scholarly journals SDSS-IV MaNGA: The link between bars and the early cessation of star formation in spiral galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (1) ◽  
pp. 1116-1125
Author(s):  
Amelia Fraser-McKelvie ◽  
Michael Merrifield ◽  
Alfonso Aragón-Salamanca ◽  
Thomas Peterken ◽  
Katarina Kraljic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Barred Galaxies ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Matched Comparison ◽  
Star Formation Histories

ABSTRACT Bars are common in low-redshift disc galaxies, and hence quantifying their influence on their host is of importance to the field of galaxy evolution. We determine the stellar populations and star formation histories of 245 barred galaxies from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) galaxy survey, and compare them to a mass- and morphology-matched comparison sample of unbarred galaxies. At fixed stellar mass and morphology, barred galaxies are optically redder than their unbarred counterparts. From stellar population analysis using the full spectral fitting code starlight, we attribute this difference to both older and more metal-rich stellar populations. Dust attenuation however, is lower in the barred sample. The star formation histories of barred galaxies peak earlier than their non-barred counterparts, and the galaxies build up their mass at earlier times. We can detect no significant differences in the local environment of barred and unbarred galaxies in this sample, but find that the H i gas mass fraction is significantly lower in high-mass ($\rm {M}_{\star } \gt 10^{10}~\rm {M}_{\odot }$) barred galaxies than their non-barred counterparts. We speculate on the mechanisms that have allowed barred galaxies to be older, more metal-rich and more gas-poor today, including the efficient redistribution of galactic fountain byproducts, and a runaway bar formation scenario in gas-poor discs. While it is not possible to fully determine the effect of the bar on galaxy quenching, we conclude that the presence of a bar and the early cessation of star formation within a galaxy are intimately linked.

scholarly journals Stellar populations across galaxy bars in the MUSE TIMER project

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justus Neumann ◽  
Francesca Fragkoudi ◽  
Isabel Pérez ◽  
Dimitri A. Gadotti ◽  
Jesús Falcón-Barroso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Major Axis ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Barred Galaxies ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Stellar Ages ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
Inner Region ◽  
Star Formation Histories

Stellar populations in barred galaxies save an imprint of the influence of the bar on the host galaxy’s evolution. We present a detailed analysis of star formation histories (SFHs) and chemical enrichment of stellar populations in nine nearby barred galaxies from the TIMER project. We used integral field observations with the MUSE instrument to derive unprecedented spatially resolved maps of stellar ages, metallicities, [Mg/Fe] abundances, and SFHs, as well as Hα as a tracer of ongoing star formation. We find a characteristic V-shaped signature in the SFH that is perpendicular to the bar major axis, which supports the scenario where intermediate-age stars (∼2 − 6 Gyr) are trapped on more elongated orbits shaping a thinner part of the bar, while older stars (> 8 Gyr) are trapped on less elongated orbits shaping a rounder and thicker part of the bar. We compare our data to state-of-the-art cosmological magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of barred galaxies and show that such V-shaped SFHs arise naturally due to the dynamical influence of the bar on stellar populations with different ages and kinematic properties. Additionally, we find an excess of very young stars (< 2 Gyr) on the edges of the bars, predominantly on the leading side, thus confirming typical star formation patterns in bars. Furthermore, mass-weighted age and metallicity gradients are slightly shallower along the bar than in the disc, which is likely due to orbital mixing in the bar. Finally, we find that bars are mostly more metal-rich and less [Mg/Fe]-enhanced than the surrounding discs. We interpret this as a signature that the bar quenches star formation in the inner region of discs, usually referred to as star formation deserts. We discuss these results and their implications on two different scenarios of bar formation and evolution.

scholarly journals Spectral synthesis of stellar populations in the 3D era: The CALIFA experience

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (S309) ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
R. Cid Fernandes ◽  
E. A. D. Lacerda ◽  
R. M. González Delgado ◽  
N. Vale Asari ◽  
R. García-Benito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Spectral Synthesis ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Data Cubes ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Stellar Masses ◽  
Star Formation Histories

AbstractMethods to recover the fossil record of galaxy evolution encoded in their optical spectra have been instrumental in processing the avalanche of data from mega-surveys along the last decade, effectively transforming observed spectra onto a long and rich list of physical properties: from stellar masses and mean ages to full star formation histories. This promoted progress in our understanding of galaxies as a whole. Yet, the lack of spatial resolution introduces undesirable aperture effects, and hampers advances on the internal physics of galaxies. This is now changing with 3D surveys. The mapping of stellar populations in data-cubes allows us to figure what comes from where, unscrambling information previously available only in integrated form. This contribution uses our starlight-based analysis of 300 CALIFA galaxies to illustrate the power of spectral synthesis applied to data-cubes. The selected results highlighted here include: (a) The evolution of the mass-metallicity and mass-density-metallicity relations, as traced by the mean stellar metallicity. (b) A comparison of star formation rates obtained from Hα to those derived from full spectral fits. (c) The relation between star formation rate and dust optical depth within galaxies, which turns out to mimic the Schmidt-Kennicutt law. (d) PCA tomography experiments.

scholarly journals Resolved stellar populations in dSphs. What can they tell us about galaxy evolution?

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 49-49
Author(s):  
Andréz del Pino ◽  
Ewa L. Łokas ◽  
Sebasian L. Hidalgo ◽  
Sylvain Fouquet
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Photometric Data ◽  
Photometric Study ◽  
Star Formation Histories

AbstractWe present a comprehensive photometric study of the Fornax and the Andromeda II dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. It is based on the up-to-date deepest photometric data for both galaxies. We have derived their detailed star formation histories (SFHs) as a function of galactocentric radius. This allowed us to analyze in detail the spatial distribution of their different stellar populations.

scholarly journals Stellar populations and star formation histories of the nuclear star clusters in six nearby galaxies★

2018 ◽  
Vol 480 (2) ◽  
pp. 1973-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Kacharov ◽  
Nadine Neumayer ◽  
Anil C Seth ◽  
Michele Cappellari ◽  
Richard McDermid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Star Formation Histories

scholarly journals SDSS-IV MaNGA: spatially resolved star formation in barred galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (4) ◽  
pp. 4158-4169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Fraser-McKelvie ◽  
Alfonso Aragón-Salamanca ◽  
Michael Merrifield ◽  
Karen Masters ◽  
Preethi Nair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Host Galaxy ◽  
Massive Galaxies ◽  
Barred Galaxies ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Low Mass

ABSTRACT Bars inhabit the majority of local-Universe disc galaxies and may be important drivers of galaxy evolution through the redistribution of gas and angular momentum within discs. We investigate the star formation and gas properties of bars in galaxies spanning a wide range of masses, environments, and star formation rates using the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO galaxy survey. Using a robustly defined sample of 684 barred galaxies, we find that fractional (or scaled) bar length correlates with the host’s offset from the star formation main sequence. Considering the morphology of the Hα emission we separate barred galaxies into different categories, including barred, ringed, and central configurations, together with Hα detected at the ends of a bar. We find that only low-mass galaxies host star formation along their bars, and that this is located predominantly at the leading edge of the bar itself. Our results are supported by recent simulations of massive galaxies, which show that the position of star formation within a bar is regulated by a combination of shear forces, turbulence, and gas flows. We conclude that the physical properties of a bar are mostly governed by the existing stellar mass of the host galaxy, but that they also play an important role in the galaxy’s ongoing star formation.

scholarly journals VIS3COS

2020 ◽  
Vol 633 ◽  
pp. A70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paulino-Afonso ◽  
David Sobral ◽  
Behnam Darvish ◽  
Bruno Ribeiro ◽  
Ian Smail ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Massive Galaxies ◽  
Stellar Masses ◽  
Star Formation Histories ◽  
Intermediate Density

We present spectroscopic observations of 466 galaxies in and around a superstructure at z ∼ 0.84 targeted by the VIMOS Spectroscopic Survey of a Supercluster in the COSMOS field (VIS3COS). We use [OII]λ3727, Hδ, and Dn4000 to trace recent, medium-, and long-term star formation histories and investigate the effect of stellar mass and local environment on them. By studying trends in individual and composite galaxy spectra, we find that stellar mass and environment play a role in the observed galactic properties. Galaxies with low stellar mass (10 <  log10(M⋆/M⊙) < 10.5) in the field show the strongest Hδ absorption. Similarly, the massive population (log10(M⋆/M⊙) > 11) shows an increase in Hδ absorption strengths in intermediate-density environments (e.g. filaments). Galaxies with intermediate stellar mass (10.5 <  log10(M⋆/M⊙) < 11) have similar Hδ absorption profiles in all environments, but show an indication of enhanced [OII] emission in intermediate-density environments. This indicates that field galaxies with low stellar mass and filament galaxies with high stellar mass are more likely to have experienced a recent burst of star formation, while galaxies of the intermediate stellar-mass show an increase of star formation at filament-like densities. We also find that the median [OII] equivalent width (|EW[OII]|) decreases from 27 ± 2 Å to 2.0+0.5−0.4 Å and Dn4000 increases from 1.09 ± 0.01 to 1.56 ± 0.03 with increasing stellar mass (from ∼109.25 to ∼1011.35 M⊙). For the dependence on the environment, we find that at fixed stellar mass, |EW[OII]| is tentatively lower in environments with higher density. We find for Dn4000 that the increase with stellar mass is sharper in denser environments, which indicates that these environments may accelerate galaxy evolution. Moreover, we find higher Dn4000 values in denser environments at fixed stellar mass, suggesting that galaxies are on average older and/or more metal rich in these dense environments. This set of tracers depicts a scenario where the most massive galaxies have, on average, the lowest specific star formation rates and the oldest stellar populations (age ≳ 1 Gyr, showing a mass-downsizing effect). We also hypothesize that the observed increase in star formation (higher EW[OII]|, higher specific star formation rate) at intermediate densities may lead to quenching because we find that the quenched fraction increases sharply from the filament to cluster-like regions at similar stellar masses.

scholarly journals A few StePS forward in unveiling the complexity of galaxy evolution: light-weighted stellar ages of intermediate-redshift galaxies with WEAVE

2019 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
pp. A9 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Costantin ◽  
A. Iovino ◽  
S. Zibetti ◽  
M. Longhetti ◽  
A. Gallazzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Stellar Ages ◽  
Mass Size ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Star Formation Histories ◽  
Individual Galaxies

Context. The upcoming new generation of optical spectrographs on four-meter-class telescopes, with their huge multiplexing capabilities, excellent spectral resolution, and unprecedented wavelength coverage, will provide invaluable information for reconstructing the history of star formation in individual galaxies up to redshifts of about 0.7. Aims. We aim at defining simple but robust and meaningful physical parameters that can be used to trace the coexistence of widely diverse stellar components: younger stellar populations superimposed on the bulk of older ones. Methods. We produced spectra of galaxies closely mimicking data from the forthcoming Stellar Populations at intermediate redshifts Survey (StePS), a survey that uses the WEAVE spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope. First, we assessed our ability to reliably measure both ultraviolet and optical spectral indices in galaxies of different spectral types for typically expected signal-to-noise ratios. We then analyzed such mock spectra with a Bayesian approach, deriving the probability density function of r- and u-band light-weighted ages as well as of their difference. Results. We find that the ultraviolet indices significantly narrow the uncertainties in estimating the r- and u-band light-weighted ages and their difference in individual galaxies. These diagnostics, robustly retrievable for large galaxy samples even when observed at moderate signal-to-noise ratios, allow us to identify secondary episodes of star formation up to an age of ∼0.1 Gyr for stellar populations older than ∼1.5 Gyr, pushing up to an age of ∼1 Gyr for stellar populations older than ∼5 Gyr. Conclusions. The difference between r-band and u-band light-weighted ages is shown to be a powerful diagnostic to characterize and constrain extended star-formation histories and the presence of young stellar populations on top of older ones. This parameter can be used to explore the interplay between different galaxy star-formation histories and physical parameters such as galaxy mass, size, morphology, and environment.

scholarly journals Star formation histories of resolved galaxies

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S258) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Monica Tosi
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Observational Data ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Morphological Type ◽  
The Other ◽  
Early Type ◽  
Significant Rate ◽  
Star Formation Histories

AbstractThe colour-magnitude diagrams of resolved stellar populations are the best tool to study the star formation histories of the host galactic regions. In this review the method to derive star formation histories by means of synthetic colour-magnitude diagrams is briefly outlined, and the results of its application to resolved galaxies of various morphological types are summarized. It is shown that all the galaxies studied so far were already forming stars at the lookback time reached by the observational data, independently of morphological type and metallicity. Early-type galaxies have formed stars predominantly, but in several cases not exclusively, at the earliest epochs. All the other galaxies appear to have experienced rather continuous star formation activities throughout their lifetimes, although with significant rate variations and, sometimes, short quiescent phases.

scholarly journals The diversity and variability of star formation histories in models of galaxy evolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (1) ◽  
pp. 430-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kartheik G Iyer ◽  
Sandro Tacchella ◽  
Shy Genel ◽  
Christopher C Hayward ◽  
Lars Hernquist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Galaxy Evolution ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Power Laws ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
Star Formation Histories

ABSTRACT Understanding the variability of galaxy star formation histories (SFHs) across a range of time-scales provides insight into the underlying physical processes that regulate star formation within galaxies. We compile the SFHs of galaxies at z = 0 from an extensive set of models, ranging from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations (Illustris, IllustrisTNG, Mufasa, Simba, EAGLE), zoom simulations (FIRE-2, g14, and Marvel/Justice League), semi-analytic models (Santa Cruz SAM) and empirical models (UniverseMachine), and quantify the variability of these SFHs on different time-scales using the power spectral density (PSD) formalism. We find that the PSDs are well described by broken power laws, and variability on long time-scales (≳1 Gyr) accounts for most of the power in galaxy SFHs. Most hydrodynamical models show increased variability on shorter time-scales (≲300 Myr) with decreasing stellar mass. Quenching can induce ∼0.4−1 dex of additional power on time-scales &gt;1 Gyr. The dark matter accretion histories of galaxies have remarkably self-similar PSDs and are coherent with the in situ star formation on time-scales &gt;3 Gyr. There is considerable diversity among the different models in their (i) power due to star formation rate variability at a given time-scale, (ii) amount of correlation with adjacent time-scales (PSD slope), (iii) evolution of median PSDs with stellar mass, and (iv) presence and locations of breaks in the PSDs. The PSD framework is a useful space to study the SFHs of galaxies since model predictions vary widely. Observational constraints in this space will help constrain the relative strengths of the physical processes responsible for this variability.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document