The role of major gas-rich mergers on the evolution of galaxies from the blue cloud to the red sequence

Journal Article · Wed Jul 20 04:00:00 EDT 2016 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/826/1/30· OSTI ID:22868884

Guo, Rui ^[1]; Hao, Cai-Na; Xia, X. Y. ^[2]; Mao, Shude ^[3]; Shi, Yong ^[4]

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1. National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012 (China)
2. Tianjin Astrophysics Center, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387 (China)
3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)
4. 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, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 826; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
CATALOGS
CORRECTIONS
COSMIC DUST
DENSITY
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GALAXIES
INTERACTIONS
MASS
RED SHIFT
SATELLITES
STARS
UNIVERSE