Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2001-06-22
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
27 pages 12 figures,2001,ApJ,in press
Scientific paper
10.1086/322302
By using a one-zone chemical and spectrophotometric evolution model of a disk galaxy undergoing a dusty starburst, we investigate, numerically, the optical spectroscopic properties in order to explore galaxy evolution in distant clusters. We adopt an assumption that the degree of dust extinction (represented by $A_V$) depends on the ages of starburst populations in such a way that younger stars have larger $A_V$ (originally referred to as selective dust extinction by Poggianti & Wu 2000). In particular, we investigate how the time evolution of the equivalent widths of [OII]$\lambda$3727 and H$\delta$ is controlled by the adopted age dependence. This leads to three main results: (1) If a young stellar population (with the age of $\sim$ $10^6$ yr) is more heavily obscured by dust than an old one ($>$ $10^8$ yr), the galaxy can show an ``e(a)'' spectrum characterized by strong H$\delta$ absorption and relatively modest [OII] emission. (2) A dusty starburst galaxy with an e(a) spectrum can evolve into a poststarburst galaxy with an a+k (or k+a) spectrum 0.2 Gyr after the starburst and then into a passive one with a k-type spectrum 1 Gyr after the starburst. This result clearly demonstrates an evolutionary link between galaxies with different spectral classes (i.e., e(b), e(a), a+k, k+a, and k). (3) A dusty starburst galaxy can show an a+k or k+a spectrum even in the dusty starburst phase if the age-dependence of dust extinction is rather weak, i.e., if young starburst populations with different ages ($\le$ $10^7$ yr) are uniformly obscured by dust.
Bekki Kenji
Couch Warrick J.
Shioya Yasuhiro
No associations
LandOfFree
Spectroscopic evolution of dusty starburst galaxies 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 Spectroscopic evolution of dusty starburst galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Spectroscopic evolution of dusty starburst galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-435726