597 research outputs found
Constraints on galaxy formation from alpha-enhancement in luminous elliptical galaxies
We explore the formation of alpha-enhanced and metal-rich stellar populations
in the nuclei of luminous ellipticals under the assumption of two extreme
galaxy formation scenarios based on hierarchical clustering, namely a fast
clumpy collapse and the merger of two spirals. We investigate the parameter
space of star formation time-scale, IMF slope, and stellar yields. In
particular, the latter add a huge uncertainty in constraining time-scales and
IMF slopes. We find that -- for Thielemann, Nomoto & Hashimoto nucleosynthesis
-- in a fast clumpy collapse scenario an [alpha/Fe] overabundance of approx.
0.2 dex in the high metallicity stars can be achieved with a Salpeter IMF and
star formation time-scales of the order 10^9 yr. The scenario of two merging
spirals which are similar to our Galaxy, instead, fails to reproduce
alpha-enhanced abundance ratios in the metal-rich stars, unless the IMF is
flattened during the burst ignited by the merger. This result is independent of
the burst time-scale. We suggest that abundance gradients give hints to
distinguish between the two extreme formation scenarios considered in this
paper.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, LaTex 2.09 with mn.sty, 13 pages,
5 figure
The star formation histories of early-type galaxies: insights from the rest-frame ultra-violet
Our current understanding of the star formation histories of early-type
galaxies is reviewed, in the context of recent observational studies of their
ultra-violet (UV) properties. Combination of UV and optical spectro-photometric
data indicates that the bulk of the stellar mass in the early-type population
forms at high redshift (z > 2), typically over short timescales (< 1 Gyr).
Nevertheless, early-types of all luminosities form stars over the lifetime of
the Universe, with most luminous (-23 < M(V) < -21) systems forming 10-15% of
their stellar mass after z = 1 (with a scatter to higher value), while their
less luminous (M(V) > -21) counterparts form 30-60% of their mass in the same
redshift range. The large scatter in the (rest-frame) UV colours in the
redshift range 0 < z < 0.7 indicates widespread low-level star formation in the
early-type population over the last 8 billion years. The mass fraction of young
(< 1 Gyr old) stars in luminous early-type galaxies varies between 1% and 6% at
z~0 and is in the range 5-13% at z~0.7. The intensity of recent star formation
and the bulk of the UV colour distribution is consistent with what might be
expected from minor mergers (mass ratios < 1:6) in an LCDM cosmology.Comment: Brief Review, Mod. Phys. Lett.
On the hosts of neutron star mergers in the nearby Universe
Recently, the characterisation of binary systems of neutron stars has become
central in various fields such as gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs),
and the chemical evolution of galaxies. In this work, we explore possible
observational proxies that can be used to infer some characteristics of the
delay time distribution (DTD) of neutron star mergers (NSMs). We construct a
sample of model galaxies that fulfils the observed galaxy stellar mass
function, star formation rate versus mass relation, and the cosmic star
formation rate density. The star formation history of galaxies is described
with a log-normal function characterised by two parameters: the position of the
maximum and the width of the distribution. We assume a theoretical DTD that
mainly depends on the lower limit and the slope of the distribution of the
separations of the binary neutron stars systems at birth. We find that the
current rate of NSMs ( Gpcyr)
requires that per cent of neutron star progenitors lives in binary
systems with the right characteristics to lead to a NSM within a Hubble time.
We explore the expected relations between the rate of NSMs and the properties
of the host galaxy. We find that the most effective proxy for the shape of the
DTD of NSMs is the current star formation activity of the typical host. At
present, the fraction of short-GRBs observed in star-forming galaxies favours
DTDs with at least of mergers within Myr. This conclusion will
be put on a stronger basis with larger samples of short-GRBs with host
association (e.g. events at )Comment: 20 pages, 18 Figures, To appear on MNRA
The evolution of the color gradients of early-type cluster galaxies
We investigate the origin of color gradients in cluster early-type galaxies
to probe whether pure age or pure metallicity gradients can explain the
observed data in local and distant (z approx 0.4) samples. We measure the
surface brightness profiles of the 20 brightest early-type galaxies of
CL0949+44 (hereafter CL0949) at redshift z=0.35-0.38 from HST WF2 frames taken
in the filters F555W, F675W, F814W. We determine the color profiles (V-R)(r),
(V-I)(r), and (R-I)(r) as a function of the radial distance r in arcsec, and
fit logarithmic gradients in the range -0.2 to 0.1 mag per decade. These values
are similar to what is found locally for the colors (U-B), (U-V), (B-V) which
approximately match the (V-R), (V-I), (R-I) at redshift approx 0.4. We analyse
the results with up to date stellar population models. We find that passive
evolution of metallicity gradients (approx 0.2 dex per radial decade) provides
a consistent explanation of the local and distant galaxies' data. Invoking pure
age gradients (with fixed metallicity) to explain local color gradients
produces too steep gradients at redshifts z approx 0.4. Pure age gradients are
consistent with the data only if large present day ages (>=15 Gyr) are assumed
for the galaxy centers.Comment: 23 pages, 19 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
Simulating the recent star formation history in the halo of NGC 5128
Simulated color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are used to investigate the recent
star formation history in NGC 5128. The comparison of the simulations with the
observed UV CMD for a field in the NE shell, where recent star formation is
present, constrains the initial mass function (IMF) and the duration of the
star formation episode. The star formation burst is still on-going or at most
has stopped some 2 Myr ago. The look-back time on the main sequence is set by
the incompleteness of the U-band observations at V~26, and is of the order of
50 Myr. The post main sequence phases have a look-back time up to 100 Myr,
setting the maximum observable time for the star formation in this field. The
comparison of the observed and simulated luminosity functions and the number of
post main sequence vs. total number of stars favours models with active star
formation in the last 100 Myr. The data are best fitted by an IMF with Salpeter
slope (\alpha=2.35), and are also consistent with slopes in the range of
2<~\alpha<~2.6. They exclude steeper IMF slopes. The mean star formation rate
for a Salpeter IMF in the range of masses 0.6<~M<~100 M_sun within the last 100
Myr is 1.6x10^-4 M_sun yr^-1 kpc^-2.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures; A&A in pres
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