Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2001-05-24
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc.326:1431,2001
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS
Scientific paper
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2001.04677.x
We explore the evolution of the cold gas (molecular and neutral hydrogen) of elliptical galaxies and merger remnants ordered into a time sequence on the basis of spectroscopic age estimates. We find that the fraction of cold gas in early merger remnants decreases significantly for ~1-2 Gyr, but subsequent evolution toward evolved elliptical systems sees very little change. This trend can be attributed to an initial gas depletion by strong star-formation which subsequently declines to quiescent rates. This explanation is consistent with the merger picture for the formation of elliptical galaxies. We also explore the relation between HI-to-H2 mass ratio and spectroscopic galaxy age, but find no evidence for a statistically significant trend. This suggests little net HI to H2 conversion for the systems in the present sample.
Caulton Adam
Forbes Duncan A.
Georgakakis Antonis
Hopkins Andrew M.
Terlevich Alejandro I.
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