Metal-enriched galaxies in the first ∼1 billion years: evidence of a smooth metallicity evolution at z ∼ 5

Poudel, Suraj; Kulkarni, Varsha P.; Cashman, Frances H.; Frye, Brenda; Péroux, Céline; Rahmani, H.; Quiret, Samuel

doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3000

Cited by 17 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…The lower panel shows our model for the median and 16-84th percentile range in metallicity as a function of redshift. These are compared to observed values derived from Damped Lyman-α (DLA) systems: green, blue and orange points from the compilation of Poudel et al (2019), asterisks from Balestra et al (2007), small crosses from Rafelski et al (2012). Models are uniformly offset by -0.5 dex to account for the metallicity deficit of DLAs relative to typical star forming regions.…”

Section: Methods Observations and Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dependence of gravitational wave transient rates on cosmic star formation and metallicity evolution history

Tang

Eldridge

Stanway

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

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We compare the impacts of uncertainties in both binary population synthesis models and the cosmic star formation history on the predicted rates of Gravitational Wave compact binary merger (GW) events. These uncertainties cause the predicted rates of GW events to vary by up to an order of magnitude. Varying the volume-averaged star formation rate density history of the Universe causes the weakest change to our predictions, while varying the metallicity evolution has the strongest effect. Double neutron-star merger rates are more sensitive to assumed neutron-star kick velocity than the cosmic star formation history. Varying certain parameters affects merger rates in different ways depending on the mass of the merging compact objects; thus some of the degeneracy may be broken by looking at all the event rates rather than restricting ourselves to one class of mergers.

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Section: Methods Observations and Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dependence of gravitational wave transient rates on cosmic star formation and metallicity evolution history

Tang

Eldridge

Stanway

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

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“…Metallicity: According to most models of chemical enrichment, the typical metallicity of the interstellar and intergalactic medium in the Universe was some two orders of magnitude lower in the distant Universe than it is today [10,81]. Thus, the stellar populations that formed from such gas should show evolutionary pathways which differ quantitatively from those seen today.…”

Section: Improving Population Synthesis Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Stellar Population Synthesis in the Distant Universe

Stanway

2020

Galaxies

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Comparison with artificial galaxy models is essential for translating the incomplete and low signal-to-noise data we can obtain on astrophysical stellar populations to physical interpretations which describe their composition, physical properties, histories and internal conditions. In particular, this is true for distant galaxies, whose unresolved light embeds clues to their formation and evolution as well as their impact on their wider environs. Stellar population synthesis models are now used as the foundation of analysis at all redshifts, but are not without their problems. Here we review the use of stellar population synthesis models, with a focus on applications in the distant Universe.Galaxies 2020, 8, 6 2 of 32 astronomical observations, usually over a wider wavelength range or with a higher signal-to-noise, to break.In the photon-starved regime occupied by observations of the earliest galaxies to radiate through the Universe, this presents a problem: often it simply is not possible to find an independent diagnostic which will distinguish between models, and obtainable signal-to-noise may be limited by instrumental and background noise rather than by the source. In this situation, the interpretation offered by a single population synthesis model is often accepted without close scrutiny, with a deep faith placed on the calibration of those models in the relatively local Universe. In the past, for observations of galaxies at z < 2, this faith has been well founded. The stellar populations which can be resolved in detail and probed in the Milky Way and the Local Group are typical of galaxies at these redshifts in both age and metallicity. However as the observational frontier is pushed back to ever higher redshifts, it is clear that the typical star formation densities and environments are very different, as are the stellar metallicities [10, and references therein]. This has prompted a reevaluation of the stellar population synthesis models in use at these redshifts, and their calibration in hitherto unconsidered regimes [11].This review discusses both our current state of understanding of galaxies in the distant Universe, and how that understanding is informed by the stellar population synthesis models we use. Key examples and uncertainties are highlighted, and a holistic approach, in which all possible diagnostic indicators of a stellar population are considered, is advocated. Galaxies in the Distant Universe The First StarsThe definition of the distant Universe varies, but in the context of galaxy formation and evolution it applies primarily to the interval between the formation of the first stars ('cosmic dawn') which ended the cosmic Dark Ages at around z ∼ 7 − 15, and the coincident peaks of the volume-averaged star formation rate density history and AGN activity at z ∼ 2 ('cosmic noon'). Over this ∼2.5 Gyr interval, the first galaxies were not only born, but also evolved significantly [e.g. 12,13], such that galaxy populations at z > 5 are typically younger, more highly ionizing, less massive and less...

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“…The depletion of gas on to dust grains plagues metallicity measurements in QSO absorber analyses, as a component of the total metal content is missed. Such an effect is suspected to have an impact on the total metallicity evolution of subDLAs and DLAs (De Cia et al 2018;Krogager et al 2019;Poudel et al 2020). Corrections for dust depletion can be computed, but require the detection of multiple chemical elements in the absorber to either model the physical and chemical properties (Jenkins 2009;De Cia et al 2016) or measure abundance ratios of elements with similar nucleosynthetic origins (Berg et al 2015a).…”

Section: Effects Of Dust Depletionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sub-damped Lyman α systems in the XQ-100 survey – II. Chemical evolution at 2.4 ≤ z ≤ 4.3

Berg

Fumagalli

D’Odorico

et al. 2021

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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We present the measured gas-phase metal column densities in 155 sub-damped Lyα systems (subDLAs) with the aim to investigate the contribution of subDLAs to the chemical evolution of the Universe. The sample was identified within the absorber-blind XQ-100 quasar spectroscopic survey over the redshift range 2.4 ≤ zabs ≤ 4.3. Using all available column densities of the ionic species investigated (mainly C iv, Si ii, Mg ii, Si iv, Al ii, Fe ii, C ii, and O i; in order of decreasing detection frequency), we estimate the ionization-corrected gas-phase metallicity of each system using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques to explore a large grid of Cloudy ionization models. Without accounting for ionization and dust depletion effects, we find that the H i-weighted gas-phase metallicity evolution of subDLAs are consistent with damped Lyα systems (DLAs). When ionization corrections are included, subDLAs are systematically more metal-poor than DLAs (between ≈0.5σ and ≈3σ significance) by up to ≈1.0 dex over the redshift range 3 ≤ zabs ≤ 4.3. The correlation of gas-phase [Si/Fe] with metallicity in subDLAs appears to be consistent with that of DLAs, suggesting that the two classes of absorbers have a similar relative dust depletion pattern. As previously seen for Lyman limit systems, the gas-phase [C/O] in subDLAs remains constantly solar for all metallicities indicating that both subDLAs and Lyman limit systems could trace carbon-rich ejecta, potentially in circumgalactic environments.

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Metal-enriched galaxies in the first ∼1 billion years: evidence of a smooth metallicity evolution at z ∼ 5

Cited by 17 publications

References 73 publications

Dependence of gravitational wave transient rates on cosmic star formation and metallicity evolution history

Dependence of gravitational wave transient rates on cosmic star formation and metallicity evolution history

Applications of Stellar Population Synthesis in the Distant Universe

Sub-damped Lyman α systems in the XQ-100 survey – II. Chemical evolution at 2.4 ≤ z ≤ 4.3

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