 158
micron /FIR ratio seen in ULIRGs when compared to starburst or normal galaxies.
Additionally, by increasing U through increasing the ionizing photon flux,
warmer dust and thus higher IRAS F(60)/F(100) ratios result. High U effects
also predict an increase in [O I]63 micron /[C II] 158 micron and a gradual
decline in [O III] 88 micron /FIR, similar to the magnitude of the trends
observed, and yield a reasonable fit to [Ne V]14 micron /FIR ratio AGN
observations.
