Evolutionary synthesis of the stellar population in elliptical galaxies. III. Detailed optical spectra

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/159259· OSTI ID:5635612

Gunn, J E; Stryker, L L; Tinsley, B M

The evolutionary synthesis technique is used to construct population models for giant elliptical galaxies, using detailed spectrophotometric data for the galaxies and for stars obtained with the Oke multichannel spectrometer on the Hale telescope. We find that ellipticals are well represented by an old metal-rich population with a turnoff at B-Vapprox.0.80 and a turnoff mass function slope x< or approx. =1, plus a quite significant contribution from stars above the turnoff. The nature of these objects is discussed, and it is concluded that the present data and astrophysical constraints cannot distinguish between a small young population and a blue straggler population augmented by a few O stars.

• Research Organization: Palomar Observatory, California Institute of Technology
• OSTI ID: 5635612
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 249:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
GIANT STARS
STAR EVOLUTION
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM
LUMINOSITY
MASS
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
VISIBLE SPECTRA
DIAGRAMS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SPECTRA
STARS
640105* - Astrophysics &amp; Cosmology- Galaxies