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arXiv · 1811.10579

The Mass-to-light Ratios and the Star Formation Histories of Disk Galaxies

J. Schombert·S. McGaugh·F. Lelli
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Abstract

We combine new data from the main sequence (M_* versus SFR) of star-forming galaxies and galaxy colors (from GALEX to Spitzer) with a flexible stellar population scheme to deduce the mass-to-light ratio (\Upsilon_*) of star-forming galaxies from the SPARC and S^4G samples. We find that the main sequence for galaxies, particular the low-mass end, combined with the locus of galaxy colors, constrains the possible star formation histories of disk and dwarf galaxies to a similar shape found by Speagle et al. (2014). Combining the deduced star formation history with stellar population models in the literature produces reliable \Upsilon_* values as a function of galaxy color with an uncertainty of only 0.05 dex. We provide prescriptions to deduce \Upsilon_* for optical and near-IR bandpasses, with near-IR bandpasses having the least uncertainty (\Upsilon_* from 0.40 to 0.55). We also provide the community with a webtool, with flexible stellar population parameters, to generate their own \Upsilon_* values over the wavelength range for most galaxy surveys.

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J. Schombert, S. McGaugh, F. Lelli. 2018-11-26. The Mass-to-light Ratios and the Star Formation Histories of Disk Galaxies. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fsty3223

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