Connection Between Dynamically Derived Initial Mass Function Normalization and Stellar Population Parameters
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: We report on empirical trends between the dynamically determined stellar initial mass function (IMF) and stellar population properties for a complete, volume-limited sample of 260 early-type galaxies from the ATLAS 3D project. We study trends between our dynamically derived IMF normalization α dyn ≡ ( M / L ) stars /( M / L ) Salp and absorption line strengths, and interpret these via single stellar population-equivalent ages, abundance ratios (measured as [α/Fe]), and total metallicity, [Z/H]. We find that old and alpha-enhanced galaxies tend to have on average heavier (Salpeter-like) mass normalization of the IMF, but stellar population does not appear to be a good predictor of the IMF, with a large range of α dyn at a given population parameter. As a result, we find weak α dyn –[α/Fe] and α dyn −Age correlations and no significant α dyn −[Z/H] correlation. The observed trends appear significantly weaker than those reported in studies that measure the IMF normalization via the low-mass star demographics inferred through stellar spectral analysis.
Authors: Richard M. McDermid, Michele Cappellari, Katherine Alatalo, Estelle Bayet, Leo Blitz, Maxime Bois, Frédéric Bournaud, Martin Bureau, Alison F. Crocker, Roger L. Davies, Timothy A. Davis, P. T. de Zeeuw, Pierre-Alain Duc, Eric Emsellem, Sadegh Khochfar, Davor Krajnović, Harald Kuntschner, Raffaella Morganti, Thorsten Naab, Tom Oosterloo, Marc Sarzi, Nicholas Scott, Paolo Serra, Anne-Marie Weijmans, Lisa M. Young
Institutions: Australian Astronomical Observatory, Macquarie University, University of Oxford, California Institute of Technology, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, University of California, Berkeley, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Observatoire de Paris, Laboratoire d’Etudes du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique et Atmosphères, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Saclay, Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Université Paris Diderot, University of Toledo, European Southern Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden Observatory, Lyon 1 Université, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Observatoire de Lyon, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon, Royal Observatory, University of Edinburgh, Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, University of Groningen, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, University of Hertfordshire, The University of Sydney, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, University of St Andrews, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G3467815775, G4104599821, G4108277690, G4305749261, G4760961572, G520157849, Cold Gas in Hot Galaxies, Astrophysics at Oxford: 2010-2015, G6078595445, G6120727724, G7210229524, Astrophysics at Oxford, Short-term Visitors to Oxford Astrophysics - bridging support, Supermassive black holes and nuclear stellar disks, nuclear keys to galaxy formation and evolution, G7873814991, G8085321155, G825502566, Short-term Visitors to Oxford Astrophysics
OpenAlex ID: W1968842958