374 research outputs found
The Ages of Elliptical Galaxies from Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions
The mean ages of early-type galaxies obtained from the analysis of optical
spectra, give a mean age of 8 Gyr at z = 0, with 40% being younger than 6 Gyr.
Independent age determinations are possible by using infrared spectra (5-21
microns), which we have obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer
Observatory. This age indicator is based on the collective mass loss rate of
stars, where mass loss from AGB stars produces a silicate emission feature at
9-12 microns. This feature decreases more rapidly than the shorter wavelength
continuum as a stellar population ages, providing an age indicator. From
observations of 30 nearby early-type galaxies, 29 show a spectral energy
distribution dominated by stars and one has significant emission from the ISM
and is excluded. The infrared age indicators for the 29 galaxies show them all
to be old, with a mean age of about 10 Gyr and a standard deviation of only a
few Gyr. This is consistent with the ages inferred from the values of M/L_B,
but is inconsistent with the ages derived from the optical line indices, which
can be much younger. All of these age indicators are luminosity-weighted and
should be correlated, even if multiple-age components are considered. The
inconsistency indicates that there is a significant problem with either the
infrared and the M/L_B ages, which agree, or with the ages inferred from the
optical absorption lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
The two regimes of the cosmic sSFR evolution are due to spheroids and discs
This paper aims at explaining the two phases in the observed specific star
formation rate (sSFR), namely the high (>3/Gyr) values at z>2 and the smooth
decrease since z=2. In order to do this, we compare to observations the
specific star formation rate evolution predicted by well calibrated models of
chemical evolution for elliptical and spiral galaxies, using the additional
constraints on the mean stellar ages of these galaxies (at a given mass). We
can conclude that the two phases of the sSFR evolution across cosmic time are
due to different populations of galaxies. At z>2 the contribution comes from
spheroids: the progenitors of present-day massive ellipticals (which feature
the highest sSFR) as well as halos and bulges in spirals (which contribute with
average and lower-than-average sSFR). In each single galaxy the sSFR decreases
rapidly and the star formation stops in <1 Gyr. However the combination of
different generations of ellipticals in formation might result in an apparent
lack of strong evolution of the sSFR (averaged over a population) at high
redshift. The z<2 decrease is due to the slow evolution of the gas fraction in
discs, modulated by the gas accretion history and regulated by the Schmidt law.
The Milky Way makes no exception to this behaviour.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, MNRAS accepte
On the relation between sSFR and metallicity
In this paper we present an exact general analytic expression
linking the gas metallicity Z to the specific
star formation rate (sSFR), that validates and extends the approximate relation
put forward by Lilly et al. (2013, L13), where is the yield per stellar
generation, is the instantaneous ratio between inflow and star
formation rate expressed as a function of the sSFR, and is the integral of
the past enrichment history, respectively. We then demonstrate that the
instantaneous metallicity of a self-regulating system, such that its sSFR
decreases with decreasing redshift, can be well approximated by the first term
on the right-hand side in the above formula, which provides an upper bound to
the metallicity. The metallicity is well approximated also by the L13 ideal
regulator case, which provides a lower bound to the actual metallicity. We
compare these approximate analytic formulae to numerical results and infer a
discrepancy <0.1 dex in a range of metallicities and almost three orders of
magnitude in the sSFR. We explore the consequences of the L13 model on the
mass-weighted metallicity in the stellar component of the galaxies. We find
that the stellar average metallicity lags 0.1-0.2 dex behind the gas-phase
metallicity relation, in agreement with the data. (abridged)Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, MNRAS accepte
Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge: different stellar populations and possible gradients
We compute the chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge to explain the
existence of two main stellar populations recently observed. After comparing
model results and observational data we suggest that the old more metal poor
stellar population formed very fast (on a timescale of 0.1-0.3 Gyr) by means of
an intense burst of star formation and an initial mass function flatter than in
the solar vicinity whereas the metal rich population formed on a longer
timescale (3 Gyr). We predict differences in the mean abundances of the two
populations (-0.52 dex for ) which can be interpreted as a metallicity
gradients. We also predict possible gradients for Fe, O, Mg, Si, S and Ba
between sub-populations inside the metal poor population itself (e.g. -0.145
dex for ). Finally, by means of a chemo-dynamical model following a
dissipational collapse, we predict a gradient inside 500 pc from the Galactic
center of -0.26 dex kpc^{-1} in Fe.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Section 5. of
Astronomy and Astrophysic
Abundance ratios in the hot ISM of elliptical galaxies
To constrain the recipes put forth to solve the theoretical Fe discrepancy in
the hot interstellar medium of elliptical galaxies and at the same time explain
the [alpha/Fe] ratios. In order to do so we use the latest theoretical
nucleosynthetic yields, we incorporate the dust, we explore differing SNIa
progenitor scenarios by means of a self-consistent chemical evolution model
which reproduces the properties of the stellar populations in elliptical
galaxies. Models with Fe-only dust and/or a lower effective SNIa rate achieve a
better agreement with the observed Fe abundance. However, a suitable
modification to the SNIa yield with respect to the standard W7 model is needed
to fully match the abundance ratio pattern. The 2D explosion model C-DDT by
Maeda et al. (2010) is a promising candidate for reproducing the [Fe/H] and the
[alpha/Fe] ratios. (A&A format)Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to appear on A&
Colour gradients of high-redshift Early-Type Galaxies from hydrodynamical monolithic models
We analyze the evolution of colour gradients predicted by the hydrodynamical
models of early type galaxies (ETGs) in Pipino et al. (2008), which reproduce
fairly well the chemical abundance pattern and the metallicity gradients of
local ETGs. We convert the star formation (SF) and metal content into colours
by means of stellar population synthetic model and investigate the role of
different physical ingredients, as the initial gas distribution and content,
and eps_SF, i.e. the normalization of SF rate. From the comparison with high
redshift data, a full agreement with optical rest-frame observations at z < 1
is found, for models with low eps_SF, whereas some discrepancies emerge at 1 <
z < 2, despite our models reproduce quite well the data scatter at these
redshifts. To reconcile the prediction of these high eps_SF systems with the
shallower colour gradients observed at lower z we suggest intervention of 1-2
dry mergers. We suggest that future studies should explore the impact of wet
galaxy mergings, interactions with environment, dust content and a variation of
the Initial Mass Function from the galactic centers to the peripheries.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication on MNRA
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