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arXiv 1108.0946astro-ph.CO
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早型星系的恒星径向含量与质量和环境的关系

On the Radial Stellar Content of Early-Type Galaxies as a Function of Mass and Environment

F. La Barbera, I. Ferreras, R. R. de Carvalho, P. A. A. Lopes, A. Pasquali, I. G. de la Rosa, G. De Lucia

摘要:

利用光学-光学和光学-近红外颜色,我们分析了大质量(M* > 10^10.5 MSun),低红移(z<0.1),早期型星系(ETGs)内部年龄和金属丰度的径向依赖性,这些星系位于高密度群区域和场中。平均而言,ETG的内部颜色梯度主要由金属含量驱动,与先前的研究一致。然而,我们发现星系群具有正的年龄梯度Nabla_t,即星系中心较年轻的恒星星族,以及较陡的金属丰度梯度,与场样本相比,场样本的Nabla_t范围从低质量星系的负到高质量星系的正梯度。这些依赖性给星系形成和演化的模型带来了新的限制。我们推测,年龄和金属丰度梯度的组ETG的结果(无论是气体丰富或少干)合并和/或冷气体吸积,而外地ETG表现出的特征平坦的梯度预期从年轻,更富含金属,恒星形成的内部-由后气体冷却。

英文摘要:

Using optical-optical and optical-NIR colors, we analyze the radial dependence of age and metallicity inside massive (M* > 10^10.5 MSun), low-redshift (z<0.1), early-type galaxies (ETGs), residing in both high-density group regions and the field. On average, internal color gradients of ETGs are mainly driven by metallicity, consistent with previous studies. However, we find that group galaxies feature positive age gradients, Nabla_t, i.e. a younger stellar population in the galaxy center, and steeper metallicity gradients, compared to the field sample, whose Nabla_t ranges from negative in lower mass galaxies, to positive gradients at higher mass. These dependencies yield new constraints to models of galaxy formation and evolution. We speculate that age and metallicity gradients of group ETGs result from (either gas-rich or minor-dry) mergers and/or cold-gas accretion, while field ETGs exhibit the characteristic flatter gradients expected from younger, more metal-rich, stars formed inside--out by later gas-cooling.

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