Spatially resolved stellar populations and emission line properties in nearby galaxies with J-PLUS: I. Method and first results for the M101 group

Thainá-Batista, J.; Cid Fernandes, R.; González Delgado, R. M.; Rodríguez-Martín, J. E.; García-Benito, R.; Martínez-Solaeche, G.; Díaz-García, L. A.; Sasse, V. H.; Lumbreras-Calle, A.; Conrado, A. M.; Alcaniz, J.; Angulo, R. E.; Cenarro, A. J.; Cristóbal-Hornillos, D.; Dupke, R. A.; Ederoclite, A.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; López-Sanjuan, C.; Marín-Franch, A.; Moles, M.; Sodré, L.; Vázquez Ramió, H.; Varela, J.
Bibliographical reference

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Advertised on:
7
2025
Number of authors
23
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
Context. Spatially resolved maps of stellar populations and nebular emission are key tools for understanding the physical properties and evolutionary stages of galaxies. These maps are commonly derived from integral field spectroscopy (IFS) data or, alternatively, from multiband imaging techniques. Aims. We aim to characterize the spatially resolved stellar population and emission-line properties of galaxies in the M101 group using the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) data. Methods. The datacubes first underwent preprocessing steps, including masking, noise suppression, PSF homogenization, and spatial binning. The improved data were then analyzed with the spectral synthesis code ALSTAR, which was previously shown to produce excellent results with the unique 12-band filter system of J-PLUS and Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS). Results. We present maps of stellar mass surface density (Σ⋆), mean stellar age and metallicity, star formation rate surface density (ΣSFR), dust attenuation, and emission line properties such as fluxes and equivalent widths of the main optical lines. We explore relations among these properties. All galaxies exhibit a well-defined age-Σ⋆ relation, except for the dwarf galaxies. Similarly, all galaxies follow local Σ⋆-ΣSFR star-forming main-sequence (MS) relations, with specific star formation rates that increase for less massive systems. M101 clearly exhibits a stellar Σ⋆-metallicity relation, while other galaxies show either flatter or undefined relations. Nebular metallicities correlate with Σ⋆ in all galaxies. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the ability of J-PLUS to perform IFS-like analysis of galaxies, offering robust spatially resolved measurements of stellar populations and emission lines over large fields of view. The M101 group analysis showcases the potential for expanding such studies to other groups and clusters, contributing to the understanding of galaxy evolution across different environments.