Early star formation and the evolution of the stellar initial mass function in galaxies

It has frequently been suggested in the literature that the stellar IMF in galaxies was top-heavy at early times. This would be plausible physically if the IMF depended on a mass-scale such as the Jeans mass that was higher at earlier times because of the generally higher temperatures that were present then. In this paper it is suggested, on the basis of current evidence and theory, that the IMF has a universal Salpeter-like form at the upper end, but flattens below a characteristic stellar mass that may vary with time. Much of the evidence that has been attributed to a top-heavy early IMF, including the ubiquitous G-dwarf problem, the high abundance of heavy elements in clusters of galaxies, and the high rate of formation of massive stars in high-redshift galaxies, can be accounted for with such an IMF if the characteristic stellar mass was several times higher during the early stages of galaxy evolution. However, significant variations in the mass-to-light ratios of galaxies and large amounts of dark matter in stellar remnants are not as easily explained in this way, because they require more extreme and less plausible assumptions about the form and variability of the IMF. Metal-free 'population III' stars are predicted to have an IMF that consists exclusively of massive stars, and they could help to account for some of the evidence that has been attributed to a top-heavy early IMF, as well as contributing importantly to the energetics and chemical enrichment of the early Universe.     

Morphology of star formation regions in irregular galaxies

The location of H  II regions, which indicates the locus of present star formation in galaxies, is analysed for a large collection of 110 irregular galaxies (Irr) imaged in Hα and nearby continuum. The analysis is primarily by visual inspection, although a two-dimensional quantitative measure is also employed. The two different analyses yield essentially identical results. H  II regions appear preferentially at the edges of the light distribution, predominantly on one side of the galaxy, contrary to what is expected from stochastic self-propagating star formation scenarios. This peculiar distribution of star-forming regions cannot be explained by a scenario of star formation triggered by an interaction with extragalactic gas, or by a strong one-armed spiral pattern.     

Secondary episodes of star formation in elliptical galaxies

We put upper limits on the secondary burst of star formation in elliptical galaxies of the González sample, based on the colour dispersion around the U  −  V versus central velocity dispersion relation, and the equivalent width of Hβ absorption. Note that most of these galaxies locate in small groups. There is a significant number of Hβ strong galaxies that have EW(Hβ) > 2 Å, but they do not always have bluer colours in U  −  V . To be consistent with the small colour dispersion of U  −  V , the mass fraction of the secondary burst to the total mass should be less than 10 per cent at the maximum within the most recent 2 Gyr. This result suggests that even if recent galaxy merging has produced some ellipticals, it should not have been accompanied by an intensive starburst, and hence it could not involve large gas-rich systems. The capture of a dwarf galaxy is more likely to explain the dynamical disturbances observed in some elliptical galaxies. The above analysis, based on the U  −  V , is not compatible with the one based on the line indices, which requires that more than 10 per cent of mass is present in a 2-Gyr-old starburst to cover the full range of the observed Hβ (de Jong &38; Davies). The discrepancy might be partly explained by the internal extinction localized at the region where young stars form. However, considering that the Hβ index might have great uncertainties both in models and in observational data, we basically rely on U − V analysis.     

A new method to derive star formation histories of galaxies from their star cluster distributions

Star formation happens in a clustered way which is why the star cluster population of a particular galaxy is closely related to the star formation history of this galaxy. From the probabilistic nature of a mass function follows that the mass of the most massive cluster of a complete population, M _max, has a distribution with the total mass of the population as a parameter. The total mass of the population is connected to the star formation rate (SFR) by the length of a formation epoch.
Since due to evolutionary effects only massive star clusters are observable up to high ages, it is convenient to use this M _max(SFR) relation for the reconstruction of a star formation history. The age distribution of the most massive clusters can therefore be used to constrain the star formation history of a galaxy. The method, including an assessment of the inherent uncertainties, is introduced with this contribution, while following papers will apply this method to a number of galaxies.     

The star formation histories of two northern LMC fields

Ground-based UBV photometry of two fields in the northern disc of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is presented. A distance modulus of ( m − M )₀=18.41±0.04 and an extinction of A _V =0.30±0.05 have been calculated for these fields. The measurable star formation history of the LMC began no more than 12 Gyr ago with a strong star‐forming episode with [Fe/H]=−1.63±0.10 that accounted for approximately half (by mass) of the total star formation of the LMC in the first 3 Gyr. The data do not give accurate star formation rates during intermediate ages, but there appears to have been a recent increase in the star formation rate in these fields, beginning approximately 2.5 Gyr ago, with the current metallicity in the region being [Fe/H]=−0.38±0.10. The two fields have had very similar star formation rates until 200 Myr ago, at which point one shows a large increase.     

The star formation histories of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present the results of a moped analysis of  ∼3 × 10⁵  galaxy spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 3 (SDSS DR3), with a number of improvements in data, modelling and analysis compared with our previous analysis of DR1. The improvements include: modelling the galaxies with theoretical models at a higher spectral resolution of 3 Å, better calibrated data, an extended list of excluded emission lines and a wider range of dust models. We present new estimates of the cosmic star formation rate (SFR), the evolution of stellar mass density and the stellar mass function from the fossil record. In contrast to our earlier work the results show no conclusive peak in the SFR out to a redshift around 2 but continue to show conclusive evidence for 'downsizing' in the SDSS fossil record. The star formation history is now in good agreement with more traditional instantaneous measures. The galaxy stellar mass function is determined over five decades of mass, and an updated estimate of the current stellar mass density is presented. We also investigate the systematic effects of changes in the stellar population modelling, the spectral resolution, dust modelling, sky lines, spectral resolution and the change of data set. We find that the main changes in the results are due to the improvements in the calibration of the SDSS data, changes in the initial mass function and the theoretical models used.     

Constraining the star formation histories of spiral bulges

Stellar populations in spiral bulges are investigated using the Lick system of spectral indices. Long-slit spectroscopic observations of line strengths and kinematics made along the minor axes of four spiral bulges are reported. Comparisons are made between central line strengths in spiral bulges and those in other morphological types [elliptical, spheroidal (Sph) and S0]. The bulges investigated are found to have central line strengths comparable to those of single stellar populations of approximately solar abundance or above. Negative radial gradients are observed in line strengths, similar to those exhibited by elliptical galaxies. The bulge data are also consistent with correlations between Mg₂, Mg₂ gradient and central velocity dispersion observed in elliptical galaxies. In contrast to elliptical galaxies, central line strengths lie within the loci defining the range of 〈Fe〉 and Mg₂ achieved by Worthey's solar abundance ratio, single stellar populations (SSPs). The implication of solar abundance ratios indicates significant differences in the star formation histories of spiral bulges and elliptical galaxies. A 'single zone with infall' model of galactic chemical evolution, using Worthey's SSPs, is used to constrain the possible star formation histories of our sample. We show that the 〈Fe〉, Mg₂ and H β line strengths observed in these bulges cannot be reproduced using primordial collapse models of formation but can be reproduced by models with extended infall of gas and star formation (2–17 Gyr) in the region modelled. One galaxy (NGC 5689) shows a central population with a luminosity-weighted average age of ∼5 Gyr, supporting the idea of extended star formation. Kinematic substructure, possibly associated with a central spike in metallicity, is observed at the centre of the Sa galaxy NGC 3623.     

Feedback and late star formation in elliptical galaxies

We present a one-zone model of star formation in elliptical galaxies that includes thermal feedback from supernovae and a temperature dependent star formation efficiency. The modulation of feedback with the total mass results in the triggering of late episodes of star formation in low-mass galaxies. These small `bursts' can occur as late as at redshifts z ∼ 0.5 but they do not change significantly the optical and NIR color-magnitude relation (CMR) of cluster galaxies, both locally and out to moderate redshifts, in agreement with the observations. However, they introduce a large scatter at the faint end of the NUV-Optical CMR, as recently found in cluster Abell 851 (z = 0.41). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.