Bibcode
Urry, C. Meg; Rich, Jeffrey A.; Nyland, Kristina; Mulchaey, John S.; Kriek, Mariska; Medling, Anne M.; Kewley, Lisa J.; Kelson, Daniel D.; Falcón-Barroso, Jesús; Crossett, Jacob; Cales, Sabrina L.; Beaton, Rachael L.; Appleton, Philip N.; Ciesla, Laure; French, K. Decker; Lacy, Mark; Brown, Michael J. I.; Lanz, Lauranne; Bitsakis, Theodoros; Alatalo, Katherine
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 843, Issue 1, article id. 9, 13 pp. (2017).
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7
2017
Journal
Citations
20
Refereed citations
19
Description
We investigate the optical and Wide-field Survey Explorer (WISE) colors
of “E+A” identified post-starburst galaxies, including a
deep analysis of 190 post-starbursts detected in the 2 μm All Sky
Survey Extended Source Catalog. The post-starburst galaxies appear in
both the optical green valley and the WISE Infrared Transition Zone.
Furthermore, we find that post-starbursts occupy a distinct region of
[3.4]–[4.6] versus [4.6]–[12] WISE colors, enabling the
identification of this class of transitioning galaxies through the use
of broadband photometric criteria alone. We have investigated possible
causes for the WISE colors of post-starbursts by constructing a
composite spectral energy distribution (SED), finding that the
mid-infrared (4–12 μm) properties of post-starbursts are
consistent with either 11.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
emission, or thermally pulsating asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) and
post-AGB stars. The composite SED of extended post-starburst galaxies
with 22 μm emission detected with signal-to-noise ratio ≥slant 3
requires a hot dust component to produce their observed rising
mid-infrared SED between 12 and 22 μm. The composite SED of WISE 22
μm non-detections (S/N < 3), created by stacking 22 μm images,
is also flat, requiring a hot dust component. The most likely source of
the mid-infrared emission of these E+A galaxies is a buried active
galactic nucleus (AGN). The inferred upper limits to the Eddington
ratios of post-starbursts are
10‑2–10‑4, with an average of
10‑3. This suggests that AGNs are not radiatively
dominant in these systems. This could mean that including selections
capable of identifying AGNs as part of a search for transitioning and
post-starburst galaxies would create a more complete census of the
transition pathways taken as a galaxy quenches its star formation.
Related projects
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro