Bibcode
Ferré-Mateu, A.; Vazdekis, A.; Trujillo, I.; Sánchez-Blázquez, P.; Ricciardelli, E.; de la Rosa, I. G.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 423, Issue 1, pp. 632-646.
Advertised on:
6
2012
Citations
45
Refereed citations
42
Description
We characterize the kinematics, morphology, stellar populations and star
formation histories of a sample of massive compact galaxies in the
nearby Universe, which might provide a closer look at the nature of
their high-redshift (z >rsim 1.0) massive counterparts. We find that
nearby compact massive objects show elongated morphologies and are fast
rotators. New high-quality long-slit spectra show that they have young
mean luminosity-weighted ages (?2 Gyr) and metallicities solar or above
([Z/H] >rsim 0.0). No significant stellar population gradients are
found. The analysis of their star formation histories suggests that
these objects have experienced recently enormous bursts which, in some
cases, represent unprecedented large fractions of their total stellar
mass. These galaxies seem to be truly unique, as they do not follow the
characteristic kinematical and stellar population patterns of
present-day massive ellipticals, spirals or even dwarfs.
Related projects
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro