Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Galaxy Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-11-04
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Galaxy Astrophysics
15 pages, 8 figures, accepted to ApJ
Scientific paper
10.1088/0004-637X/734/1/48
We examine the importance of secular stellar mass loss for fueling ongoing star formation in disk galaxies during the late stages of their evolution. For a galaxy of a given stellar mass, we calculate the total mass loss rate of its entire stellar population using star formation histories derived from the observed evolution of the M*-star formation rate relation, along with the predictions of standard stellar evolution models for stellar mass loss for a variety of initial stellar mass functions. Our model shows that recycled gas from stellar mass loss can provide most or all of the fuel required to sustain the current level of star formation in late type galaxies. Stellar mass loss can therefore remove the tension between the low gas infall rates that are derived from observations and the relatively rapid star formation occurring in disk galaxies. For galaxies where cold gas infall rates have been estimated, we demonstrate explicitly that stellar mass loss can account for most of the deficit between their star formation and infall rates.
Kravtsov Andrey V.
Leitner Samuel N.
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