Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Mar 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997mnras.286..235f&link_type=abstract
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 286, Issue 1, pp. 235-240.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
15
Galaxies: Clusters: General, Galaxies: Elliptical And Lenticular, Cd, Galaxies: Formation, Galaxies: Ism, Galaxies: Nuclei, Quasars: Absorption Lines
Scientific paper
Published data on the average metallicities and abundance ratios for absorption-line systems in high-redshift quasars suggest that a dichotomy may exist between the chemical composition of damped Lyman alpha (Lyalpha) systems (interpreted as intervening galaxies in the QSO line of sight) and the z_abs~=z_em absorption- line systems associated with the quasar. Intervening systems have smaller than solar metallicities, whereas associated absorbers have solar or greater than solar metallicities and small N/C ratios. While these results have to be confirmed by more precise abundance determinations, we argue that they may be explained by an early phase of efficient metal enrichment occurring only in the close environment of high-z QSOs, and characterized by an excess type-II supernova (SNII) activity. This is reminiscent of the SNII phase required to explain the abundance ratios (favouring alpha- over Fe-group elements) observed in the intracluster (IC) medium of local galaxy clusters. We explore the following scenario, to be tested by forthcoming observations of QSO absorption lines using very large optical telescopes. (a) Well-studied damped- Lyalpha, Lyalpha and metal lines in intervening systems trace only part of the history of metal production in the Universe - the one concerning slowly star-forming discs or dwarf irregulars. (b) The complementary class of early-type and bulge-dominated galaxies formed quickly (at z>~4-5) through a huge episode of star formation favouring high-mass stars. (c) The nucleus of the latter is the site of the subsequent formation of a quasar, which partly hides from view the dimmer host galaxy. (d) The products of a galactic wind, following the violent episode of star formation in the host galaxy and metal pollution of the IC medium in the forming cluster, could be directly observable in the z_abs~=z_em associated absorption systems on the QSO line of sight.
Franceschini Alberto
Gratton Raffaele
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