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arXiv 2408.06807astro-ph.GAastro-ph.COastro-ph.SR
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量化矮星系中的爆发式恒星形成

Quantifying Bursty Star Formation in Dwarf Galaxies

Yuan-Sen Ting, Alexander P. Ji

AI总结:

本研究提出矮星系间歇性星暴会在化学丰度平面留下不连续轨迹,利用高斯混合模型结合APOGEE数据证实玉夫座矮椭球星系存在约300Myr宁静期的星暴历史,为早期宇宙研究提供新途径。

摘要:

理论上预期矮星系的恒星形成历史具有爆发性,这可能会在其化学演化中留下独特印记。我们提出,宁静期长于约100 Myr的间歇性星暴,应会在矮星系的[α/Fe]-[Fe/H]化学丰度平面上产生不连续轨迹,在[Fe/H] = -2处金属丰度间隙可达0.3-0.5 dex。这一现象源于宁静期内Ia型超新星持续产生铁元素。我们证明高斯混合模型(Gaussian mixture models)可基于赤池信息准则(Akaike Information Criterion)从统计学上区分不连续与连续轨迹。将该方法应用于玉夫座矮椭球星系(Sculptor dSph)的APOGEE观测数据,结果表明其恒星形成历史具有间歇性,宁静期约为300 Myr。尽管当前矮星系数据集受限于光谱样本量较小,但未来的巡天项目与极大望远镜将能够测定大量精确的化学丰度,为研究早期矮星系形成过程中极短时间尺度的现象开辟可能。这种对早期宇宙中矮星系形成前所未有的高时间分辨率研究,对于理解早期宇宙的再电离过程以及矮星系的间歇性恒星形成循环均具有重要意义。

英文摘要:

Dwarf galaxy star formation histories are theoretically expected to be bursty, potentially leaving distinct imprints on their chemical evolution. We propose that episodic starbursts with quiescent periods longer than $\sim$100 Myr should lead to discontinuous tracks in a dwarf galaxy's [$α$/Fe]-[Fe/H] chemical abundance plane, with metallicity gaps as large as 0.3-0.5 dex at [Fe/H] = -2. This occurs due to continued Fe production by Type Ia supernovae during quiescent periods. We demonstrate that Gaussian mixture models can statistically distinguish discontinuous and continuous tracks based on the Akaike Information Criterion. Applying this method to APOGEE observations of the Sculptor dSph galaxy suggests an episodic star formation history with $\sim$300 Myr quiescent periods. While current dwarf galaxy datasets are limited by small spectroscopic sample sizes, future surveys and extremely large telescopes will enable determining large numbers of precise chemical abundances, opening up the investigation of very short timescales in early dwarf galaxy formation. This unprecedentedly high time resolution of dwarf galaxy formation in the early Universe has important implications for understanding both reionization in the early Universe and the episodic star formation cycle of dwarf galaxies.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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