Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Jan 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21742201m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217, #422.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
Fossil studies of massive elliptical galaxies suggest the majority of their stars were formed over a very short period of time early in the history of the universe, however the mechanism by which they assemble their stars remains highly debated. We will present results from a multi-wavelength study of several galaxies at z 1.5 which may be the direct progenitors of the massive galaxy population at lower redshifts. These galaxies have baryonic masses >1011 Msun and stellar populations that already appear to be >1 Gyr old at z 1.5. Rest-frame near-UV spectroscopy indicates that these galaxies are remarkably quiescent, with any current star formation constrained to be <1 Msun/ yr. Furthermore, using Spitzer IRAC data, we will show how we are able to break the age-metallicity degeneracy that plagues shorter wavelength observations in order to eliminate much of the remaining uncertainty as to the nature of the stellar populations in these galaxies. We use these improved age estimates in conjunction with high-resolution morphological data from HST to place these galaxies in context with current models of galaxy formation. Unlike their descendants in the local universe, we find a range in size and morphology, including extremely compact spheroids as well as massive disks of old stars. Very few of these galaxies resemble the typical spheroids that dominate galaxies comprising old stellar populations at the present epoch, indicating that several different mechanisms could be important in building up the most massive galaxies in the universe.
Support for this work was provided by NASA through a Spitzer Space Telescope award issued by JPL/Caltech.
McGrath Elizabeth J.
Stockton Alan
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