Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userThe MOSDEF Survey: The Mass-Metallicity relationship and the existence of the FMR at z~1.5
75
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We analyze the rest-optical emission-line ratios of z~1.5 galaxies drawn from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey. Using composite spectra we investigate the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at z~1.5 and measure its evolution to z=0. When using gas-phase metallicities based on the N2 line ratio, we find that the MZR evolution from z~1.5 to z=0 depends on stellar mass, evolving by $Deltarm log(rm O/H)sim0.25$ dex at $M_*<10^{9.75}M_{odot}$ down to $Deltarm log(rm O/H)sim0.05$ at $M_*>10^{10.5}M_{odot}$. In contrast, the O3N2-based MZR shows a constant offset of $Deltarm log(rm O/H)sim0.30$ across all masses, consistent with previous MOSDEF results based on independent metallicity indicators, and suggesting that O3N2 provides a more robust metallicity calibration for our z~1.5 sample. We investigated the secondary dependence of the MZR on SFR by measuring correlated scatter about the mean $M_*$-specific SFR and $M_*-log(rm O3N2)$ relations. We find an anti-correlation between $log(rm O/H)$ and sSFR offsets, indicating the presence of a $M_*$-SFR-Z relation, though with limited significance. Additionally, we find that our z~1.5 stacks lie along the z=0 metallicity sequence at fixed $mu=log(M_*/M_{odot})-0.6timeslog(rm SFR / M_{odot} yr^{-1})$ suggesting that the z~1.5 stacks can be described by the z=0 fundamental metallicity relation (FMR). However, using different calibrations can shift the calculated metallicities off of the local FMR, indicating that appropriate calibrations are essential for understanding metallicity evolution with redshift. Finally, understanding how [NII]/H$alpha$ scales with galaxy properties is crucial to accurately describe the effects of blended [NII] and H$alpha$ on redshift and H$alpha$ flux measurements in future large surveys utilizing low-resolution spectra such as with Euclid and the Roman Space Telescope.
rate research
Read More
We investigate the evolution of galaxy gas-phase metallicity (O/H) over the range $z=0-3.3$ using samples of $sim300$ galaxies at $zsim2.3$ and $sim150$ galaxies at $zsim3.3$ from the MOSDEF survey. This analysis crucially utilizes different metallicity calibrations at $zsim0$ and $z>1$ to account for evolving ISM conditions. We find significant correlations between O/H and stellar mass ($M_*$) at $zsim2.3$ and $zsim3.3$. The low-mass power law slope of the mass-metallicity relation is remarkably invariant over $z=0-3.3$, such that $textrm{O/H}propto M_*^{0.30}$ at all redshifts in this range. At fixed $M_*$, O/H decreases with increasing redshift as dlog(O/H)/d$z=-0.11pm0.02$. We find no evidence that the fundamental metallicity relation between $M_*$, O/H, and star-formation rate (SFR) evolves out to $zsim3.3$, with galaxies at $zsim2.3-3.3$ having O/H within 0.04~dex of local galaxies matched in $M_*$ and SFR on average. We employ analytic chemical evolution models to place constraints on the mass and metal loading factors of galactic outflows. The efficiency of metal removal increases toward lower $M_*$ at fixed redshift, and toward higher redshift at fixed $M_*$. These models suggest that the slope of the mass-metallicity relation is set by the scaling of the metal loading factor of outflows with $M_*$, not by the change in gas fraction as a function of $M_*$. The evolution toward lower O/H at fixed $M_*$ with increasing redshift is driven by both higher gas fraction (leading to stronger dilution of ISM metals) and higher metal removal efficiency, with models suggesting that both effects contribute approximately equally to the observed evolution. These results suggest that the processes governing the smooth baryonic growth of galaxies via gas flows and star formation hold in the same form over at least the past 12~Gyr.
We investigate the nature of the relation among stellar mass, star-formation rate, and gas-phase metallicity (the M$_*$-SFR-Z relation) at high redshifts using a sample of 260 star-forming galaxies at $zsim2.3$ from the MOSDEF survey. We present an analysis of the high-redshift M$_*$-SFR-Z relation based on several emission-line ratios for the first time. We show that a M$_*$-SFR-Z relation clearly exists at $zsim2.3$. The strength of this relation is similar to predictions from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. By performing a direct comparison of stacks of $zsim0$ and $zsim2.3$ galaxies, we find that $zsim2.3$ galaxies have $sim0.1$ dex lower metallicity at fixed M$_*$ and SFR. In the context of chemical evolution models, this evolution of the M$_*$-SFR-Z relation suggests an increase with redshift of the mass-loading factor at fixed M$_*$, as well as a decrease in the metallicity of infalling gas that is likely due to a lower importance of gas recycling relative to accretion from the intergalactic medium at high redshifts. Performing this analysis simultaneously with multiple metallicity-sensitive line ratios allows us to rule out the evolution in physical conditions (e.g., N/O ratio, ionization parameter, and hardness of the ionizing spectrum) at fixed metallicity as the source of the observed trends with redshift and with SFR at fixed M$_*$ at $zsim2.3$. While this study highlights the promise of performing high-order tests of chemical evolution models at high redshifts, detailed quantitative comparisons ultimately await a full understanding of the evolution of metallicity calibrations with redshift.
We study the properties of 55 morphologically-identified merging galaxy systems at z~2. These systems are flagged as mergers based on features such as tidal tails, double nuclei, and asymmetry. Our sample is drawn from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey, along with a control sample of isolated galaxies at the same redshift. We consider the relationships between stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and gas-phase metallicity for both merging and non-merging systems. In the local universe, merging systems are characterized by an elevated SFR and depressed metallicity compared to isolated systems at a given mass. Our results indicate SFR enhancement and metallicity deficit for merging systems relative to non-merging systems for a fixed stellar mass at z~2, though larger samples are required to establish these preliminary results with higher statistical significance. In future work, it will be important to establish if the enhanced SFR and depressed metallicity in high-redshift mergers deviate from the fundamental metallicity relation, as is observed in mergers in the local universe, and therefore shed light on gas flows during galaxy interactions.
Using the near-IR spectroscopy of the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey, we investigate the role of local environment in the gas-phase metallicity of galaxies. The local environment measurements are derived from accurate and uniformly calculated photometric redshifts with well-calibrated probability distributions. Based on rest-frame optical emission lines, [NII]$lambda6584$ and H$alpha$, we measure gas-phase oxygen abundance of 167 galaxies at $1.37leq zleq1.7$ and 303 galaxies at $2.09leq zleq2.61$, located in diverse environments. We find that at $zsim1.5$, the average metallicity of galaxies in overdensities with $M_*sim10^{9.8}M_odot, 10^{10.2}M_odot$ and $10^{10.8}M_odot$ is higher relative to their field counterparts by $0.094pm0.051$, $0.068pm0.028$ and $0.052pm0.043$ dex, respectively. However, this metallicity enhancement does not exist at higher redshift, $zsim2.3$, where, compared to the field galaxies, we find $0.056pm0.043$, $0.056pm0.028$ and $0.096pm 0.034$ dex lower metallicity for galaxies in overdense environments with $M_*sim10^{9.8}M_odot, 10^{10.2}M_odot$ and $10^{10.7}M_odot$, respectively. Our results suggest that, at $1.37leq zleq2.61$, the variation of mass-metallicity relation with local environment is small ($<0.1$dex), and reverses at $zsim2$. Our results support the hypothesis that, at the early stages of cluster formation, owing to efficient gas cooling, galaxies residing in overdensities host a higher fraction of pristine gas with prominent primordial gas accretion, which lowers their gas-phase metallicity compared to their coeval field galaxies. However, as the Universe evolves to lower redshifts ($zlesssim2$), shock-heated gas in overdensities cannot cool down efficiently, and galaxies become metal-rich rapidly due to the suppression of pristine gas inflow and re-accretion of metal-enriched outflows in overdensities.
We derive the UV-optical stellar dust attenuation curve of galaxies at z=1.4-2.6 as a function of gas-phase metallicity. We use a sample of 218 star-forming galaxies, excluding those with very young or heavily obscured star formation, from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey with H$alpha$, H$beta$, and [NII]$lambda 6585$ spectroscopic measurements. We constrain the shape of the attenuation curve by comparing the average flux densities of galaxies sorted into bins of dust obscuration using Balmer decrements, i.e., H$alpha$-to-H$beta$ luminosities. The average attenuation curve for the high-metallicity sample (12+log(O/H)>8.5, corresponding to $M_*gtrsim10^{10.4},M_{odot}$) has a shallow slope, identical to that of the Calzetti local starburst curve, and a significant UV 2175A extinction bump that is $sim 0.5times$ the strength of the Milky Way bump. On the other hand, the average attenuation curve of the low-metallicity sample (12+log(O/H) $sim 8.2-8.5$) has a steeper slope similar to that of the SMC curve, only consistent with the Calzetti slope at the $3sigma$ level. The UV bump is not detected in the low-metallicity curve, indicating the relative lack of the small dust grains causing the bump at low metallicities. Furthermore, we find that on average the nebular reddening (E(B-V)) is a factor of 2 times larger than that of the stellar continuum for galaxies with low metallicities, while the nebular and stellar reddening are similar for galaxies with higher metallicities. The latter is likely due to a high surface density of dusty clouds embedding the star forming regions but also reddening the continuum in the high-metallicity galaxies.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
