Chemical evolution of local post-

starburst galaxies: implications for

the mass-metallicity relation
Show affiliations

 Leung, Ho-Hin ;

 Wild, Vivienne ;

 Papathomas, Michail ;

 Carnall, Adam ;

 Zheng, Yirui ;

 Boardman, Nicholas ;

 Wang, Cara ;
 Johansson, Peter H.

Abstract
We use the stellar fossil record to constrain the stellar
metallicity evolution and star-formation histories of the
post-starburst (PSB) regions within 45 local PSB
galaxies from the MaNGA survey. The direct
measurement of the regions' stellar metallicity evolution
is achieved by a new two-step metallicity model that
allows for stellar metallicity to change at the peak of
the starburst. We also employ a Gaussian process noise
model that accounts for correlated errors introduced by
the observational data reduction or inaccuracies in the
models. We find that a majority of PSB regions (69 per
cent at >1σ significance) increased in stellar metallicity
during the recent starburst, with an average increase of
0.8 dex and a standard deviation of 0.4 dex. A much
smaller fraction of PSBs are found to have remained
constant (22 per cent) or declined in metallicity (9 per
cent, average decrease 0.4 dex, standard deviation 0.3
dex). The pre-burst metallicities of the PSB galaxies are
in good agreement with the mass-metallicity (MZ)
relation of local star-forming galaxies. These results are
consistent with hydrodynamic simulations, which
suggest that mergers between gas-rich galaxies are the
primary formation mechanism of local PSBs, and rapid
metal recycling during the starburst outweighs the
impact of dilution by any gas inflows. The final mass-
weighted metallicities of the PSB galaxies are
consistent with the MZ relation of local passive
galaxies. Our results suggest that rapid quenching
following a merger-driven starburst is entirely consistent
with the observed gap between the stellar mass-
metallicity relations of local star-forming and passive
galaxies.

Publication:

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,

Volume 528, Issue 3, pp.4029-4052

Pub Date:

March 2024

DOI:

10.1093/mnras/stae225
10.48550/arXiv.2309.16626

arXiv:

arXiv:2309.16626

Bibcode:

2024MNRAS.528.4029L

Keywords:
 
methods: statistical;


galaxies: abundances;


galaxies: evolution;


galaxies: starburst;


galaxies: stellar content;


Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies

E-Print Comments:

19+5 pages, 8+4 figures, Published in MNRAS;

MNRAS, Volume 528, Issue 3, March 2024, Pages
4029-4052; doi:10.1093/mnras/stae225