Revealing velocity dispersion as the best indicator of a galaxy's color, compared to stellar mass, surface mass density or morphology

Details Revealing velocity dispersion as the best indicator of a galaxy's color, compared to stellar mass, surface mass density or morphology Revealing velocity dispersion as the best indicator of a galaxy's color, compared to stellar mass, surface mass density or morphology

2012-01-24

arxiv.org/abs/1201.4998v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics

7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJ Letters

Scientific paper

Using data of nearby galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey we investigate whether stellar mass, central velocity dispersion, surface mass density, or the Sersic n parameter is best correlated with a galaxy's rest-frame color. Specifically, we determine how the mean color of galaxies varies with one parameter when another is fixed. When the stellar mass is fixed we see that strong trends remain with all other parameters, whereas residual trends are weaker when surface mass density, n, or velocity dispersion are fixed. Overall velocity dispersion is the best indicator of a galaxy's typical color, showing the largest residual color dependence when any of the other three parameters are fixed, and stellar mass is the poorest. Other studies have indicated that both the halo and black hole properties are better correlated with velocity dispersion than with stellar mass, surface mass density or Sersic n. Therefore, our results are consistent with a picture where a galaxy's star formation history and present star formation rate are determined to some significant degree by the current properties and assembly history of its dark matter halo and/or the feedback from its central super massive black hole.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Revealing velocity dispersion as the best indicator of a galaxy's color, compared to stellar mass, surface mass density or morphology does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Revealing velocity dispersion as the best indicator of a galaxy's color, compared to stellar mass, surface mass density or morphology, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Revealing velocity dispersion as the best indicator of a galaxy's color, compared to stellar mass, surface mass density or morphology will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-107165