Search

We use the SAMI (Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph) galaxy survey to study the the kinematic morphology–density relation: the observation that the fraction of slow rotator galaxies increases towards dense environments. We build a logistic regression model to quantitatively study the dependence of kinematic morphology (whether a galaxy is a fast or slow rotator) on a wide range of parameters, without resorting to binning the data. Our model uses a combination of stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), r -band half-light radius, and a binary variable based on whether the galaxy's observed ellipticity (ϵ) is less than 0.4. We show that, at fixed mass, size, SFR, and ϵ, a galaxy's local environmental surface density (log10(Σ5/Mpc−2)) gives no further information about whether a galaxy is a slow rotator, that is, the observed kinematic–morphology density relation can be entirely explained by the well-known correlations between environment and other quantities. We show how our model can be applied to different galaxy surveys to predict the fraction of slow rotators which would be observed and discuss its implications for the formation pathways of slow rotators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first statistical study of spatially integrated non-Gaussian stellar kinematics spanning 7 Gyr in cosmic time. We use deep, rest-frame optical spectroscopy of massive galaxies (stellar mass |$M_\star \gt 10^{10.5} \, \mathrm{M_\odot }$|⁠) at redshifts z = 0.05, 0.3, and 0.8 from the SAMI, MAGPI, and LEGA-C surveys, to measure the excess kurtosis h 4 of the stellar velocity distribution, the latter parametrized as a Gauss–Hermite series. We find that at all redshifts where we have large enough samples, h 4 anticorrelates with the ratio between rotation and dispersion, highlighting the physical connection between these two kinematic observables. In addition, and independently from the anticorrelation with rotation-to-dispersion ratio, we also find a correlation between h 4 and M ⋆, potentially connected to the assembly history of galaxies. In contrast, after controlling for mass, we find no evidence of independent correlation between h 4 and aperture velocity dispersion or galaxy size. These results hold for both star-forming and quiescent galaxies. For quiescent galaxies, h 4 also correlates with projected shape, even after controlling for the rotation-to-dispersion ratio. At any given redshift, star-forming galaxies have lower h 4 compared to quiescent galaxies, highlighting the link between kinematic structure and star-forming activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that there are at least two main channels to form lenticular (or S0) galaxies. The first, which we name 'faded spiral' scenario, includes quenching events that led to consumption or removal of gas from a spiral progenitor. The second, which we call 'merger' scenario, includes merger-like events and interactions between galaxies. Each scenario leaves characteristic signatures in the newly formed lenticular galaxy. However, the conditions that trigger one mechanism over another are still unknown. This paper is the third of a series aimed at understanding the role of the environment in the formation of lenticular galaxies. In this study, we combine the kinematics, morphology, and properties of the stellar populations of 329 S0s from the SAMI and MaNGA surveys in order to highlight the role of the environment in the process. We divide the S0s into two classes (A and B) according to their global properties, that we can associate to the products of a faded spiral scenario (class A) or a merger scenario (class B). We then study how the various classes are distributed within different environments. Our study reveals that the 'faded spiral' pathway is the most efficient channel to produce S0s, and it becomes more efficient as the mass of the group or cluster or local density of galaxies increase. The merger pathway is also a viable channel, and its efficiency becomes higher with decreasing local density or environment mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large galaxy samples from multiobject integral field spectroscopic (IFS) surveys now allow for a statistical analysis of the z ∼ 0 galaxy population using resolved kinematic measurements. However, the improvement in number statistics comes at a cost, with multiobject IFS survey more severely impacted by the effect of seeing and lower signal-to-noise ratio. We present an analysis of ∼1800 galaxies from the SAMI Galaxy Survey taking into account these effects. We investigate the spread and overlap in the kinematic distributions of the spin parameter proxy |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| as a function of stellar mass and ellipticity ε e. For SAMI data, the distributions of galaxies identified as regular and non-regular rotators with kinemetry show considerable overlap in the |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| – ε e diagram. In contrast, visually classified galaxies (obvious and non-obvious rotators) are better separated in |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| space, with less overlap of both distributions. Then, we use a Bayesian mixture model to analyse the observed |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| –log (M ⋆/M⊙) distribution. By allowing the mixture probability to vary as a function of mass, we investigate whether the data are best fit with a single kinematic distribution or with two. Below log (M ⋆/M⊙) ∼ 10.5, a single beta distribution is sufficient to fit the complete |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| distribution, whereas a second beta distribution is required above log (M ⋆/M⊙) ∼ 10.5 to account for a population of low- |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| galaxies. While the Bayesian mixture model presents the cleanest separation of the two kinematic populations, we find the unique information provided by visual classification of galaxy kinematic maps should not be disregarded in future studies. Applied to mock-observations from different cosmological simulations, the mixture model also predicts bimodal |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| distributions, albeit with different positions of the |$\lambda _{R_{\rm {e}}}$| peaks. Our analysis validates the conclusions from previous, smaller IFS surveys, but also demonstrates the importance of using selection criteria for identifying different kinematic classes that are dictated by the quality and resolution of the observed or simulated data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse two-dimensional maps and radial profiles of EW(H α), EW(Hδ A ), and Dn (4000) of low-redshift galaxies using integral field spectroscopy from the MaNGA survey. Out of ≈1400 nearly face-on late-type galaxies with a redshift z < 0.05, we identify 121 "turnover" galaxies that each have a central upturn in EW(H α), EW(Hδ A ), and/or a central drop in Dn (4000), indicative of ongoing/recent star formation. The turnover features are found mostly in galaxies with a stellar mass above ∼1010 M⊙ and NUV – r colour less than ≈5. The majority of the turnover galaxies are barred, with a bar fraction of 89 ± 3 per cent. Furthermore, for barred galaxies, the radius of the central turnover region is found to tightly correlate with one-third of the bar length. Comparing the observed and the inward extrapolated star formation rate surface density, we estimate that the central SFR have been enhanced by an order of magnitude. Conversely, only half of the barred galaxies in our sample have a central turnover feature, implying that the presence of a bar is not sufficient to lead to a central SF enhancement. We further examined the SF enhancement in paired galaxies, as well as the local environment, finding no relation. This implies that the environment is not a driving factor for central SF enhancement in our sample. Our results reinforce both previous findings and theoretical expectation that galactic bars play a crucial role in the secular evolution of galaxies by driving gas inflow and enhancing the star formation and bulge growth in the centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical enrichment signatures strongly constrain galaxy formation and evolution, and a detailed understanding of abundance patterns provides clues regarding the nucleosynthetic production pathways of elements. Using integral-field spectroscopy from the MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) survey, we study radial gradients of chemical element abundances in detail. We use stacked spectra out to 1  R e of 366 early-type galaxies with masses 9.9−10.8 log  M /M⊙ to probe the abundances of the elements C, N, Na, Mg, Ca, and Ti, relative to the abundance of Fe, by fitting stellar population models to a combination of Lick absorption indices. We find that C, Mg, and Ti trace each other both as a function of galaxy radius and galaxy mass. These similar C and Mg abundances within and across galaxies set a lower limit for star formation time-scales. Conversely, N and Ca are generally offset to lower abundances. The underabundance of Ca compared to Mg implies delayed enrichment of Ca through Type Ia supernovae, whereas the correlated behaviour of Ti and the lighter α elements, C and Mg, suggest contributions to Ti from Type II supernovae. We obtain shallow radial gradients in [Mg/Fe], [C/Fe], and [Ti/Fe], meaning that these inferences are independent of radius. However, we measure strong negative radial gradients for [N/Fe] and [Na/Fe], of up to −0.25 ± 0.05 and −0.29 ± 0.02 dex/ R e, respectively. These gradients become shallower with decreasing galaxy mass. We find that N and Na abundances increase more steeply with velocity dispersion within galaxies than globally, while the other elements show the same relation locally and globally. This implies that the high Na and N abundances found in massive early-type galaxies are generated by internal processes within galaxies. These are strongly correlated with the total metallicity, suggesting metallicity-dependent Na enrichment and secondary N production in massive early-type galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]