The growth of galaxies is one of the key problems in understanding the structure and evolution of the universe and its constituents. Galaxies can grow their stellar mass by accretion of halo or ...intergalactic gas clouds, or by merging with smaller or similar mass galaxies. The gas available translates into a rate of star formation, which controls the generation of metals in the universe. The spatially resolved history of their stellar mass assembly has not been obtained so far for any given galaxy beyond the Local Group. Here we demonstrate how massive galaxies grow their stellar mass inside-out. We report the results from the analysis of the first 105 galaxies of the largest three-dimensional spectroscopic survey to date of galaxies in the local universe (CALIFA). We apply the fossil record method of stellar population spectral synthesis to recover the spatially and time resolved star formation history of each galaxy. We show, for the first time, that the signal of downsizing is spatially preserved, with both inner and outer regions growing faster for more massive galaxies. Further, we show that the relative growth rate of the spheroidal component, nucleus, and inner galaxy, which happened 5-7 Gyr ago, shows a maximum at a critical stellar mass ~7 x 10 super(10) M sub(middot in circle). We also find that galaxies less massive than ~10 super(10) M sub(middot in circle) show a transition to outside-in growth, thus connecting with results from resolved studies of the growth of low-mass galaxies.
Abstract
The Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey, a pioneer in integral field spectroscopy legacy projects, has fostered many studies exploring the information encoded on the ...spatially resolved data on gaseous and stellar features in the optical range of galaxies. We describe a value-added catalogue of stellar population properties for CALIFA galaxies analysed with the spectral synthesis code starlight and processed with the pycasso platform. Our public database (http://pycasso.ufsc.br/, mirror at http://pycasso.iaa.es/) comprises 445 galaxies from the CALIFA Data Release 3 with COMBO data. The catalogue provides maps for the stellar mass surface density, mean stellar ages and metallicities, stellar dust attenuation, star formation rates, and kinematics. Example applications both for individual galaxies and for statistical studies are presented to illustrate the power of this data set. We revisit and update a few of our own results on mass density radial profiles and on the local mass–metallicity relation. We also show how to employ the catalogue for new investigations, and show a pseudo Schmidt–Kennicutt relation entirely made with information extracted from the stellar continuum. Combinations to other databases are also illustrated. Among other results, we find a very good agreement between star formation rate surface densities derived from the stellar continuum and the H α emission. This public catalogue joins the scientific community’s effort towards transparency and reproducibility, and will be useful for researchers focusing on (or complementing their studies with) stellar properties of CALIFA galaxies.
Star formation along the Hubble sequence Delgado, R M Gonzalez; Fernandes, R Cid; Perez, E ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
6/2016, Letnik:
590
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The spatially resolved stellar population content of today's galaxies holds important information for understanding the different processes that contribute to the star formation and mass assembly ...histories of galaxies. The aim of this paper is to characterize the radial structure of the star formation rate (SFR) in galaxies in the nearby Universe as represented by a uniquely rich and diverse data set drawn from the CALIFA survey. The sample under study contains 416 galaxies observed with integral field spectroscopy, covering a wide range of Hubble types and stellar masses ranging from M sub(?)~ 10 super(9) to 7 x 10 super(11)M sub(?). Spectral synthesis techniques are applied to the datacubes to derive 2D maps and radial profiles of the intensity of the star formation rate in the recent past (Sigma sub(SFR)), as well as related properties, such as the local specific star formation rate (sSFR), defined as the ratio between Sigma sub(SFR) and the stellar mass surface density (mu sub(*)). To emphasize the behavior of these properties for galaxies that are on and off the main sequence of star formation (MSSF), we stack the individual radial profiles in seven bins of galaxy morphology (E, S0, Sa, Sb, Sbc, Sc, and Sd), and several stellar masses. Our main results are: (a) the intensity of the star formation rate shows declining profiles that exhibit very small differences between spirals with values at R= 1 half light radius (HLR) within a factor two of Sigma sub(SFR)~ 20 M sub(?) Gyr super(-1) pc super(-2). The dispersion in the Sigma sub(SFR)(R) profiles is significantly smaller in late type spirals (Sbc, Sc, Sd). This confirms that the MSSF is a sequence of galaxies with nearly constant Sigma sub(SFR). (b) sSFR values scale with Hubble type and increase radially outward with a steeper slope in the inner 1 HLR. This behavior suggests that galaxies are quenched inside-out and that this process is faster in the central, bulge-dominated part than in the disks. (c) As a whole and at all radii, E and S0 are off the MSSF with SFR much smaller than spirals of the same mass. (d) Applying the volume corrections for the CALIFA sample, we obtain a density of star formation in the local Universe of rho sub(SFR)= (0.0105 + or - 0.0008) M sub(?) yr super(-1) Mpc super(-3), in agreement with independent estimates. Most of the star formation is occurring in the disks of spirals. (e) The volume-averaged birthrate parameter, which measures the current SFR with respect to its lifetime average, b? = 0.39 + or - 0.03, suggests that the present day Universe is forming stars a about one-third of its past average rate. E, S0, and the bulge of early type spirals (Sa, Sb) contribute little to the recent SFRof the Universe, which is dominated by the disks of Sbc, Sc, and Sd spirals. (f) There is a tight relation between Sigma sub(SFR) and mu sub(*), defining a local MSSF relation with a logarithmic slope of 0.8, similar to the global MSSF relation between SFR and M sub(?). This suggests that local processes are important in determining the star formation in disks, probably through a density dependence of the SFR law. The scatter in the local MSSF is driven by morphology-related offsets, with Sigma sub(SFR)/mu sub(*)(the local sSFR) increasing from early to late type galaxies, indicating that the shut down of the star formation is more related to global processes, such as the formation of a spheroidal component.
Various different physical processes contribute to the star formation and stellar mass assembly histories of galaxies. One important approach to understanding the significance of these different ...processes on galaxy evolution is the study of the stellar population content of today's galaxies in a spatially resolved manner. The aim of this paper is to characterize in detail the radial structure of stellar population properties of galaxies in the nearby universe, based on a uniquely large galaxy sample, considering the quality and coverage of the data. The sample under study was drawn from the CALIFA survey and contains 300 galaxies observed with integral field spectroscopy. To study mean trends with overall galaxy properties, the individual radial profiles are stacked in seven bins of galaxy morphology (E, SO,Sa, Sb, Sbc, Sc, and Sd). The galaxies from the sample have decreasing-outward stellar extinction; all spirals show similar radial profiles, independent from the stellar mass, but redder than E and SO. Overall, we conclude that quenching processes act in manners that are independent of mass, while metallicity and galaxy structure are influenced by mass-dependent processes.
We have studied the radial structure of the stellar mass surface density (μ∗) and stellar population age as a function of the total stellar mass and morphology for a sample of 107 galaxies from the ...CALIFA survey. We applied the fossil record method based on spectral synthesis techniques to recover the star formation history (SFH), resolved in space and time, in spheroidal and disk dominated galaxies with masses from 109 to 1012 M⊙. We derived the half-mass radius, and we found that galaxies are on average 15% more compact in mass than in light. The ratio of half-mass radius to half-light radius (HLR) shows a dual dependence with galaxy stellar mass; it decreases with increasing mass for disk galaxies, but is almost constant in spheroidal galaxies. In terms of integrated versus spatially resolved properties, we find that the galaxy-averaged stellar population age, stellar extinction, and μ∗ are well represented by their values at 1 HLR. Negative radial gradients of the stellar population ages are present in most of the galaxies, supporting an inside-out formation. The larger inner (≤1 HLR) age gradients occur in the most massive (1011 M⊙) disk galaxies that have the most prominent bulges; shallower age gradients are obtained in spheroids of similar mass. Disk and spheroidal galaxies show negative μ∗ gradients that steepen with stellar mass. In spheroidal galaxies, μ∗ saturates at a critical value (~7 × 102 M⊙/pc2 at 1 HLR) that is independent of the galaxy mass. Thus, all the massive spheroidal galaxies have similar local μ∗ at the same distance (in HLR units) from the nucleus. The SFH of the regions beyond 1 HLR are well correlated with their local μ∗, and follow the same relation as the galaxy-averaged age and μ∗; this suggests that local stellar mass surface density preserves the SFH of disks. The SFH of bulges are, however, more fundamentally related to the total stellar mass, since the radial structure of the stellar age changes with galaxy mass even though all the spheroid dominated galaxies have similar radial structure in μ∗. Thus, galaxy mass is a more fundamental property in spheroidal systems, while the local stellar mass surface density is more important in disks.
Abstract
The role of major mergers in galaxy evolution is investigated through a detailed characterization of the stellar populations, ionized gas properties and star formation rates (SFR) in the ...early-stage merger luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) IC 1623 W and NGC 6090, by analysing optical integral field spectroscopy and high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope imaging. The spectra were processed with the starlight full spectral fitting code, and the emission lines measured in the residual spectra. The results are compared with non-interacting control spiral galaxies from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey. Merger-induced star formation is extended and recent, as revealed by the young ages (50–80 Myr) and high contributions to light of young stellar populations (50–90 per cent), in agreement with merger simulations in the literature. These early-stage mergers have positive central gradients of the stellar metallicity, with an average ∼0.6 Z⊙. Compared to non-interacting spirals, they have lower central nebular metallicity, and flatter profiles, in agreement with the gas inflow scenario. We find that they are dominated by star formation, although shock excitation cannot be discarded in some regions, where high velocity dispersion is found (170–200 km s−1). The average SFR in these early-stage mergers (∼23–32 M⊙ yr−1) is enhanced with respect to main-sequence Sbc galaxies by factors of 6–9, slightly above the predictions from classical merger simulations, but still possible in about 15 per cent of major galaxy mergers, where U/LIRGs belong.
We carry out a direct search for bar-like non-circular flows in intermediate-inclination, gas-rich disc galaxies with a range of morphological types and photometric bar classifications from the first ...data release (DR1) of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Spectroscopy Area (CALIFA) survey. We use the diskfit algorithm to apply rotation only and bisymmetric flow models to H α velocity fields for 49/100 CALIFA DR1 systems that meet our selection criteria. We find satisfactory fits for a final sample of 37 systems. diskfit is sensitive to the radial or tangential components of a bar-like flow with amplitudes greater than 15 km s−1 across at least two independent radial bins in the fit, or ∼2.25 kpc at the characteristic final sample distance of ∼75 Mpc. The velocity fields of 25/37
${(67.6^{+6.6}_{-8.5}\,\mathrm{per\ cent})}$
galaxies are best characterized by pure rotation, although only 17/25
${(68.0^{+7.7}_{-10.4}\,\mathrm{per\ cent})}$
of them have sufficient H α emission near the galaxy centre to afford a search for non-circular flows. We detect non-circular flows in the remaining 12/37
${(32.4^{+8.5}_{-6.6}\,\mathrm{per\ cent})}$
galaxies. We conclude that the non-circular flows detected in 11/12
${(91.7^{+2.8}_{-14.9}\,\mathrm{per\ cent})}$
systems stem from bars. Galaxies with intermediate (AB) bars are largely undetected, and our detection thresholds therefore represent upper limits to the amplitude of the non-circular flows therein. We find 2/23
${(8.7^{+9.6}_{-2.9}\,\mathrm{per\ cent})}$
galaxies that show non-circular motions consistent with a bar-like flow, yet no photometric bar is evident. This suggests that in ∼10 per cent of galaxies either the existence of a bar may be missed completely in photometry or other processes may drive bar-like flows and thus secular galaxy evolution.
We use spatially and temporally resolved maps of stellar population properties of 300 galaxies from the CALIFA integral field survey to investigate how the stellar metallicity (Z sub(*)) relates to ...the total stellar mass (M sub(*)) and the local mass surface density ( mu sub(*)) in both spheroidal- and disk-dominated galaxies. The galaxies are shown to follow a clear stellar mass-metallicity relation (MZR) over the whole 10 super(9)-10 super(12) M sub(middot in circle) range. This relation is steeper than the one derived from nebular abundances, which is similar to the flatter stellar MZR derived when we consider only young stars. We also find a strong relation between the local values of mu sub(*) and Z sub(*) (the mu ZR), betraying the influence of local factors in determining Z sub(*). This shows that both local ( mu sub(*)-driven) and global (M sub(*)-driven) processes are important in determining metallicity in galaxies. We find that the overall balance between local and global effects varies with the location within a galaxy. In disks, mu sub(*) regulates Z sub(*), producing a strong mu ZR whose amplitude is modulated by M sub(*). In spheroids it is M sub(*) that dominates the physics of star formation and chemical enrichment, with mu sub(*) playing a minor, secondary role. These findings agree with our previous analysis of the star formation histories of CALIFA galaxies, which showed that mean stellar ages are mainly governed by surface density in galaxy disks and by total mass in spheroids.
We present an extended version of the spectral synthesis code starlight designed to incorporate both λ-by-λ spectra and photometric fluxes in the estimation of stellar population properties of ...galaxies. The code is tested with simulations and data for 260 galaxies culled from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey, spatially matching the 3700–7000 Å optical data cubes to Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) near-ultraviolet (NUV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) images. The sample spans E–Sd galaxies with masses from 109 to 1012 M⊙ and stellar populations all the way from star-forming to old, passive systems. Comparing results derived from purely optical fits with those which also consider the NUV and FUV data we find that the following. (1) The new code is capable of matching the input ultraviolet (UV) data within the errors while keeping the quality of the optical fit essentially unchanged. (2) Despite being unreliable predictors of the UV fluxes, purely optical fits yield stellar population properties which agree well with those obtained in optical+UV fits for nearly 90 per cent of our sample. (3) The addition of UV constraints has little impact on properties such as stellar mass and dust optical depth. Mean stellar ages and metallicities also remain nearly the same for most galaxies, the exception being low-mass, late-type galaxies, which become older and less enriched due to rearrangements of their youngest populations. (4) The revised ages are better correlated with observables such as the 4000 Å break index, and the NUV − r and u − r colours, an empirical indication that the addition of UV constraints helps mitigating the effects of age–metallicity–extinction degeneracies.
We report on a detailed study of the stellar populations and ionized gas properties in the merger LIRG NGC 2623, analyzing optical integral field spectroscopy from the CALIFA survey and PMAS LArr, ...multiwavelength HST imaging, and OSIRIS narrow band Hα and NIIλ6584 imaging. The spectra were processed with the starlight full spectral fitting code, and the results are compared with those for two early-stage merger LIRGs (IC 1623 W and NGC 6090), together with CALIFA Sbc/Sc galaxies. We find that NGC 2623 went through two periods of increased star formation (SF), a first and widespread episode, traced by intermediate-age stellar populations ISP (140 Myr–1.4 Gyr), and a second one, traced by young stellar populations YSP (<140 Myr), which is concentrated in the central regions (<1.4 kpc). Our results are in agreement with the epochs of the first peri-center passage (~200 Myr ago) and coalescence (<100 Myr ago) predicted by dynamical models, and with high-resolution merger simulations in the literature, consistent with NGC 2623 representing an evolved version of the early-stage mergers. Most ionized gas is concentrated within <2.8 kpc, where LINER-like ionization and high-velocity dispersion (~220 km s-1) are found, consistent with the previously reported outflow. As revealed by the highest-resolution OSIRIS and HST data, a collection of HII regions is also present in the plane of the galaxy, which explains the mixture of ionization mechanisms in this system. It is unlikely that the outflow in NGC 2623 will escape from the galaxy, given the low SFR intensity (~0.5 M⊙ yr-1 kpc-2), the fact that the outflow rate is three times lower than the current SFR, and the escape velocity in the central areas is higher than the outflow velocity.
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