Abundance diagnosis of E+A (post-starburst) galaxies

被引:29
作者
Goto, Tomotsugu [1 ]
机构
[1] Japan Aerosp Explorat Agcy, Inst Space & Astronaut Sci, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 2298510, Japan
关键词
galaxies : evolution; galaxies : formation; galaxies : interactions; galaxies : peculiar; galaxies : starburst;
D O I
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11674.x
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
E+A galaxies are characterized as galaxies with strong Balmer absorption lines but without any [OII] or H alpha emission lines. The existence of strong Balmer absorption lines means that E+A galaxies have experienced a starburst within the last < 1-1.5 Gyr. However, the lack of [OII] or H alpha emission lines indicates that E+A galaxies do not have any ongoing star formation. Therefore, E+A galaxies are interpreted as post-starburst galaxies. Morphologically, E+A galaxies appear as early-type galaxies, implying that E+A galaxies may be one of the progenitors of present-day elliptical galaxies. However, there remain other possibilities, such as the dusty starburst scenario, where E+A galaxies have ongoing star formation, but optical emission lines are invisible as a result of heavy obscuration by dust. Therefore, additional evidence of the post-starburst phenomenon has been eagerly awaited. Using one of the largest samples of 451 E+A galaxies carefully selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4, here we show the abundance diagnosis of E+A galaxies using Mg and Fe lines. Our findings are as follows. (i) E+A galaxies have an enhanced alpha-element abundance ratio compared to star-forming galaxies with similar Balmer absorption strength. Because the truncation of strong starburst is required to enhance the alpha-element ratio, this is additional evidence that E+A galaxies are in the post-starburst phase. (ii) The metallicity and alpha-element abundance of E+A galaxies are consistent with those of elliptical galaxies, suggesting that E+A galaxies could be one of the progenitors of present-day elliptical galaxies in terms of chemical abundances.
引用
收藏
页码:1222 / 1228
页数:7
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