Control sample for galaxy pairs: Simulations and observations

Several attempts have been made in order to isolate the effect of galaxy interactions by comparing galaxy in pairs with isolated galaxies. However, different authors have proposed different ways to build these control samples (CS). By using mock galaxy catalagues built up from the Millennium Simulation, we show that the set of constrains used to define a CS might introduce biases which could affect the interpretation of results. In this analysis, we make use of the fact that the physics of interactions is not included in the semi-analytic model, so that any difference between the mock control and pair samples can be attributed to selection biases. Thus, we suggest how to build an unique and unbiased CS in order to individualize the effect of interactions. Based on this theoretical findings and using the SDSS-DR4 data, we revise some previous observational results of galaxy in pairs in order to evaluate any possible disagreement. The comparison between simulations and observations suggests an overestimated effect of the DM halo bias in semianalytical models.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Control sample for galaxy pairs: Simulations and observations

Several attempts have been made in order to isolate the effect of galaxy interactions by comparing galaxy in pairs with isolated galaxies. However, different authors have proposed different ways to build these control samples (CS). By using mock galaxy catalagues built up from the Millennium Simulation, we show that the set of constrains used to define a CS might introduce biases which could affect the interpretation of results. In this analysis, we make use of the fact that the physics of interactions is not included in the semi-analytic model, so that any difference between the mock control and pair samples can be attributed to selection biases. Thus, we suggest how to build an unique and unbiased CS in order to individualize the effect of interactions. Based on this theoretical findings and using the SDSS-DR4 data, we revise some previous observational results of galaxy in pairs in order to evaluate any possible disagreement. The comparison between simulations and observations suggests an overestimated effect of the DM halo bias in semianalytical models.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Chemical feedback from SNIa in isolated galaxies. The Single Degenerate Scenario

The nature of the Supernova Ia progenitors remains unknown. This is amajor issue for galactic chemical evolution models since both chemicaland energy feedback influence the evolution of baryons. The progenitormodels for the supernovae Ia available in the literature proposedifferent shapes for the function which regulates the explosion times ofthe SNIa. In this work, we include for in hydrodynamical simulations theSingle Degenerate scenario for supernova type Ia. We analyse theimplications for the chemical enrichment of galaxies. Our best scenariocan reproduce the [alpha /Fe] ratios for bulge-dominated type galaxies,the observed SNIa rates and the observed correlation between the thestar formation and the supernova Ia rates in galaxies.Fil: Jiménez, Noelia. Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica; Italia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tissera, Patricia Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Matteucci, Francesca. Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica; Itali

Building a control sample for galaxy pairs

Several observational works have attempted to isolate the effects of galaxy interactions by comparing galaxies in pairs with isolated galaxies. However, different authors have proposed different ways to build these so-called control samples (CS). By using mock galaxy catalogues of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 buildup from the Millennium Simulation, we explore how the way of building a CS might introduce biases which could affect the interpretation of results. We make use of the fact that the physics of interactions are not included in the semi-analytic model, to infer that any difference between the mock control and pair samples can be ascribed to selection biases. Thus, we find that galaxies in pairs artificially tend to be older and more bulge dominated, and to have less cold gas and different metallicities than their isolated counterparts. Also because of a biased selection, galaxies in pairs tend to live in higher density environments and in haloes of larger masses. We find that imposing constraints on redshift, stellar masses and local densities diminishes the selection biases by ≈70 per cent. Based on these findings, we suggest observers how to build a unique and unbiased CS in order to reveal the effect of galaxy interactions.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Control sample for galaxy pairs: Simulations and observations

Several attempts have been made in order to isolate the effect of galaxy interactions by comparing galaxy in pairs with isolated galaxies. However, different authors have proposed different ways to build these control samples (CS). By using mock galaxy catalagues built up from the Millennium Simulation, we show that the set of constrains used to define a CS might introduce biases which could affect the interpretation of results. In this analysis, we make use of the fact that the physics of interactions is not included in the semi-analytic model, so that any difference between the mock control and pair samples can be attributed to selection biases. Thus, we suggest how to build an unique and unbiased CS in order to individualize the effect of interactions. Based on this theoretical findings and using the SDSS-DR4 data, we revise some previous observational results of galaxy in pairs in order to evaluate any possible disagreement. The comparison between simulations and observations suggests an overestimated effect of the DM halo bias in semianalytical models.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Clues for the origin of the fundamental metallicity relations - I. The hierarchical building up of the structure

We analyse the evolutionary history of galaxies formed in a hierarchical scenario consistent with the concordance Lambda cold dark matter (CDM) model focusing on the study of the relation between their chemical and dynamical properties. Our simulations consistently describe the formation of the structure and its chemical enrichment within a cosmological context. Our results indicate that the luminosity–metallicity and the stellar mass–metallicity (LZR and MZR) relations are naturally generated in a hierarchical scenario. Both relations are found to evolve with redshift. In the case of the MZR, the estimated evolution is weaker than that deduced from observational works by approximately 0.10 dex. We also determine a characteristic stellar mass, Mc ≈ 3 × 1010 M⊙, which segregates the simulated galaxy population into two distinctive groups and which remains unchanged since z ∼ 3, with a very weak evolution of its metallicity content. The value and role played by Mc is consistent with the characteristic mass estimated from the SDSS galaxy survey by Kauffmann et al. Our findings suggest that systems with stellar masses smaller than Mc are responsible for the evolution of this relation at least from z ≈ 3. Larger systems are stellar dominated and have formed more than 50 per cent of their stars at z 2, showing very weak evolution since this epoch. We also found bimodal metallicity and age distributions from z ∼ 3, which reflects the existence of two different galaxy populations. Although SN feedback may affect the properties of galaxies and help to shape the MZR, it is unlikely that it will significantly modify Mc since, from z = 3 this stellar mass is found in systems with circular velocities larger than 100 km s −1Fil: de Rossi, Maria Emilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Tissera, Patricia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Scannapieco, Cecilia. Gobierno de la Republica Federal de Alemania. Max Planck Institut Fur Astrophysik; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentin

Chemical evolution during gas-rich galaxy interactions

We perform and analyse a set of galaxy interactions performed by using a self-consistent chemo-hydrodynamical model which includes star formation, supernova (SN) feedback and chemical evolution. In agreement with previous works, we find that tidally induced low-metallicity gas inflows dilute the central oxygen abundance and contribute to the flattening of the metallicity gradients. The tidally induced inflows trigger starbursts which increase the impact of Type II supernova (SN II) feedback injecting new chemical elements and driving galactic winds which modulate the metallicity distribution. Although α-enhancement in the central regions is detected as a result of the induced starbursts in agreement with previous works, our simulations suggest that this parameter can only provide a timing of the first pericentre mainly for non-retrograde encounters. In order to reproduce wet major mergers at low and high redshifts, we have run simulations with respectively 20 and 50 per cent of the disc in the form of gas. We find that the more gas-rich encounters behave similarly to the less rich ones, between the first and second pericentre, where low-metallicity gas inflows are triggered. However, the higher strength of the inflows triggered in the more gas-rich interactions produces larger metal dilution factors, which are modulated afterwards by the new chemical production by SN. We find that the more gas-rich interaction develops violent and clumpy star formation triggered by local instabilities all over the disc before the first pericentre, so that if these galaxies were observed at these early stages where no important tidally induced inflows have been able to be developed yet, they would tend to show an excess of oxygen. We find a global mean correlation of both the central abundances and the gradients with the strength of the star formation activity. However, the correlations are affected by orbital parameters, gas inflows and outflows, suggesting that it might be difficult to determine it from observations. Overall, our findings show that a consistent description of the gas dynamics and stellar evolution along the interactions is necessary to assess their effects on the chemical properties of the interstellar medium.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica