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arXiv 1301.7066astro-ph.CO
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非普适初始质量函数对早型星系形成历史的影响

The impact of a non-universal Initial Mass Function on the Star Formation Histories of Early-Type Galaxies

Anna Ferré-Mateu, Alexandre Vazdekis, Ignacio G. de la Rosa

摘要:

最近关于初始质量函数(IMF)的非普适性的研究结果表明,IMF随星系速度色散的变化,对其他恒星星族参数、线指数和颜色产生了相应的影响。使用一组具有不同IMF斜率的恒星星族模型,我们提供了一个通用IMF的假设上的额外的警告。本研究表明,导出的早型星系的恒星形成历史的IMF斜率的变化显着。例如,一个单一的幂律IMF的斜率变陡,会大大减少老的恒星星族对总光/质量的贡献,最多减少四倍。这种趋势是温和的分段样IMF形状,其中的贡献非常低的质量恒星减少。它还表明,通过调整每个IMF的斜率到其规定的值,根据每个星系的速度色散,一个样本的早期型星系覆盖的质量范围产生可比的恒星形成历史。一方面,相对年轻的恒星星族的小贡献出现在大多数大质量椭圆星系的恒星形成历史时,采用陡峭的IMF。另一方面,我们发现,低质量的早期类型的星系,看起来像真正年轻的对象与标准的IMF(即“婴儿椭圆星系”),原来是老年人时,稍微平坦的IMF是雇用。总之,使用非通用IMF,根据星系的速度色散进行调整,似乎提供了更一致的结果。

英文摘要:

Recent results on the non-universality of the Initial Mass Function (IMF) have shown strong evidence of IMF variations with galaxy velocity dispersion, with a corresponding impact on other stellar population parameters, line indices and colours. Using a set of stellar population models with varying IMF slopes, we provide additional caveats on the assumption of a universal IMF. The present study shows that the derived star formation histories of early-type galaxies vary significantly with the IMF slope. For instance, a steepening in the slope of a single power-law IMF decreases substantially, by a factor of up to four, the contribution of the old stellar populations to the total light/mass. This trend is milder for a segmented-like IMF shape, where the contribution of the very low mass stars is decreased. It is also shown that, by tuning each IMF slope to its prescribed value according to each galaxy velocity dispersion, a sample of early-type galaxies covering a range of masses yield comparable star formation histories. On the one hand, a small contribution from relatively young stellar populations appear in the star formation histories of most massive elliptical galaxies when adopting a steep IMF. On the other hand, we find that low mass early-type galaxies that look like genuinely young objects with a standard IMF (i.e. ``baby elliptical galaxies``), turn out to be older when a slightly flatter IMF is employed. In summary, the use of a non-universal IMF, tuned according to the velocity dispersion of the galaxy, seems to provide more consistent results.

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