We present an analysis of the chemical abundance properties of $approx$650 star-forming galaxies at $z approx0.6-1.8$. Using integral-field observations from the $K$-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS), we quantify the [NII]/H$alpha$ emission-line ratio, a proxy for the gas-phase Oxygen abundance within the interstellar medium. We define the stellar mass-metallicity relation at $z approx0.6-1.0$ and $z approx1.2-1.8$ and analyse the correlation between the scatter in the relation and fundamental galaxy properties (e.g. H$alpha$ star-formation rate, H$alpha$ specific star-formation rate, rotation dominance, stellar continuum half-light radius and Hubble-type morphology). We find that for a given stellar mass, more highly star-forming, larger and irregular galaxies have lower gas-phase metallicities, which may be attributable to their lower surface mass densities and the higher gas fractions of irregular systems. We measure the radial dependence of gas-phase metallicity in the galaxies, establishing a median, beam smearing-corrected, metallicity gradient of $ Delta Z/ Delta R=0.002 pm0.004$ dex kpc$^{-1}$, indicating on average there is no significant dependence on radius. The metallicity gradient of a galaxy is independent of its rest-frame optical morphology, whilst correlating with its stellar mass and specific star-formation rate, in agreement with an inside-out model of galaxy evolution, as well as its rotation dominance. We quantify the evolution of metallicity gradients, comparing the distribution of $Delta Z/ Delta R$ in our sample with numerical simulations and observations at $z approx0-3$. Galaxies in our sample exhibit flatter metallicity gradients than local star-forming galaxies, in agreement with numerical models in which stellar feedback plays a crucial role redistributing metals.
تحميل البحث