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arXiv 1310.5151astro-ph.CO
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椭圆星系中的稀释:金属丰度、恒星质量和恒星形成率之间关系的意义

Dilution in elliptical galaxies: Implications for the relation between metallicity, stellar mass and star formation rate

Robert M. Yates, Guinevere Kauffmann

摘要:

我们调查是否逐渐稀释的气体在一些椭圆星系的恒星形成率(SFR)和气相金属丰度(Zg)在高恒星质量(M*)在本地宇宙之间的正相关性的原因。为此,我们从斯隆数字巡天(SDSS)和慕尼黑半解析星系形成模型L-Galerkin中选取了两类大质量(M* >= 10^10.5 Msun)星系。第一类是高比星形成率(sSFR)和高Zg,第二类是低sSFR和低Zg。这些标准大致区分盘主导星系和贫金属椭圆星系。在半解析模型中,第二类星系获得低sSFR和低Zg由于逐渐稀释的星际介质的吸积的贫金属气体通过下落块和低质量的卫星。这发生在合并引起的恒星爆发和相关的超新星反馈已经淬灭了大部分原始气体储存之后。在z=0的这些模型星系中存在许多这种演化的特征,包括低气体分数,大的中央黑洞,椭圆形的形态,年老,重要的是,低(Zg-Z*)表明恒星形成后的稀释。值得注意的是,所有这些特性也在SDSS-DR 7中的低sSFR,低Zg,大质量星系中发现。这提供了强有力的间接证据,证明一些椭圆星系在本机宇宙中气体丰富的合并后正在经历逐渐稀释。这种稀释情景也解释了在高M * 星系中测量到的SFR和Zg之间的正相关性,因此对局部基本金属丰度关系(FMR)有影响,该关系假设SFR和Zg之间的反相关性在10^10.5 Msun以上。

英文摘要:

We investigate whether gradual dilution of the gas in some elliptical galaxies is the cause of a positive correlation between star formation rate (SFR) and gas-phase metallicity (Zg) at high stellar mass (M*) in the local Universe. To do this, two classes of massive (M* >= 10^10.5 Msun) galaxy are selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Munich semi-analytic model of galaxy formation, L-Galaxies. The first class is selected by high specific star formation rates (sSFR) and high Zg, and the second class by low sSFR and low Zg. These criteria roughly distinguish disc-dominant galaxies from metal-poor, elliptical galaxies. In the semi-analytic model, the second class of galaxies obtain low sSFR and low Zg due to gradual dilution of the interstellar medium by accretion of metal-poor gas via infalling clumps and low-mass satellites. This occurs after a merger-induced starburst and the associated supernova feedback have quenched most of the original gas reservoir. A number of signatures of this evolution are present in these model galaxies at z=0, including low gas fractions, large central black holes, elliptical morphologies, old ages, and importantly, low (Zg-Z*) indicating dilution after star formation. Remarkably, all of these properties are also found in low-sSFR, low-Zg, massive galaxies in the SDSS-DR7. This provides strong, indirect evidence that some elliptical galaxies are undergoing gradual dilution after a gas-rich merger in the local Universe. This dilution scenario also explains the positive correlation between SFR and Zg measured in high-M* galaxies, and therefore has consequences for the local fundamental metallicity relation (FMR), which assumes a weak anti-correlation between SFR and Zg above 10^10.5 Msun.

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