The Compact Structures of Massive z similar to 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGG(L)over-right-arrowE Sample
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The Compact Structures of Massive z similar to 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGG(L)over-right-arrowE Sample. / Setton, David J.; Verrico, Margaret; Bezanson, Rachel; Greene, Jenny E.; Suess, Katherine A.; Goulding, Andy D.; Spilker, Justin S.; Kriek, Mariska; Feldmann, Robert; Narayanan, Desika; Hall-Hooper, Khalil; Kado-Fong, Erin.
In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 931, No. 1, 51, 01.05.2022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The Compact Structures of Massive z similar to 0.7 Post-starburst Galaxies in the SQuIGG(L)over-right-arrowE Sample
AU - Setton, David J.
AU - Verrico, Margaret
AU - Bezanson, Rachel
AU - Greene, Jenny E.
AU - Suess, Katherine A.
AU - Goulding, Andy D.
AU - Spilker, Justin S.
AU - Kriek, Mariska
AU - Feldmann, Robert
AU - Narayanan, Desika
AU - Hall-Hooper, Khalil
AU - Kado-Fong, Erin
PY - 2022/5/1
Y1 - 2022/5/1
N2 - We present structural measurements of 145 spectroscopically selected intermediate-redshift (z similar to 0.7), massive (M-star similar to 10(11) M (circle dot)) post-starburst galaxies from the SQuIGG (L) over right arrowE 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 similar to 0.1 dex below the quiescent mass-size (half-light radius) relation, with a scatter of similar to 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 similar to 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.
AB - We present structural measurements of 145 spectroscopically selected intermediate-redshift (z similar to 0.7), massive (M-star similar to 10(11) M (circle dot)) post-starburst galaxies from the SQuIGG (L) over right arrowE 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 similar to 0.1 dex below the quiescent mass-size (half-light radius) relation, with a scatter of similar to 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 similar to 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.
KW - STELLAR POPULATION SYNTHESIS
KW - UBIQUITOUS MOLECULAR OUTFLOWS
KW - ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI
KW - STAR-FORMATION
KW - QUIESCENT GALAXY
KW - BLACK-HOLES
KW - POSTSTARBURST GALAXIES
KW - SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY
KW - PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES
KW - E+A GALAXIES
U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/ac6096
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/ac6096
M3 - Journal article
VL - 931
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
SN - 0004-637X
IS - 1
M1 - 51
ER -
ID: 315765702