SDSS-IV MaNGA: the [α/Fe] of early-type galaxies

ABSTRACT The mean stellar alpha-to-iron abundance ratio ([α/Fe]) of a galaxy is an indicator of galactic star formation time-scale. It is important for understanding the star formation history of early-type galaxies (ETGs) as their star formation processes have basically stopped. Using the model templates that are made by Vazdekis et al., we apply the pPXF-based spectral fitting method to estimate the [α/Fe] of 196 high-signal-to-noise ratio ETGs from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey. The velocity dispersions within 1Re (σe) range from 27 to 270 km s−1. We find a flat relation between the mean [α/Fe] within the 1$R_\mathrm{ e}^{\mathrm{ maj}}$ ellipses and log(σe), even if limiting to the massive sample with log(σe/km s−1) > 1.9. However, the relation becomes positive after we exclude the Mg1 feature in our fits, which agrees with the results from the previous work with other stellar population models, albeit with relatively large scatter. It indicates that the Vazdekis models have self-inconsistency and do not actually cover the observations in Mg1. For reference, we also measure the stellar population radial gradients within 1$R_\mathrm{ e}^{\mathrm{ maj}}$ ellipses. Due to the low resolution of age estimations for old objects and the Mg1 issue, the uncertainties of these gradients cannot be neglected.

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The star-formation histories of early-type galaxies from ATLAS3D

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921312009167 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 7 (S284) ◽

pp. 244-247 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Richard M. McDermid ◽

Katherine Alatalo ◽

Leo Blitz ◽

Maxime Bois ◽

Frédéric Bournaud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Stellar Population ◽

Abundance Ratio ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Early Type ◽

Solar Abundance ◽

Formation History ◽

History Of ◽

Free Parameters ◽

Star Formation Histories

AbstractWe present an exploration of the integrated stellar populations of early-type galaxies (ETGs) from the ATLAS3D survey. We use two approaches: firstly the application of line-indices interpreted through single stellar population (SSP) models, which provide a single value of age, metallicity and abundance ratio. And secondly, by fitting a linear combination of SSP spectra to our data, smoothly weighted in the free parameters of age and metallicity, thereby inferring a star-formation history of these galaxies. Despite the significant differences in these approaches, we obtain generally consistent results, such that galaxies that are more massive appear older with enhanced abundance ratios using line indices, and have shorter star-formation histories weighted to early times. We highlight two limitations of the index-SSP approach. Firstly the SSP-equivalent ages belie the fact that ETGs are overwhelmingly composed of ancient stars. Secondly, the young stellar contributions implied in our star formation histories are required to obtain realistic UV-optical colours. We remark that, even fitting solar-abundance models, we can recover a star-formation duration that correlates with the measured alpha-enhancement, in agreement with other recent work.

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Galaxy properties as revealed by MaNGA – III. Kinematic profiles and stellar population gradients in S0s

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa1364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 495 (3) ◽

pp. 2894-2908 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

H Domínguez Sánchez ◽

M Bernardi ◽

F Nikakhtar ◽

B Margalef-Bentabol ◽

R K Sheth

Keyword(s):

Stellar Population ◽

Velocity Dispersion ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Elliptical Galaxies ◽

Element Abundance ◽

High Signal ◽

Galactocentric Distance ◽

Massive Galaxies ◽

Nearby Galaxies ◽

Mass Functions

ABSTRACT This is the third paper of a series where we study the stellar population gradients (SP; ages, metallicities, α-element abundance ratios, and stellar initial mass functions) of early-type galaxies (ETGs) at $z$ ≤ 0.08 from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO Data Release 15 (MaNGA-DR15) survey. In this work, we focus on the S0 population and quantify how the SP varies across the population as well as with galactocentric distance. We do this by measuring Lick indices and comparing them to SP synthesis models. This requires spectra with high signal-to-noise ratio which we achieve by stacking in bins of luminosity (Lr) and central velocity dispersion (σ0). We find that: (1) there is a bimodality in the S0 population: S0s more massive than $3\times 10^{10}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ show stronger velocity dispersion and age gradients (age and σr decrease outwards) but little or no metallicity gradient, while the less massive ones present relatively flat age and velocity dispersion profiles, but a significant metallicity gradient (i.e. [M/H] decreases outwards). Above $2\times 10^{11}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, the number of S0s drops sharply. These two mass scales are also where global scaling relations of ETGs change slope. (2) S0s have steeper velocity dispersion profiles than fast-rotating elliptical galaxies (E-FRs) of the same luminosity and velocity dispersion. The kinematic profiles and SP gradients of E-FRs are both more similar to those of slow-rotating ellipticals (E-SRs) than to S0s, suggesting that E-FRs are not simply S0s viewed face-on. (3) At fixed σ0, more luminous S0s and E-FRs are younger, more metal rich and less α-enhanced. Evidently for these galaxies, the usual statement that ‘massive galaxies are older’ is not true if σ0 is held fixed.

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SDSS-IV MaNGA: Bayesian analysis of the star formation history of low-mass galaxies in the local Universe

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa2337 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 497 (4) ◽

pp. 4753-4772

Author(s):

Shuang Zhou ◽

H J Mo ◽

Cheng Li ◽

Médéric Boquien ◽

Graziano Rossi

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Stellar Mass ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Radial Dependence ◽

High Signal ◽

Full Spectrum ◽

Low Mass

ABSTRACT We measure the star formation histories (SFHs) of a sample of low-mass galaxies with M* < 109 M⊙ from the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey. The large number of IFU spectra for each galaxy are either combined to reach a high signal to noise ratio or used to investigate spatial variations. We use Bayesian inferences based on full spectrum fitting. Our analysis based on Bayesian evidence ratio indicates a strong preference for a model that allows the presence of an old stellar population, and that an improper model for the SFH can significantly underestimate the old population in these galaxies. The addition of near-infrared photometry to the constraining data can further distinguish between different SFH model families and significantly tighten the constraints on the mass fraction in the old population. On average more than half of the stellar mass in present-day low-mass galaxies formed at least 8 Gyr ago, while about 30 per cent within the past 4 Gyr. Satellite galaxies on average have formed their stellar mass earlier than central galaxies. The radial dependence of the SFH is quite weak. Our results suggest that most of the low-mass galaxies have an early episode of active star formation that produces a large fraction of their present stellar mass.

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A census of ultraluminous X-ray sources in the local Universe

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa2481 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 498 (4) ◽

pp. 4790-4810

Author(s):

K Kovlakas ◽

A Zezas ◽

J J Andrews ◽

A Basu-Zych ◽

T Fragos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Formation Rate ◽

Morphological Type ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Early Type ◽

Local Universe ◽

X Ray ◽

Star Forming ◽

Bona Fide ◽

Nearby Galaxies

ABSTRACT Using the Chandra Source Catalog 2.0 and a newly compiled catalogue of galaxies in the local Universe, we deliver a census of ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) populations in nearby galaxies. We find 629 ULX candidates in 309 galaxies with distance smaller than 40 Mpc. The foreground/background contamination is $\sim \! 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$. The ULX populations in bona fide star-forming galaxies scale on average with star formation rate and stellar mass (M⋆) such that the number of ULXs per galaxy is $0.45^{+0.06}_{-0.09}\times \frac{\rm SFR}{\rm M_\odot \, yr^{-1}}{+}3.3^{+3.8}_{-3.2}\times \frac{M_\star }{\rm M_\odot }$. The scaling depends strongly on the morphological type. This analysis shows that early spiral galaxies contain an additional population of ULXs that scales with M⋆. We also confirm the strong anticorrelation of the ULX rate with the host galaxy’s metallicity. In the case of early-type galaxies, we find that there is a non-linear dependence of the number of ULXs with M⋆, which is interpreted as the result of star formation history differences. Taking into account age and metallicity effects, we find that the predictions from X-ray binary population synthesis models are consistent with the observed ULX rates in early-type galaxies, as well as spiral/irregular galaxies.

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Stellar Populations in Mixed Pairs of Galaxies

Symposium - International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s0074180900109477 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 164 ◽

pp. 434-434 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D.F. De Mello ◽

W.C. Keel ◽

J.W. Sulentic ◽

R. Rampazzo

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Stellar Population ◽

Elliptical Galaxy ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Population Synthesis ◽

Early Type ◽

Stellar Content ◽

Stellar Population Synthesis ◽

History Of ◽

Early Type Galaxy

The interpration of the interaction in galaxies is simplified in mixed pairs (E+S) because most or all of the cold gas can be traced to an origin in a single galaxy (S). We used spectroscopy, imaging, far–IR, and stellar population synthesis to study the stellar content and history of star formation in the nuclear region of the early–type galaxy in the mixed pair AM0327–285. We used the procedure for stellar population synthesis developed by Bica (1988) to estimate the star-formation history of the nucleus of the elliptical galaxy. The method uses a library of star clusters, and estimates the chemical evolution in a test population with two parameters: age and metallicity; no assumptions on gravity or details of stellar evolution are necessary, and the IMF is implicit in the cluster spectra. The procedure allows one to both determine the chemical enrichment and date successive generations of star formation. The result indicates that the dominant population is old and metal–rich ([Z/Z]⊙=0.3), while ~ 10% of the flux at 5870 Å arises from a young stellar population (age ≤ 5 × 108 yr), confirming that this early-type galaxy had recent star formation as suggested also by photometry and far–IR data (de Mello et al 1994). This age is close to several estimates of the characteristic timescale of the interaction, suggesting that the mass influx associated with this star formation occurred as a result of an earlier phase of the interaction and not as a result of the present geometry of the pair.

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Recovering the star formation history of galaxies through spectral fitting: Current challenges

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921320001647 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (S359) ◽

pp. 386-390

Author(s):

Lucimara P. Martins

Keyword(s):

Star Formation ◽

Mass Function ◽

Initial Mass Function ◽

Star Formation History ◽

Stellar Spectra ◽

Spectral Fitting ◽

Formation History ◽

History Of ◽

Nearby Galaxies ◽

Extract Information

AbstractWith the exception of some nearby galaxies, we cannot resolve stars individually. To recover the galaxies star formation history (SFH), the challenge is to extract information from their integrated spectrum. A widely used tool is the full spectral fitting technique. This consists of combining simple stellar populations (SSPs) of different ages and metallicities to match the integrated spectrum. This technique works well for optical spectra, for metallicities near solar and chemical histories not much different from our Galaxy. For everything else there is room for improvement. With telescopes being able to explore further and further away, and beyond the optical, the improvement of this type of tool is crucial. SSPs use as ingredients isochrones, an initial mass function, and a library of stellar spectra. My focus are the stellar libraries, key ingredient for SSPs. Here I talk about the latest developments of stellar libraries, how they influence the SSPs and how to improve them.

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