Published in

Oxford University Press (OUP), Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1(490), p. 455-466, 2019

DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz2549

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Heterogeneity of inverted calcium ii H:K ratio cluster galaxies

Journal article published in 2019 by K. A. Pimbblet, J. P. Crossett, A. Fraser-Mckelvie ORCID
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

ABSTRACT The ratio of calcium ii H plus Hϵ to calcium ii K inverts as a galaxy stellar population moves from being dominated by older stars to possessing more A and B class stars. This ratio – the H:K ratio – can serve as an indicator of stellar populations younger than 200 Myr. In this work, we provide a new method to determine H:K, and apply it to spectra taken of cluster galaxies in Abell 3888. Although H:K is on average systematically lower for the cluster than for a wider field sample, we show that H:K does not have a simple relationship with other indices such as the equivalent widths of Hδ and [O ii] beyond having a high value for strong [O ii] emission. Moreover, strongly inverted galaxies with H:K > 1.1 have no preferred location within the cluster and are only slightly lower in their velocity dispersions around the cluster compared to strongly emitting [O ii] galaxies. Our results indicate that selecting galaxies on H:K inversion results in a heterogeneous sample formed via a mixture of pathways that likely includes, but may not be limited to, merging spiral galaxies, and quiescent galaxies accreting lower mass, gas-rich companions. In concert with other selection criteria, H:K can provide a means to select a more ‘pure’ passive sample or to aid in the selection of highly star-forming galaxies, especially where other spectral line indicators such as H α may not have been observed.

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