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arXiv 2008.02817astro-ph.GA
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沿静止星系序列的颜色梯度:猝灭和结构生长的线索

Color gradients along the quiescent galaxy sequence: clues to quenching and structural growth

Katherine A. Suess, Mariska Kriek, Sedona H. Price, Guillermo Barro

摘要:

这封信研究了星系的大小、结构和颜色梯度是如何沿着静止序列变化的。我们的样本包括在$1.0\le z\le2.5$和$10.1 \le \log{M_*/M_\odot}\le11.6$在三个坎德尔领域的~400个静止星系。我们利用深多波段HST成像来获得准确的质量分布和颜色梯度,然后使用从静止帧UVJ颜色的经验校准来估计星系年龄。我们发现,与以前的结果相反,在固定的恒星质量下,最年轻的静止星系并不比较老的静止星系小。这些“后星暴”星系只在半光半径处显得更小,因为它们具有系统性的更平坦的颜色梯度。静止星系中颜色梯度的强度是年龄的明显函数,较老的星系表现出更强的负颜色梯度(即,红色中心)。此外,我们还发现在恒星质量一定的情况下,中心质量表面密度$Σ_1$与年龄无关,对红移的依赖性很弱。这一发现意味着静止星系的中心质量分布不会随年龄而显着变化,但是,我们发现,老年静止星系有额外的质量在大半径。我们的研究结果支持这样的想法,即建立一个巨大的核心是一个必要的要求淬火超过$z=1$,并表明,后星暴星系是一个快速淬火过程,需要结构变化的结果。此外,我们观察到的颜色梯度和质量分布演化支持一种情况下,静止的星系通过微小的合并由内而外的增长。

英文摘要:

This Letter examines how the sizes, structures, and color gradients of galaxies change along the quiescent sequence. Our sample consists of ~400 quiescent galaxies at $1.0\le z\le2.5$ and $10.1 \le \log{M_*/M_\odot}\le11.6$ in three CANDELS fields. We exploit deep multi-band HST imaging to derive accurate mass profiles and color gradients, then use an empirical calibration from rest-frame UVJ colors to estimate galaxy ages. We find that -- contrary to previous results -- the youngest quiescent galaxies are not significantly smaller than older quiescent galaxies at fixed stellar mass. These `post-starburst' galaxies only appear smaller in half-light radii because they have systematically flatter color gradients. The strength of color gradients in quiescent galaxies is a clear function of age, with older galaxies exhibiting stronger negative color gradients (i.e., redder centers). Furthermore, we find that the central mass surface density $Σ_1$ is independent of age at fixed stellar mass, and only weakly depends on redshift. This finding implies that the central mass profiles of quiescent galaxies do not significantly change with age; however, we find that older quiescent galaxies have additional mass at large radii. Our results support the idea that building a massive core is a necessary requirement for quenching beyond $z=1$, and indicate that post-starburst galaxies are the result of a rapid quenching process that requires structural change. Furthermore, our observed color gradient and mass profile evolution supports a scenario where quiescent galaxies grow inside-out via minor mergers.

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