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arXiv 1303.4963astro-ph.CO
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椭圆化石中的年龄和金属丰度梯度

Age and metallicity gradients in fossil ellipticals

Paul Eigenthaler, Werner W. Zeilinger

摘要:

化石星系群被推测是古老而高度进化的星系系统,它们在宇宙早期形成,并有足够的时间通过成员星系的连续合并耗尽它们的$L^{*}$星系,形成一个巨大的中央椭圆,但保留了群X射线晕。考虑到化石是普通星系团合并的残留物,祖先星系团的合并历史有望在化石中央星系(FCG)中留下印记。我们提出的第一次径向梯度的单恒星星族(SSP)的年龄和金属岩的样品中的FCGs约束其形成的情况。我们的样本包括一些最大的星系在宇宙中表现出的平均中心速度色散$σ_0=271\pm28$公里秒$^{-1}$。金属丰度梯度始终为负,$\nabla_{[\rm{Fe/H}]}=- 0.19\pm0.08$的斜率相对较平,而年龄梯度不显著($\nabla_{\rm{age}}=0.00\pm0.05$)。所有的FCG都位于基本平面上,这表明它们是维里化系统。我们发现,梯度强度和中心金属丰度是类似的集群中发现的类似质量的椭圆。相对于整体塌陷($\nabla_{Z}=-0.5$)预测的金属丰度梯度,相对平坦的金属丰度梯度表明,化石确实是多个主要合并的结果。因此,我们得出结论,化石不是“失败的群体”,形成了一个头重脚轻的光度功能。梯度斜率的低散射表明我们样本中所有星系的合并历史相似。

英文摘要:

Fossil galaxy groups are speculated to be old and highly evolved systems of galaxies that formed early in the universe and had enough time to deplete their $L^{*}$ galaxies through successive mergers of member galaxies, building up one massive central elliptical, but retaining the group X-ray halo. Considering that fossils are the remnants of mergers in ordinary groups, the merger history of the progenitor group is expected to be imprinted in the fossil central galaxy (FCG). We present for the first time radial gradients of single-stellar population (SSP) ages and metallicites in a sample of FCGs to constrain their formation scenario. Our sample comprises some of the most massive galaxies in the universe exhibiting an average central velocity dispersion of $σ_0=271\pm28$ km s$^{-1}$. Metallicity gradients are throughout negative with comparatively flat slopes of $\nabla_{[\rm{Fe/H}]}=- 0.19\pm0.08$ while age gradients are found to be insignificant ($\nabla_{\rm{age}}=0.00\pm0.05$). All FCGs lie on the fundamental plane, suggesting that they are virialised systems. We find that gradient strengths and central metallicities are similar to those found in cluster ellipticals of similar mass. The comparatively flat metallicity gradients with respect to those predicted by monolithic collapse ($\nabla_{Z}=-0.5$) suggest that fossils are indeed the result of multiple major mergers. Hence we conclude that fossils are not 'failed groups' that formed with a top heavy luminosity function. The low scatter of gradient slopes suggests a similar merging history for all galaxies in our sample.

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