The ALMaQUEST Survey. XIII. Understanding Radial Trends in Star Formation Quenching via the Relative Roles of Gas Availability and Star Formation Efficiency
學年 112
學期 2
出版(發表)日期 2024-03-22
作品名稱 The ALMaQUEST Survey. XIII. Understanding Radial Trends in Star Formation Quenching via the Relative Roles of Gas Availability and Star Formation Efficiency
作品名稱(其他語言)
著者 Pan, Hsi-an
單位
出版者
著錄名稱、卷期、頁數 The Astrophysical Journal 964(2), 120
摘要 Star formation quenching is one of the key processes that shape the evolution of galaxies. In this study, we investigate the changes in molecular gas and star formation properties as galaxies transit from the star-forming main sequence to the passive regime. Our analysis reveals that as galaxies move away from the main sequence toward the green valley the radial profile of specific star formation rate surface density (ΣsSFR) is suppressed compared with main-sequence galaxies out to a galactocentric radius of 1.5 Re(∼7 kpc for our sample). By combining radial profiles of gas fraction (fgas) and star formation efficiency (SFE), we can discern the underlying mechanism that determines ΣsSFR at different galactocentric radii. Analysis of relative contributions of fgas and SFE to ΣsSFR uncovers a diverse range of quenching modes. Star formation in approximately half of our quenching galaxies is primarily driven by a single mode (i.e., either fgas or SFE), or a combination of both. A collective analysis of all galaxies reveals that the reduction in star formation within the central regions (R < 0.5 Re) is primarily attributable to a decrease in SFE. Conversely, in the disk regions (R > 0.5 Re), both fgas and SFE contribute to the suppression of star formation. Our findings suggest that multiple quenching mechanisms may be at play in our sample galaxies, and even within a single galaxy. We also compare our observational outcomes with those from galaxy simulations and discuss the implications of our data.
關鍵字
語言 en
ISSN 1538-4357
期刊性質 國外
收錄於 SCI
產學合作
通訊作者
審稿制度
國別 USA
公開徵稿
出版型式 ,電子版