CLUES ON THE REJUVENATION OF THE S0 GALAXY NGC 404 FROM THE CHEMICAL ABUNDANCE OF ITS OUTER DISK

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/772/2/L23· OSTI ID:22140324

Bresolin, Fabio ^[1]

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1. Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

The oxygen abundance of the outer disk of the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 404, a prototypical early-type galaxy with extended star formation, has been derived from the analysis of H II region spectra. The high mean value found, 12 + log(O/H) = 8.6 {+-} 0.1, equivalent to approximately 80% of the solar value, argues against both the previously proposed cold accretion and recent merger scenarios as viable mechanisms for the assembly of the star-forming gas. The combination of the present-day gas metallicity with the published star formation history of this galaxy favors a model in which the recent star forming activity represents the declining tail of the original one.

• OSTI ID: 22140324
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 772, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABUNDANCE
APPROXIMATIONS
EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
OXYGEN
SPECTRA
STARS