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The metal enrichment of elliptical galaxies in hierarchical galaxy formation models

Nagashima, M.; Lacey, C.G.; Okamoto, T.; Baugh, C.M.; Frenk, C.S.; Cole, S.

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Authors

M. Nagashima

T. Okamoto

C.S. Frenk



Abstract

We investigate the metal enrichment of elliptical galaxies in the framework of hierarchical models of galaxy formation. The semi-analytical model we use, which has been used to study the metal enrichment of the intracluster medium (ICM) by Nagashima et al., includes the effects of flows of gas and metals both into and out of galaxies and the processes of metal enrichment due to both type Ia and type II supernovae. We adopt a solar neighbourhood initial mass function (IMF) for star formation in discs, but consider models in which starbursts have either a solar neighbourhood IMF or a top-heavy IMF. We find that the α-element abundance in ellipticals is consistent with observed values only if the top-heavy IMF is used. This result is consistent with our previous study on the metal enrichment of the ICM. We also discuss the abundance ratio of α elements to iron as a function of velocity dispersion and metallicity. We find that models with a top-heavy IMF match the α/Fe ratios observed in typical L* ellipticals, but none of the models reproduces the observed increase of α/Fe with velocity dispersion.

Citation

Nagashima, M., Lacey, C., Okamoto, T., Baugh, C., Frenk, C., & Cole, S. (2005). The metal enrichment of elliptical galaxies in hierarchical galaxy formation models. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 363(1), L31-L35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2005.00078.x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Oct 1, 2005
Deposit Date Feb 20, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Publisher Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 363
Issue 1
Pages L31-L35
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2005.00078.x
Keywords Stars: luminosity function, mass function, Galaxies: clusters: general, Galaxies: formation, Large-scale structure of Universe.

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters ©: 2005 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.





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