WHERE STARS FORM: INSIDE-OUT GROWTH AND COHERENT STAR FORMATION FROM HST Hα MAPS OF 3200 GALAXIES ACROSS THE MAIN SEQUENCE AT 0.7 < z < 1.5
We present H α maps at 1 kpc spatial resolution for star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 1, made possible by the Wide Field Camera 3 grism on Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ). Employing this capability over all five 3D- HST /CANDELS fields provides a sample of 3200 galaxies enabling a division into subsample...
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Veröffentlicht in: | The Astrophysical journal 2016-09, Vol.828 (1), p.27 |
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Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | We present H
α
maps at 1 kpc spatial resolution for star-forming galaxies at
z
∼ 1, made possible by the Wide Field Camera 3 grism on
Hubble Space Telescope
(
HST
). Employing this capability over all five 3D-
HST
/CANDELS fields provides a sample of 3200 galaxies enabling a division into subsamples based on stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR). By creating deep stacked H
α
images, we reach surface brightness limits of 1 × 10
−18
erg s
−1
cm
−2
arcsec
−2
, allowing us to map the distribution of ionized gas to ∼10 kpc for typical
L
* galaxies at this epoch. We find that the spatial extent of the H
α
distribution increases with stellar mass as
kpc. The H
α
emission is more extended than the stellar continuum emission, consistent with inside-out assembly of galactic disks. This effect grows stronger with mass as
. We map the H
α
distribution as a function of SFR(IR+UV) and find evidence for “coherent star formation” across the SFR–
M
*
plane: above the main sequence (MS), H
α
is enhanced at all radii; below the MS, H
α
is depressed at all radii. This suggests that at all masses the physical processes driving the enhancement or suppression of star formation act throughout the disks of galaxies. At high masses (
), above the MS, H
α
is particularly enhanced in the center, potentially building bulges and/or supermassive black holes. Below the MS, a strong central dip in the EW(H
α
), as well as the inferred specific SFR, appears. Importantly, though, across the entirety of the SFR–
M
*
plane, the absolute SFR as traced by H
α
is always centrally peaked, even in galaxies below the MS. |
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ISSN: | 0004-637X 1538-4357 |
DOI: | 10.3847/0004-637X/828/1/27 |