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The metal enrichment of passive galaxies in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation

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

The metal enrichment of passive galaxies in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation Thumbnail


Authors

T. Okamoto

M. Nagashima



Abstract

Massive early-type galaxies have higher metallicities and higher ratios of α elements to iron than their less massive counterparts. Reproducing these correlations has long been a problem for hierarchical galaxy formation theory, both in semi-analytic models and cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. We show that a simulation in which gas cooling in massive dark haloes is quenched by radio-mode active galactic nuclei (AGNs) feedback naturally reproduces the observed trend between α/Fe and the velocity dispersion of galaxies, σ. The quenching occurs earlier for more massive galaxies. Consequently, these galaxies complete their star formation before α/Fe is diluted by the contribution from Type Ia supernovae. For galaxies more massive than ∼1011 M⊙, whose α/Fe correlates positively with stellar mass, we find an inversely correlated mass–metallicity relation. This is a common problem in simulations in which star formation in massive galaxies is quenched either by quasar- or radio-mode AGN feedback. The early suppression of gas cooling in progenitors of massive galaxies prevents them from recapturing enriched gas ejected as winds. Simultaneously reproducing the [α/Fe]–σ relation and the mass–metallicity relation is, thus, difficult in the current framework of galaxy formation.

Citation

Okamoto, T., Nagashima, M., Lacey, C., & Frenk, C. (2017). The metal enrichment of passive galaxies in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 464(4), 4866-4874. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw2729

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 20, 2016
Online Publication Date Oct 23, 2016
Publication Date Feb 1, 2017
Deposit Date Feb 27, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 464
Issue 4
Pages 4866-4874
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw2729

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2017 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.





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