REVEALING VELOCITY DISPERSION AS THE BEST INDICATOR OF A GALAXY's COLOR, COMPARED TO STELLAR MASS, SURFACE MASS DENSITY, OR MORPHOLOGY
- Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States)
- Sterrewacht Leiden, Leiden University, NL-2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)
Using data of nearby galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey we investigate whether stellar mass (M{sub star}), central velocity dispersion ({sigma}), surface mass density ({Sigma}), or the Sersic n parameter is best correlated with a galaxy's rest-frame color. Specifically, we determine how the mean color of galaxies varies with one parameter when another is fixed. When M{sub star} is fixed we see that strong trends remain with all other parameters, whereas residual trends are weaker when {Sigma}, n, or {sigma} is fixed. Overall {sigma} is the best indicator of a galaxy's typical color, showing the largest residual color dependence when any of the other three parameters are fixed, and M{sub star} is the poorest. Other studies have indicated that both the central black hole mass and possibly host dark matter halo properties (mass or concentration) are also better correlated with {sigma} than with M{sub star}, {Sigma}, or n. Therefore, it could be the case that the strong correlation between color and {sigma} reflects an underlying relationship between a galaxy's star formation history and/or present star formation rate and the properties of its dark matter halo and/or the feedback from its central supermassive black hole.
- OSTI ID:
- 22047780
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 751, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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