Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12386/29788
Title: | The VANDELS survey: the stellar metallicities of star-forming galaxies at 2.5 < z < 5.0 | Authors: | Cullen, F. McLure, R. J. Dunlop, J. S. Khochfar, S. Davé, R. Amorín, R. BOLZONELLA, MICOL Carnall, A. C. CASTELLANO, MARCO Cimatti, A. Cirasuolo, M. CRESCI, GIOVANNI Fynbo, J. P. U. FONTANOT, Fabio GARGIULO, ADRIANA GARILLI, BIANCA MARIA ROSA Guaita, L. Hathi, N. Hibon, P. MANNUCCI, FILIPPO MARCHI, FRANCESCA McLeod, D. J. PENTERICCI, Laura POZZETTI, Lucia Shapley, A. E. Talia, M. Zamorani, G. |
Issue Date: | 2019 | Journal: | MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY | Number: | 487 | Issue: | 2 | First Page: | 2038 | Abstract: | We present the results of a study utilizing ultradeep, rest-frame UV, spectroscopy to quantify the relationship between stellar mass and stellar metallicity for 681 star-forming galaxies at 2.5 < z < 5.0 (<z> = 3.5 ± 0.6) drawn from the VANDELS survey. Via a comparison with high-resolution stellar population synthesis models, we determine stellar metallicities (Z<SUB>∗</SUB>, here a proxy for the iron abundance) for a set of high signal-to-noise ratio composite spectra formed from subsamples selected by mass and redshift. Across the stellar mass range 8.5 < log(< M_{\ast } > /{M}_{☉ }) < 10.2, we find a strong correlation between stellar metallicity (Z<SUB>∗</SUB>/Z<SUB>☉</SUB>) and stellar mass, with stellar metallicity monotonically increasing from Z<SUB>∗</SUB>/Z<SUB>☉</SUB> < 0.09 at < M_{\ast } > = 3.2 × 10<SUP>8</SUP> {M}_{☉ } to Z<SUB>∗</SUB>/Z<SUB>☉</SUB> = 0.27 at < M_{\ast } > = 1.7 × 10^{10} {M}_{☉ }. In contrast, at a given stellar mass, we find no evidence for significant metallicity evolution across the redshift range of our sample. However, comparing our results to the z = 0 stellar mass-metallicity relation for star-forming galaxies, we find that the <z> = 3.5 relation is consistent with being shifted to lower metallicities by ≃0.6 dex at all stellar masses. Contrasting our derived stellar metallicities with estimates of the gas-phase metallicities of galaxies at similar redshifts and stellar masses, we find evidence for enhanced {O}/{Fe} ratios in z ≳ 2.5 star-forming galaxies of the order (O/Fe) ≳ 1.8 × (O/Fe)<SUB>☉</SUB>. Finally, by comparing our results to the predictions of three cosmological simulations, we find that the <z> = 3.5 stellar mass-metallicity relation is consistent with current predictions for how outflow strength scales with galaxy stellar mass. This conclusion is supported by an analysis of one-zone analytic chemical evolution models, and suggests that the mass-loading parameter (η =\dot{M}_{outflow}/M_{\ast }) scales as η ∝ M_{\ast }^{β } with β ≃ -0.4. | URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12386/29788 | URL: | https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/487/2/2038/5493193 https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.11081 |
ISSN: | 0035-8711 | DOI: | 10.1093/mnras/stz1402 | Bibcode ADS: | 2019MNRAS.487.2038C | Fulltext: | open |
Appears in Collections: | 1.01 Articoli in rivista |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carnall2019a.pdf | published version | 2.75 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Carnall_1903.11081.pdf | postprint | 1.85 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Page view(s)
43
checked on Apr 18, 2024
Download(s)
23
checked on Apr 18, 2024
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are published in Open Access, unless otherwise indicated.