The 6dF Galaxy Survey: stellar population trends across and through the Fundamental Plane


Autoria(s): Springob, Christopher M.; Magoulas, Christina; Proctor, Rob; Colless, Matthew; Jones, D. Heath; Kobayashi, Chiaki; Campbell, Lachlan; Lucey, John; Mould, Jeremy
Contribuinte(s)

UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

Data(s)

29/10/2013

29/10/2013

02/08/2013

Resumo

We present results from an analysis of stellar population parameters for 7132 galaxies in the 6dF Galaxy Survey Fundamental Plane (FP) sample. We bin the galaxies along the axes, v1, v2 and v3, of the tri-variate Gaussian to which we have fitted the galaxy distribution in effective radius, surface brightness and central velocity dispersion (FP space), and compute median values of stellar age, [Fe/H], [Z/H] and [a/Fe]. We determine the directions of the vectors in FP space along which each of the binned stellar population parameters vary most strongly. In contrast to previous work, we find stellar population trends not just with velocity dispersion and FP residual, but with radius and surface brightness as well. The most remarkable finding is that the stellar population parameters vary through the plane (v1 direction) and across the plane (v3 direction), but show no variation at all along the plane (v2 direction). The v2 direction in FP space roughly corresponds to luminosity density. We interpret a galaxys position along this vector as being closely tied to its merger history, such that early-type galaxies with lower luminosity density are more likely to have undergone major mergers. This conclusion is reinforced by an examination of the simulations of Kobayashi, which show clear trends of merger history with v2.

Australian Research Council (ARC) [DP-0208876]

Australian Research Council (ARC)

AAO

AAO

University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

Identificador

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, MALDEN, v. 420, n. 4, supl. 4, Part 1, pp. 2773-2784, MAR, 2012

0035-8711

http://www.producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/36470

10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19900.x

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19900.x

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

WILEY-BLACKWELL

MALDEN

Relação

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

Direitos

closedAccess

Copyright WILEY-BLACKWELL

Palavras-Chave #GALAXIES: ELLIPTICAL AND LENTICULAR, CD #GALAXIES: EVOLUTION #GALAXIES: FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS #GALAXIES: STRUCTURE #STAR-FORMATION HISTORIES #SPH CHEMODYNAMICAL SIMULATION #2 DISTANT REGIONS #ELLIPTIC GALAXIES #SCALING RELATIONS #LICK INDEXES #PECULIAR MOTIONS #SIZE EVOLUTION #DATA RELEASE #METALLICITY #ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Tipo

article

original article

publishedVersion