After The Fall: Resolving the Molecular Gas in Post-starburst Galaxies

Smercina, Adam; Smith, John‐David T.; French, K. Decker; Bell, Eric F.; Dale, Daniel A.; Medling, Anne M.; Nyland, Kristina; Privon, George C.; Rowlands, Kate; Walter, Fabian; Zabludoff, Ann I.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac5d5f

Cited by 23 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…We note that these assumptions neglect the possibility that heavily obscured star formation is contained in the galaxies. Some post-starburst galaxies have been shown to contain deeply embedded dust reservoirs in the central ∼100 pc with A v ∼ 10 4 , which could in principle shield large amounts of central star formation (Smercina et al 2022). However, in a previous study of CO(2-1) for a small (13 galaxies) subsample of  L SQuIGG E, we do not see evidence of centrally concentrated molecular gas or continuum emission in the detected galaxies at ∼1″ resolution.…”

Section: Testing the Central Starburst Scenariocontrasting

confidence: 78%

The Compact Structures of Massive z ∼ 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGGL⃗E Sample

Setton

Verrico

Bezanson

et al. 2022

ApJ

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We present structural measurements of 145 spectroscopically selected intermediate-redshift (z ∼ 0.7), massive (M ⋆ ∼ 1011 M ⊙) post-starburst galaxies from the SQuIGG L ⃗ E sample measured using wide-depth Hyper Suprime-Cam i-band imaging. This deep imaging allows us to probe the sizes and structures of these galaxies, which we compare to a control sample of star-forming and quiescent galaxies drawn from the LEGA-C Survey. We find that post-starburst galaxies systematically lie ∼0.1 dex below the quiescent mass–size (half-light radius) relation, with a scatter of ∼0.2 dex. This finding is bolstered by nonparametric measures, such as the Gini coefficient and the concentration, which also reveal these galaxies to have more compact light profiles than both quiescent and star-forming populations at similar mass and redshift. The sizes of post-starburst galaxies show either negative or no correlation with the time since quenching, such that more recently quenched galaxies are larger or similarly sized. This empirical finding disfavors the formation of post-starburst galaxies via a purely central burst of star formation that simultaneously shrinks the galaxy and shuts off star formation. We show that the central densities of post-starburst and quiescent galaxies at this epoch are very similar, in contrast with their effective radii. The structural properties of z ∼ 0.7 post-starburst galaxies match those of quiescent galaxies that formed in the early universe, suggesting that rapid quenching in the present epoch is driven by a similar mechanism to the one at high redshift.

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Section: Testing the Central Starburst Scenariocontrasting

confidence: 78%

The Compact Structures of Massive z ∼ 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGGL⃗E Sample

Setton

Verrico

Bezanson

et al. 2022

ApJ

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“…We note that the α vir and P turb of knots B and C are significantly smaller than those of the clumps in massive merger system NGC 4038/4039, which probably lead to the higher SFE values in the starburst regions of Haro 11. Meanwhile, the median values of α vir and P turb of Haro 11 are one to four orders of magnitude lower than the median values measured for star-forming regions of (U)LIRGs (Wilson et al 2019) and post-starburst galaxies (Smercina et al 2022). (U)LIRGs and post-starburst galaxies show larger α vir and P turb values, supporting the negative feedback scenario, such that energy injection from AGNs and stellar feedback will dissipate and heat the molecular gas, suppress the star formation, and accelerate the quenching of star formation in the host galaxy.…”

Section: Turbulent Pressure and Viral Parametermentioning

confidence: 65%

“…The viral parameter is important in determining the possibility of whether or not the clouds can form stars (clusters). However, in addition to self-gravity, the magnetic field and external gravitational potential also regulate the cloud dynamics in some environments, such as galaxy outer regions with low gas densities and the galactic center with high ambient pressure (Heyer et al 2001;Oka et al 2001;Sun et al 2018;Smercina et al 2022). When assuming pressure equilibrium within a gas cloud, the internal turbulent pressure (internal kinetic energy density) will be equal to the external pressure, which has been emphasized in previous studies of galactic clouds (Field et al 2011;Barnes et al 2020;Krieger et al 2020).…”

Section: Turbulent Pressure and Viral Parametermentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The data include individual GMCs in the nearby spiral galaxy M33 (Gratier et al 2010), individual star-forming regions (and global properties) of the merger system NGC 4038/4039 (Gao et al 2001;Lahén et al 2018;Tsuge et al 2021), spatially resolved measurements of 12 spiral galaxies (Bigiel et al 2008;Shi et al 2011), and nearby merger (U)LIRGs (Shangguan et al 2019;Wilson et al 2019). In addition, the data also include the global properties of poststarburst galaxies (Smercina et al 2018(Smercina et al , 2022, nearby merging dwarf systems (Paudel et al 2018), high-z main sequence galaxies (z ∼ 1.2-2.2, Tacconi et al 2013), and starburst galaxies (1.2 < z < 6.3, see the references in Shi et al 2018). We also overlay the M * −SFR distribution of all of the galaxies derived from the SDSS DR8 MPA-JHU catalog 4 .…”

Section: Global Star Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sSFRs ( ≥10 −8 yr −1 ) of Haro 11 and its knots resemble those of high-z starburst galaxies, which are about 0.6-2 dex higher than other galaxies. Adopting the Hα-based SFRs, Smercina et al (2018Smercina et al ( , 2022) locate these post-starburst galaxies at the transition phase between major gas-rich mergers and gas-poor quiescent galaxies, where star formation is suppressed by continued injection of turbulent or mechanical heating.…”

Section: Global Star Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The molecular gas resolved by ALMA in the low-metallicity merging dwarf galaxy Haro 11

Gao

Shi

et al. 2022

A&A

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Context. The physical mechanisms driving starbursts and quenching in less massive (M* ≤ 1010 M⊙) galaxies are unclear. The merger is one of the inescapable processes referred to as both starburst and quenching in massive galaxies. However, the effects of the merger on star formation in dwarf galaxies and their evolution are still uncertain. Aims. We aim to explore how star formation in dwarf galaxies is both triggered and quenched by studying metal-poor gas-rich dwarf mergers based on multi-band observations at a spatial resolution of ∼460 pc. Methods. We use archival data of Atacama Large Millimetre Array (Band 3 and 8) and Very Large Telescope/Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer to map CO(J = 1–0), [CI](3P1–3P0), and Hα emission in one of the most extreme merging starburst dwarf galaxies, Haro 11. Results. We find the molecular gas is assembled around the central two star-forming regions (knots B and C). The molecular and ionized gas and stellar components show complex kinematics, indicating that the gas is probably at a combined stage of collision of clouds and feedback from star formation. The peak location and distribution of [CI](1–0) closely coincide with the CO(1–0) emission, meaning that it might trace the same molecular gas as CO in such a dwarf merger starburst galaxy. The enhancement of line ratios (∼0.5) of [CI]/CO around knot C is probably generated by the dissociation of CO molecules by cosmic rays and far-ultraviolet photons. Globally, Haro 11 and its star-forming regions share similar star formation efficiency (SFE) to the high-z starburst galaxies or the clumps in nearby ultraluminous infrared galaxies. Conclusions. Given the high SFE, the high specific star formation rate, small stellar mass, low metallicity, and deficient HI gas, Haro 11 could be an analog of a high-z dwarf starburst and the potential progenitor of the nearby less massive elliptical galaxies. The significantly smaller turbulent pressure and viral parameter is probably triggering the intense starbursts. We predict that Haro 11 will quench at M* ≤ 8.5 × 109 M⊙.

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A fast-rotator post-starburst galaxy quenched by supermassive black-hole feedback at z = 3

D’Eugenio,

Pérez-González,

Maiolino

et al. 2024

Nat Astron

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The most massive galaxies in the Universe stopped forming stars due to the time-integrated feedback from central supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However, the exact quenching mechanism is not yet understood, because local massive galaxies were quenched billions of years ago. Here we present JWST/NIRSpec integral-field spectroscopy observations of GS-10578, a massive, quiescent galaxy at redshift z = 3.064 ± 0.002. From its spectrum, we measure a stellar mass M⋆ = 1.6 ± 0.2 × 1011 M⊙ and a dynamical mass Mdyn = 2.0 ± 0.5 × 1011 M⊙. Half of its stellar mass formed at z = 3.7–4.6, and the system is now quiescent, with a current star-formation rate of less than 19 M⊙ yr−1. We detect ionized- and neutral-gas outflows traced by [O iii] emission and Na i absorption, with mass outflow rates 0.14–2.9 and 30–100 M⊙ yr−1, respectively. Outflow velocities reach vout ≈ 1,000 km s−1, comparable to the galaxy escape velocity. GS-10578 hosts an active galactic nucleus, evidence that these outflows are due to SMBH feedback. The neutral outflow rate is higher than the star-formation rate. Hence, this is direct evidence for ejective SMBH feedback, with a mass loading capable of interrupting star formation by rapidly removing its fuel. Stellar kinematics show ordered rotation, with spin parameter $${\lambda }_{{{{R}}}_{{\rm{e}}}}=0.62\pm 0.07$$ λ R e = 0.62 ± 0.07 , meaning GS-10578 is rotation-supported. This study presents direct evidence for ejective active galactic nucleus feedback in a massive, recently quenched galaxy, thus helping to clarify how SMBHs quench their hosts. The high value of $${\lambda }_{{{{R}}}_{{\rm{e}}}}$$ λ R e implies that quenching can occur without destroying the stellar disk.

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After The Fall: Resolving the Molecular Gas in Post-starburst Galaxies

Cited by 23 publications

References 78 publications

The Compact Structures of Massive z ∼ 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGGL⃗E Sample

The Compact Structures of Massive z ∼ 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGGL⃗E Sample

The molecular gas resolved by ALMA in the low-metallicity merging dwarf galaxy Haro 11

A fast-rotator post-starburst galaxy quenched by supermassive black-hole feedback at z = 3

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