On the accretion of a new group of galaxies on to Virgo - II. The effect of pre-processing on the stellar population content of dEs

Bidaran, Bahar; La Barbera, Francesco; Pasquali, Anna; Peletier, Reynier; van de Ven, Glenn; Grebel, Eva K.; Falcón-Barroso, Jesus; Sybilska, Agnieszka; Gadotti, Dimitri A.; Coccato, Lodovico
Referencia bibliográfica

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Fecha de publicación:
9
2022
Número de autores
10
Número de autores del IAC
1
Número de citas
6
Número de citas referidas
6
Descripción
Using MUSE spectra, we investigate how pre-processing and accretion on to a galaxy cluster affect the integrated stellar population properties of dwarf early-type galaxies (dEs). We analyse a sample of nine dEs with stellar masses of $\rm \sim 10^9 \, M_\odot$, which were accreted (~ 2-3 Gyr ago) on to the Virgo cluster as members of a massive galaxy group. We derive their stellar population properties, namely age, metallicity ([M/H]), and the abundance ratio of α elements ([α/Fe]), by fitting observed spectral indices with a robust, iterative procedure, and infer their star formation history (SFH) by means of full spectral fitting. We find that these nine dEs are more metal-poor (at the 2-3σ level) and significantly more α-enhanced than dEs in the Virgo and Coma clusters with similar stellar mass, clustercentric distance, and infall time. Moreover, for six dEs, we find evidence for a recent episode of star formation during or right after the time of accretion on to Virgo. We interpret the high [α/Fe] of our sample of dEs as the result of the previous exposure of these galaxies to an environment hostile to star formation, and/or the putative short burst of star formation they underwent after infall into Virgo. Our results suggest that the stellar population properties of low-mass galaxies may be the result of the combined effect of pre-processing in galaxy groups and environmental processes (such as ram-pressure triggering star formation) acting during the early phases of accretion on to a cluster.
Proyectos relacionados
Miembros del grupo
Huellas de la Formación de las Galaxias: Poblaciones estelares, Dinámica y Morfología

Bienvenida a la página web del g rupo de investigación Traces of Galaxy Formation. Somos un grupo de investigación amplio, diverso y muy activo cuyo objetivo principal es entender la formación de galaxias en el Universo de una manera lo más completa posible. Con el estudio detellado de las poblaciones estelares como bandera, estamos constantemente

Ignacio
Martín Navarro