The role of major gas-rich mergers on the evolution of galaxies from the blue cloud to the red sequence
- National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012 (China)
- Tianjin Astrophysics Center, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387 (China)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)
- School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)
With the aim of exploring the fast evolutionary path from the blue cloud of star-forming galaxies to the red sequence of quiescent galaxies in the local universe, we select a local advanced merging infrared luminous and ultraluminous galaxy (adv-merger (U)LIRGs) sample and perform careful dust extinction corrections to investigate their positions in the star formation rate–M {sub *}, u − r, and NUV − r color–mass diagrams. The sample consists of 89 (U)LIRGs at the late merger stage, obtained from cross-correlating the Infrared Astronomical Satellite Point Source Catalog Redshift Survey and 1 Jy ULIRGs samples with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 database. Our results show that 74%±5% of adv-merger (U)LIRGs are localized above the 1σ line of the local star-forming galaxy main sequence. We also find that all adv-merger (U)LIRGs are more massive than and as blue as the blue cloud galaxies after corrections for Galactic and internal dust extinctions, with 95%±2% and 81%±4% of them outside the blue cloud on the u − r and NUV − r color–mass diagrams, respectively. These results, combined with the short timescale for exhausting the molecular gas reservoir in adv-merger (U)LIRGs (3×10{sup 7} to 3×10{sup 8} years), imply that the adv-merger (U)LIRGs are likely at the starting point of the fast evolutionary track previously proposed by several groups. While the number density of adv-merger (U)LIRGs is only ∼0.1% of the blue cloud star-forming galaxies in the local universe, this evolutionary track may play a more important role at high redshift.
- OSTI ID:
- 22868884
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 826, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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