Star formation quenching stages of active and non-active galaxies

Abstract

The mechanisms that bring galaxies to strongly reduce their star formation activity (star-formation quenching) remain poorly understood. To better study galaxy evolution, we propose a classification based on maps of ionised hydrogen distribution traced by the kiloparsec-resolved, equivalent width of Hα maps, and the nuclear activity of the galaxies using information from the Baldwin-Philips-Terlevich diagnostic diagrams. Using these tools, we group a sample of 238 galaxies from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field spectroscopy Area survey in six quenching stages (QSs): (i) objects dominated by recent star formation; (ii) systems that present a quiescent-nuclear-ring structure in their centre; (iii) galaxies that are centrally quiescent; (iv) galaxies with no clear pattern in their ionisation gas distribution (mixed); (v) systems that posses only a few star-forming regions (nearly retired), or (vi) galaxies that are completely quiescent (fully retired). Regarding their nuclear activity, we further divide the galaxies into two groups: active systems that host a weak or strong active galactic nucleus (AGN) at their centre, and non-active objects. Galaxies grouped into quenching-stage classes occupy specific locations on the star-formation-rate versus stellar mass diagram. The ‘blue cloud’ is populated by the star-forming and the quiescent-nuclear-ring galaxies, the ‘green valley’ is populated by centrally quiescent and mixed systems, and the ‘red sequence’ by the nearly- and fully retired objects. Generally, galaxies that host a weak or strong AGN show properties comparable to those of their non-active counterparts at the same QSs, except for the AGN-hosting star-forming systems. The degree of star-formation quenching increases along the present emission-line pattern sequence from star-forming to fully retired. The proposed emission-line classes reinforce the ‘inside-out’ quenching scenario, which foresees that the suppression of star formation begins from the central regions of the galaxies.

Hubble Space Telescope Captures UGC 12591: Bulge/Disk Properties, Star Formation and `Missing Baryons' Census in a Very Massive and Fast Spinning Hybrid Galaxy

“…These isolated galaxies fall in the lower right region of the plot. It is interesting to note that UGC 12591 falls farther in the lower part of the diagram, in the region predominantly occupied by galaxies with nearly or fully quenched star formation activity of Kalinova et al (2021).…”

AGN lifetimes in UV-selected galaxies: a clue to supermassive black hole-host galaxy coevolution

“…There are indeed some studies about AGN-driven star-formation quenching in the local universe. For example, based on the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field spectroscopy Area survey (CALIFA) integral-field unit (IFU) data, Kalinova et al (2021) traced the ionised hydrogen distribution maps in kiloparsec (kpc) scales to study galaxy quenching mechanisms. Their results as well as some relevant studies (e.g., Appleby et al 2020;Brownson et al 2020;Zewdie et al 2020) reinforced the "inside-out" quenching scenario where quenching begins from galaxy centers.…”

Galaxy evolution on resolved scales: ageing and quenching in CALIFA

“…The vast amounts of energy that these physical processes generate, despite their small size and location, have been suggested as relevant feedback mechanisms and serious candidates for plausible quenching in galaxies (e.g. Sijacki et al 2007;Fabian 2012;Dubois et al 2013;Zubovas & Bourne 2017;Sánchez et al 2018;Lacerda et al 2020;Kalinova et al 2021).…”