Mass-metallicity relation explored with CALIFA. I. Is there a dependence on the star-formation rate?

Author(s)

, S. F. Sánchez, Fabiàn Fabían Rosales-Ortega, Bruno Jungwiert, Jorge I. Iglesias-Páramo, J. M. Vílchez, Rosamaria A. Marino, Carl Jakob Walcher, B. Husemann, D. Mast, A. Monreal-Ibero, R. Cid Fernandes, E. Pérez, R. González Delgado, R. García-Benito, L. Galbany, G. van de Ven, K. Jahnke, H. Flores, J. Bland-Hawthorn, A. R. López-Sánchez, V. Stanishev, D. Miralles-Caballero, A. I. Díaz, P. Sánchez-Blazquez, M. Mollá, A. Gallazzi, P. Papaderos, J. M. Gomes, N. Gruel, I. Pérez, T. Ruiz-Lara, E. Florido, A. de Lorenzo-Cáceres, J. Mendez-Abreu, C. Kehrig, M. M. Roth, B. Ziegler, J. Alves, L. Wisotzki, D. Kupko, A. Quirrenbach, D. Bomans

Abstract

We studied the global and local M-Z relation based on the first data

available from the CALIFA survey (150 galaxies). This survey provides

integral field spectroscopy of the complete optical extent of each

galaxy (up to 2-3 effective radii), with a resolution high enough to

separate individual H II regions and/or aggregations. About 3000

individual HII regions have been detected. The spectra cover the

wavelength range between [OII]3727 and [SII]6731, with a sufficient

signal-to-noise ratio to derive the oxygen abundance and star-formation

rate associated with each region. In addition, we computed the

integrated and spatially resolved stellar masses (and surface densities)

based on SDSS photometric data. We explore the relations between the

stellar mass, oxygen abundance and star-formation rate using this

dataset.

 

We derive a tight relation between the integrated stellar mass and the

gas-phase abundance, with a dispersion lower than the one already

reported in the literature (σΔlog(O/H) = 0.07

dex). Indeed, this dispersion is only slightly higher than the typical

error derived for our oxygen abundances. However, we found no secondary

relation with the star-formation rate other than the one induced by the

primary relation of this quantity with the stellar mass. The analysis

for our sample of ~3000 individual HII regions confirms (i) a local

mass-metallicity relation and (ii) the lack of a secondary relation with

the star-formation rate. The same analysis was performed with similar

results for the specific star-formation rate.

 

Our results agree with the scenario in which gas recycling in galaxies,

both locally and globally, is much faster than other typical timescales,

such like that of gas accretion by inflow and/or metal loss due to

outflows. In essence, late-type/disk-dominated galaxies seem to be in a

quasi-steady situation, with a behavior similar to the one expected from

an instantaneous recycling/closed-box model.

 

Table 1 and Appendix A are available in electronic form at www.aanda.org.

Organisation(s)

Department of Astrophysics

External organisation(s)

Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Czech Academy of Sciences, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Instituto Superior Técnico, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, The University of Sydney, Australian Astronomical Observatory, Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas Medioambientales y Tecnológica, University of Copenhagen, Universidade do Porto, University of Sheffield, Universidad de Granada, University of La Laguna, Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, Landessternwarte Königstuhl (LSW), Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), Université de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres

Journal

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Volume

554

No. of pages

8

ISSN

0004-6361

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201220669

Publication date

06-2013

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103004 Astrophysics, 103003 Astronomy

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/massmetallicity-relation-explored-with-califa-i-is-there-a-dependence-on-the-starformation-rate(1f3eb916-13aa-48b8-b194-a93aebea5773).html