Balmer and Metal Absorption Feature Gradients in M32

Spectra from MDM Observatory are used to assess Lick/IDS feature strength gradients inside the half-light radius of the compact Local Group elliptical galaxy M32. All but a few (of 24 measured) indices show a statistically significant gradient. Comparing with models, the index gradients indicate a mean age and abundance gradient in the sense that the nucleus is a factor of 2.5 younger and a factor of 0.3 dex more metal-rich than at 1 effective radius. This conclusion is only weakly dependent on which index combinations are used and is robust to high accuracy. Stars near the M32 nucleus have a mean age and heavy element abundance [M/H] of (4.7 Gyr, +0.02), judging from models by Worthey with variable abundance ratios. This result has very small formal random errors, although, of course, there is significant age-metallicity degeneracy along an (age, abundance) line segment from (5.0 Gyr, 0.00) to (4.5 Gyr, +0.05). An abundance pattern of [C/M]=+0.077, [N/M]=-0.13, [Mg/M]=-0.18, [Fe/M]~0.0, and [Na/M]=+0.12 is required to fit the feature data, with a fitting precision of about 0.01 dex. Model uncertainties make the accuracies of these values at least twice the magnitude of the precision. Forcing scaled-solar abundances does not change the age very much, but it increases the rms goodness of model-data fit by a factor of 3 and broadens the allowed range of age to $\pm 1$ Gyr. The overall abundance pattern contrasts with larger elliptical galaxies, in which all measurable lighter elements are enhanced relative to iron and calcium.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures, Astronomical Journal, in pres

A 2dF spectroscopic study of globular clusters in NGC 5128: Probing the formation history of the nearest giant Elliptical

We have performed a spectroscopic study of globular clusters (GCs) in the giant elliptical NGC 5128 using the 2dF facility at the Anglo-Australian telescope. We obtained integrated optical spectra for a total of 254 GCs, 79 of which are newly confirmed on the basis of their radial velocities and spectra. In addition, we obtained an integrated spectrum of the galaxy starlight along the southern major axis. We derive an empirical metallicity distribution function (MDF) for 207 GCs (~14 of the estimated total GC system) based upon Milky Way GCs. This MDF is multimodal at high statistical significance with peaks at [Z/H]~-1.3 and -0.5. A comparison between the GC MDF and that of the stellar halo at 20 kpc (~4 Reff) reveals close coincidence at the metal-rich ends of the distributions. However, an inner 8 kpc stellar MDF shows a clear excess of metal-rich stars when compared to the GCs. We compare a higher S/N subsample (147 GCs) with two stellar population models which include non-solar abundance ratio corrections. The vast majority of our sample (~90%) appears old, with ages similar to the Milky Way GC system. There is evidence for a population of intermediate-age (~4-8 Gy) GCs (<15% of the sample) which are on average more metal-rich than the old GCs. We also identify at least one younger cluster (~1-2 Gy) in the central regions of the galaxy. Our observations are consistent with a picture where NGC 5128 has undergone at least two mergers and/or interactions involving star formation and limited GC formation since z=1, however the effect of non-canonical hot stellar populations on the integrated spectra of GCs remains an outstanding uncertainty in our GC age estimates.Comment: 17 figures, some long table

Detection of low Eu abundances in extremely metal-poor stars and the origin of r-process elements

We report abundance analyses of three extremely metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] $\lesssim -3$, using the Subaru High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS). All are found to have sub-solar values of [Eu/Fe]. Comparison with our chemical evolution model of the Galactic halo implies the dominant source of Eu to be the low-mass end of the supernova mass range. Future studies of stars with low Eu abundances will be important to determine the r-process site.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

The Frequency of Barred Spiral Galaxies in the Near-IR

We have determined the fraction of barred galaxies in the H-band for a statistically well-defined sample of 186 spirals drawn from the Ohio State University Bright Spiral Galaxy survey. We find 56% of our sample to be strongly barred at H, while another 16% is weakly barred. Only 27% of our sample is unbarred in the near-infrared. The RC3 and the Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies both classify only about 30% of our sample as strongly barred. Thus strong bars are nearly twice as prevalent in the near-infrared as in the optical. The frequency of genuine optically hidden bars is significant, but lower than many claims in the literature: 40% of the galaxies in our sample that are classified as unbarred in the RC3 show evidence for a bar in the H-band, while for the Carnegie Atlas this fraction is 66%. Our data reveal no significant trend in bar fraction as a function of morphology in either the optical or H-band. Optical surveys of high redshift galaxies may be strongly biased against finding bars, as bars are increasingly difficult to detect at bluer rest wavelengths.Comment: LaTeX with AASTeX style file, 23 pages with 6 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal (Feb. 2000

Population Synthesis in the Blue IV: Accurate Model Predictions for Lick Indices and UBV Colors in Single Stellar Populations

[Abridged] We present new model predictions for 16 Lick absorption line indices from Hdelta through Fe5335, and UBV colors for single stellar populations (SPs) with ages ranging between 1 and 15 Gyr, [Fe/H] ranging from -1.3 to +0.3, and variable abundance ratios. We develop a method to estimate mean ages and abundances of Fe, C, N, Mg, and Ca that explores the sensitivity of the various indices to those parameters. When applied to high-S/N Galactic cluster data, the models match the clusters' elemental abundances and ages with high precision. Analyzing stacked SDSS spectra of early-type galaxies brighter than Lstar, we find mean luminosity-weighted ages of the order of ~ 8 Gyr and iron abundances slightly below solar. Abundance ratios, [X/Fe], are higher than solar, and correlate positively with galaxy luminosity. Nitrogen is the element whose abundance correlates the most strongly with luminosity, which seems to indicate secondary enrichment. This result may impose a lower limit of 50-200 Myr to the time-scale of star formation in early-type galaxies. Unlike in the case of clusters, in galaxies bluer Balmer lines yield younger ages than Hbeta. This age discrepancy is stronger for lower luminosity galaxies. We examine four scenarios to explain this trend. The most likely is the presence of small amounts of a young/intermediate-age SP component. Two-component models provide a better match to the data when the mass fraction of the young component is a few %. This result implies that star formation has been extended in early-type galaxies, and more so in less massive galaxies, lending support to the ``downsizing'' scenario. It also implies that SP synthesis models are capable of constraining not only the mean ages of SPs in galaxies, but also their age spread.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 55 Pages, using emulateapj5.sty. Full version, containing all (enlarged) figures can be found at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~rps7v/Models/ms.pdf . A number of useful tables in the Appendix can be obtained in advance of publication by request to the autho