Bibcode
Hempel, A.; Cristóbal-Hornillos, D.; Prieto, M.; Trujillo, I.; Balcells, M.; López-Sanjuan, C.; Abreu, D.; Eliche-Moral, M. C.; Domínguez-Palmero, L.
Referencia bibliográfica
Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VI, Proceedings of the IX Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society (SEA), held in Madrid, September 13 - 17, 2010, Eds.: M. R. Zapatero Osorio, J. Gorgas, J. Maíz Apellániz, J. R. Pardo, and A. Gil de Paz., p. 382-383
Fecha de publicación:
11
2011
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
We investigate the morphologies, masses and possible correlations
between these two properties for 108 extremely red galaxies (EROs) found
in the Groth strip. The photometric data include U, B, F606W, F814W, J,
and K_s bands. The EROs were selected on the basis of their extremely
red colour, F814W-K_s ≥ 4 and K_s ≤ 21.0. Morphologies are based
on a by eye classification and we distinguish between 3 basic classes:
compact objects, targets with a disc and/or a bulge component, and
irregular or merger candidates. An additional group consists of the few
objects which could not be classified. The majority of our targets has
either a very compact morphology (37 ± 6%), or show more or less
distinct disc components (39 ± 6%). 13 ± 3% are merger or
irregulars and a small number of objects (approximately 10%) could not
be classified.As found in previous studies, most the EROs in our sample
have redshifts between z=1 and z=2; however, compact EROs in our sample
are found at redshifts as low as z=0.4 and as high as z=2.8; the latter
qualify as well as distant red objects (DRGs). Disky EROs are also found
up to z=2.8; however those with a bulge-like nucleus are only seen at
z<1.5.For each of these EROs we determined the stellar mass and mean
population age by fitting synthetic spectra (Bruzual 2007, IAU Symp.,
241, 125) to the photometric spectral energy distributions, via χ^2
minimisation. Mass estimates were obtained by assuming an exponentially
declining star formation rate with a wide set of parameters, e.g. decay
time, redshift of last star formation, metallicity, and optical depth.
Total stellar masses for our sample are in the range 9.1 <
log(M_*/M_&sun;) < 11.6. We cannot detect significant differences
between the stellar mass distribution of the morphological classe, i.e.
the median stellar mass seems independent of morphology. However, above
log(M_*/M_&sun;) > 11.0 galaxies dominantly show compact
morphologies. We do not observe a strong evolution within 1 10^{11} M_&sun; detected in the DEEP2/Palomar fields. The EROs
within their K<19.7 selection have the same upper range of masses at
z ≈ 0.8-2.0, indicating little mass growth for this population at
this K-band limit. We also detect a substantial fraction of EROs with
total stellar masses below 10^{11} M_&sun;, while Conselice et al. state
that almost all of their EROs at K<19.7 have masses above this limit.