A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The elemental abundance of quiescent galaxies in the LEGA-C survey: The (non-)evolution of [α/Fe] from z = 0.75 to z = 0
Authors: Bevacqua Davide, Saracco Paolo, La Barbera Francesco, D'Ago Giuseppe, De Propris Roberto, Ferreras Ignacio, Gallazzi Anna, Pasquali Anna, Spiniello Chiara
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication year: 2023
Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Journal name in source: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume: 525
Issue: 3
First page : 4219
Last page: 4230
eISSN: 1365-2966
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad2403
Web address : https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/525/3/4219/7257580
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/181497653
We measure the [α/Fe] abundances for 183 quiescent galaxies at z = 0.60−0.75 with stellar masses ranging 10.4 ≤ log10(M*/M⊙) ≤ 11.6 selected from the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census survey. We estimate [α/Fe] from the ratio of the spectral indices Mgb (λ ∼ 5177 Å) and Fe4383, compared to predictions of simple stellar population models. We find that 91 per cent of quiescents in our sample have supersolar [α/Fe], with an average value of [α/Fe] = +0.24 ± 0.01. We find no significant correlation between [α/Fe] and stellar metallicity, mass, velocity dispersion, and average formation time. Galaxies that formed the bulk of their stellar mass on time-scales shorter than 1 Gyr follow the same [α/Fe] distribution as those which formed on longer time-scales. In comparison to local early-type galaxies and to stacked spectra of quiescent galaxies at z = 0.38 and z = 0.07, we find that the average [α/Fe] has not changed between z = 0.75 and the present time. Our work shows that the vast majority of massive quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 0.7 are α-enhanced, and that no detectable evolution of the average [α/Fe] has taken place over the last ∼6.5 Gyr.
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