The Determination of the Star Formation Rate in Galaxies

A spectrophotometric model able to compute the integrated spectrum of a galaxy, including the contribution both of the stellar populations and of the ionized interstellar gas of the HII regions powered by young hot stars, has been used to study several spectral features and photometric quantities in order to derive calibrations of the star formation history of late type galaxies. Attention has been paid to analyze the emission of the Balmer lines and the [OII]$\lambda$3727 line to test their attitude at providing estimates of the present star formation rate in galaxies. Other features, like D$_{4000}$ and the equivalent width of the H$_{\delta}$ line, influenced by the presence of intermediate age stars, have been considered. Several ways of estimating the star formation rates in normal galaxies are discussed and some considerations concerning the applicability of the models are presented. Criteria have been also studied for ascertaining the presence of a burst, current or ended not long ago. Bursts usually hinder the determination of the past star formation rate.Comment: 21 pages, needs A&A l-aa.sty, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

An Integrated Picture of Star Formation, Metallicity Evolution, and Galactic Stellar Mass Assembly

We present an integrated study of star formation and galactic stellar mass assembly from z=0.05-1.5 and galactic metallicity evolution from z=0.05-0.9 using a very large and highly spectroscopically complete sample selected by rest-frame NIR bolometric flux in the GOODS-N. We assume a Salpeter IMF and fit Bruzual & Charlot (2003) models to compute the galactic stellar masses and extinctions. We determine the expected formed stellar mass density growth rates produced by star formation and compare them with the growth rates measured from the formed stellar mass functions by mass interval. We show that the growth rates match if the IMF is slightly increased from the Salpeter IMF at intermediate masses (~10 solar masses). We investigate the evolution of galaxy color, spectral type, and morphology with mass and redshift and the evolution of mass with environment. We find that applying extinction corrections is critical when analyzing galaxy colors; e.g., nearly all of the galaxies in the green valley are 24um sources, but after correcting for extinction, the bulk of the 24um sources lie in the blue cloud. We find an evolution of the metallicity-mass relation corresponding to a decrease of 0.21+/-0.03 dex between the local value and the value at z=0.77 in the 1e10-1e11 solar mass range. We use the metallicity evolution to estimate the gas mass of the galaxies, which we compare with the galactic stellar mass assembly and star formation histories. Overall, our measurements are consistent with a galaxy evolution process dominated by episodic bursts of star formation and where star formation in the most massive galaxies (>1e11 solar masses) ceases at z<1.5 because of gas starvation. (Abstract abridged)Comment: 48 pages, Accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

Starbursts and the Butcher-Oemler effect in galaxy clusters

In order to explain the spectroscopic observations of most of the galaxies in intermediate redshift clusters, bursts of star formation superimposed to the traditional scenario of galactic evolution are needed. The analysis of spectral lines and colours by means of an evolutionary synthesis model, including both the stellar contribution and the emission of the ionized gas, allows in most of the cases the determination of the time elapsed since the end of the burst and the fraction of galactic mass involved in it. In the four clusters considered (AC103, AC114, AC118 at \rm z=0.31 and Cl1358+6245 at \rm z=0.33), the theoretical analysis demonstrates that the bursts affect substantial galactic mass fractions, typically 30 \% or more. The observations can be equally well reproduced by either elliptical+burst models or by spiral+burst models in which the star formation is truncated at the end of the burst. A way to determine the galactic original type is suggested

Extensions of Superscaling from Relativistic Mean Field Theory: the SuSAv2 Model

We present a systematic analysis of the quasielastic scaling functions computed within the Relativistic Mean Field (RMF) Theory and we propose an extension of the SuperScaling Approach (SuSA) model based on these results. The main aim of this work is to develop a realistic and accurate phenomenological model (SuSAv2), which incorporates the different RMF effects in the longitudinal and transverse nuclear responses, as well as in the isovector and isoscalar channels. This provides a complete set of reference scaling functions to describe in a consistent way both $(e, e')$ processes and the neutrino/antineutrino-nucleus reactions in the quasielastic region. A comparison of the model predictions with electron and neutrino scattering data is presented.Comment: 19 pages, 24 figure

Indicators of star formation: 4000 Angstrom break and Balmer lines

The behaviour of the 4000 Angstrom break index and of the equivalent width of the main Balmer lines is investigated a) for a single star as a function of effective temperature, gravity and metallicity and b) for a single stellar population as a function of age and metallicity. Consequences for the interpretation of integrated spectra are presented.Comment: 5 pages, needs A&A l-aa.sty, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, complete preprint with figures available on request at [email protected]

A Search for Nitrogen Enriched Quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release

A search for nitrogen-rich quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release (SDSS EDR) catalog has yielded 16 candidates, including five with very prominent emission, but no cases with nitrogen emission as strong as in Q0353-383. The quasar Q0353-383 has long been known to have extremely strong nitrogen intercombination lines at lambda 1486 and lambda 1750 Angstroms, implying an anomalously high nitrogen abundance of about 15 times solar. It is still the only one of its kind known. A preliminary search through the EDR using the observed property of the weak C IV emission seen in Q0353-383 resulted in a sample of 23 objects with unusual emission or absorption-line properties, including one very luminous redshift 2.5 star-forming galaxy. We present descriptions, preliminary emission-line measurements, and spectra for all the objects discussed here.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, submitted to AJ; final refereed versio

Effect of ELF e.m. fields on metalloprotein redox-active sites

The peculiarity of the distribution and geometry of metallic ions in enzymes pushed us to set the hypothesis that metallic ions in active-site act like tiny antennas able to pick up very feeble e.m. signals. Enzymatic activity of Cu2+, Zn2+ Superoxide Dismutase (SOD1) and Fe2+ Xanthine Oxidase (XO) has been studied, following in vitro generation and removal of free radicals. We observed that Superoxide radicals generation by XO is increased by a weak field having the Larmor frequency fL of Fe2+ while the SOD1 kinetics is sensibly reduced by exposure to a weak field having the frequency fL of Cu2+ ion.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure

Neutrino and antineutrino CCQE scattering in the SuperScaling Approximation from MiniBooNE to NOMAD energies

We compare the predictions of the SuperScaling model for charged current quasielastic muonic neutrino and antineutrino scattering from $^{12}$C with experimental data spanning an energy range up to 100 GeV. We discuss the sensitivity of the results to different parametrizations of the nucleon vector and axial-vector form factors. Finally, we show the differences between electron and muon (anti-)neutrino cross sections relevant for the $\nu$STORM facility.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; v2: small corrections in the text and two added references; version accepted for publication by Phys. Lett.

Connecting scaling with short-range correlations

We reexamine several issues related to the physics of scaling in electron scattering from nuclei. A basic model is presented in which an assumed form for the momentum distribution having both long- and short-range contributions is incorporated in the single-particle Green function. From this one can obtain saturation of nuclear matter for an NN interaction with medium-range attraction and short-range repulsion, and can obtain the density-density polarization propagator and hence the electromagnetic response and scaling function. For the latter, the shape of the scaling function and how it approaches scaling as a function of momentum transfer are both explored.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figures. A reference has been corrected and update