Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Galaxy metallicity scaling relations in the EAGLE simulations

De Rossi, María Emilia; Bower, Richard G.; Font, Andreea S.; Schaye, Joop; Theuns, Tom

Galaxy metallicity scaling relations in the EAGLE simulations Thumbnail


Authors

María Emilia De Rossi

Richard G. Bower

Andreea S. Font

Joop Schaye



Abstract

We quantify the correlations between gas-phase and stellar metallicities and global properties of galaxies, such as stellar mass, halo mass, age and gas fraction, in the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. The slope of the correlation between stellar mass and metallicity of star-forming (SF) gas (M*–ZSF,gas relation) depends somewhat on resolution, with the higher resolution run reproducing a steeper slope. This simulation predicts a non-zero metallicity evolution, increasing by ≈0.5 dex at ∼109 M⊙ since z = 3. The simulated relation between stellar mass, metallicity and star formation rate at z ≲ 5 agrees remarkably well with the observed fundamental metallicity relation. At M* ≲ 1010.3 M⊙ and fixed stellar mass, higher metallicities are associated with lower specific star formation rates, lower gas fractions and older stellar populations. On the other hand, at higher M*, there is a hint of an inversion of the dependence of metallicity on these parameters. The fundamental parameter that best correlates with the metal content, in the simulations, is the gas fraction. The simulated gas fraction–metallicity relation exhibits small scatter and does not evolve significantly since z = 3. In order to better understand the origin of these correlations, we analyse a set of lower resolution simulations in which feedback parameters are varied. We find that the slope of the simulated M*–ZSF,gas relation is mostly determined by stellar feedback at low stellar masses (M* ≲ 1010 M⊙), and at high masses (M* ≳ 1010 M⊙) by the feedback from active galactic nuclei.

Citation

De Rossi, M. E., Bower, R. G., Font, A. S., Schaye, J., & Theuns, T. (2017). Galaxy metallicity scaling relations in the EAGLE simulations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 472(3), 3354-3377. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx2158

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 18, 2017
Online Publication Date Aug 22, 2017
Publication Date Dec 11, 2017
Deposit Date Nov 1, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 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 472
Issue 3
Pages 3354-3377
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx2158

Files

Published Journal Article (3.5 Mb)
PDF

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.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations