arXiv subjects

Aleksandra Leśniewska

Publications and source records attributed to Aleksandra Leśniewska.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Dust removal timescale in galaxies across cosmic time

Understanding the evolution of dust in galaxies is crucial because it affects the dynamics and cooling of gas, star formation, and chemical evolution. Recent work on dust removal in galaxies indicates timescales of gigayears, with old stellar populations and AGNs as the primary drivers of this process. However, most statistically significant studies are focused on low redshifts $z < 0.4$. Here, we determine the dust removal timescale in galaxies over a wide range of redshifts, up to $z \sim 5$. We use publicly available catalogue data of infrared-selected galaxies, observed by \textit{Herschel}. Using the inferred dust masses, stellar masses, and stellar ages, we calculate the dust removal timescale in a sample of more than 120,000 galaxies. We find that, with increasing redshift, the dust removal timescale decreases from 1.8 Gyr at redshift $z \sim 0.05$ to less than 500\,Myr at $z > 3$. Galaxies at higher redshifts undergo more efficient dust removal than galaxies at lower redshift, likely driven by AGN activity, supernova shocks, and astration. These findings indicate that dust removal evolves over cosmic time, reflecting the changing mechanisms regulating dust content of galaxies as the Universe evolves.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Evolution of the star formation rate surface density main sequence. Insights from a semi-analytic simulation since $z = 12$

Recent high-redshift ($z>4$) spatially resolved observations with the James Webb Space Telesescope have shown the evolution of the star formation rate (SFR) surface density ($Σ_{\rm SFR}$) and its main sequence in the $Σ_{\rm SFR}$-$M_*$ diagram ($Σ_{\rm SFR}{\rm MS}$). The $Σ_{\rm SFR}{\rm MS}$\ is already observed at cosmic morning ($z\sim7.5$). The use of $Σ_{\rm SFR}$\ is physically motivated because it is normalized by the area in which the star formation occurs, and this indirectly considers the gas density. The $Σ_{\rm SFR}$-$M_*$ diagram has been shown to complement the widely used (specific) SFR-$M_*$, particularly when selecting passive galaxies. We establish the $Σ_{\rm SFR}$\ evolution since $z=12$ in the framework of the L-Galaxies2020 semi-analytical model (SAM), and we interpret recent observations. We estimated $Σ_{\rm SFR}$(-$M_*$) and the cosmic star formation rate density (CSFRD) for the simulated galaxy population and for the subsamples, which were divided into stellar mass bins in the given redshift. The simulated $Σ_{\rm SFR}$\ decreases by $\sim3.5$ dex from $z=12$ to $z=0$. We show that galaxies with different stellar masses have different paths of $Σ_{\rm SFR}$\ evolution. We find that $Σ_{\rm SFR}{\rm MS}$\ is already observed at $z\sim11$. The simulated $Σ_{\rm SFR}{\rm MS}$\ agrees with the observed one at $z=0, 1, 2, 5$, and $7.5$ and with individual galaxies at $z>10$. We show that the highest $Σ_{\rm SFR}{\rm MS}$\ slope of $0.709\pm0.005$ is at $z\sim3$ and decreases to $\sim0.085\pm0.003$ at $z=0$. This is mostly driven by a rapid decrease in SFR with an additional size increase for the most massive galaxies in this redshift range. This coincides with the dominance of the most massive galaxies in the CSFRD from the SAM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Binary progenitor systems for Type Ic supernovae

Core-collapse supernovae are explosions of massive stars at the end of their evolution. They are responsible for metal production and for halting star formation, having a significant impact on galaxy evolution. The details of these processes depend on the nature of supernova progenitors, but it is unclear if Type Ic supernovae (without hydrogen or helium lines in their spectra) originate from core-collapses of very massive stars (> 30 Msun) or from less massive stars in binary systems. Here we show that Type II (with hydrogen lines) and Ic supernovae are located in environments with similar molecular gas densities, therefore their progenitors have comparable lifetimes and initial masses. This supports a binary interaction for most Type Ic supernova progenitors, which explains the lack of hydrogen and helium lines. This finding can be implemented in sub-grid prescriptions in numerical cosmological simulations to improve the feedback and chemical mixing.

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arXiv2024

The fate of the interstellar medium in early-type galaxies. IV. The impact of stellar feedback, mergers, and black holes on the cold ISM in simulated galaxies

Removing cold interstellar medium (ISM) from a galaxy is central to quenching star formation. However, the exact mechanism of this process remains unclear. The objective of this work is to find the mechanism responsible for dust and gas removal in simulated early-type galaxies (ETGs). A statistically significant sample of massive (M_*>$10^{10}$M$_\odot$), simulated ETG in a redshift range of 0.02--0.32 is studied in the context of its ISM properties. In particular, we investigate the cold dust and gas removal timescales, the cold gas inflows, and their relation with black hole (BH) mass. We also investigate the evolution of galaxies in the dust vs. star formation rate (SFR) plane and the influence of merger events. We find agreement with previous observational works considering the timescales of dust and HI removal from ETGs. When considering the dust-to-stellar mass ratio as a function of time in simulations, we recovered a similar decline as in the observational sample as a function of stellar age, validating its use for timing the ISM decline. Moreover, we recover the observed relation between dust mass and SFR for actively star-forming galaxies as well as for passive ETGs. We also show that starburst galaxies form their own sequence on the dust vs. SFR plot in a form $\log(M_{\rm dust, SB})= 0.913\times \log({\rm SFR}) + 6.533$ with $2σ$ scatter of 0.32. Finally, we find that type II supernova reverse shocks dominate the dust destruction at the early stages of ETG evolution, while at later times stellar feedback becomes more important. We show that merger events lead to morphological transformations by increasing the bulge-to-total stellar mass ratio followed by an increase in BH masses. The BH feedback resulting from radio mode accretion prevents the hot halo gas from cooling, indirectly leading to a decrease in the SFR.

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arXiv2023

The Fate of the Interstellar Medium in Early-type Galaxies. II. Observational Evidence for Morphological Quenching

The mechanism by which galaxies stop forming stars and get rid of their interstellar medium (ISM) remains elusive. Here, we study a sample of more than two thousand elliptical galaxies in which dust emission has been detected. This is the largest sample of such galaxies ever analysed. We infer the timescale for removal of dust in these galaxies and investigate its dependency on physical and environmental properties. We obtain a dust removal timescale in elliptical galaxies of $τ$ = 2.26 $\pm$ 0.18 Gyr, corresponding to a half-life time of 1.57 $\pm$ 0.12 Gyr. This timescale does not depend on environment, stellar mass or redshift. We observe a departure of dusty elliptical galaxies from the star formation rate vs. dust mass relation. This is caused by the star-formation rates declining faster than the dust masses and indicates that there exists an internal mechanism, which affects star formation, but leaves the ISM intact. Morphological quenching together with ionisation or outflows caused by older stellar populations (supernova type Ia or planetary nebulae) are consistent with these observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Main Sequence to Starburst Transitioning Galaxies: Gamma-ray Burst Hosts at $z\sim2$

Star-forming galaxies populate a main sequence (MS), a well-defined relation between stellar mass (M*) and star-formation rate (SFR). Starburst (SB) galaxies lie significantly above the relation whereas quenched galaxies lie below the sequence. In order to study the evolution of galaxies on the SFR-M* plane and its connection to the gas content, we use the fact that recent episodes of star formation can be pinpointed by the existence of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Here we present sensitive [CI]-nondetections of z$\sim$2 ultra luminous infrared (ULIRG) GRB host galaxies. We find that our GRB hosts have similar molecular masses to those of other ULIRGs. However, unlike other ULIRGs, the GRB hosts are located at the MS or only a factor of a few above it. Hence, our GRB hosts are caught in the transition toward the SB phase. This is further supported by the estimated depletion times, which are similar to those of other transitioning galaxies. The GRB hosts are [CI]-dark galaxies, defined as having a [CI]/CO temperature brightness ratio of <0.1. Such a low [CI]/CO ratio has been found in high-density environments (nH > 10$^4$ cm$^{-3}$) where CO is shielded from photodissociation, leading to under-abundances of [CI]. This is consistent with the merger process that is indeed suggested for our GRB hosts by their morphologies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

The interstellar medium in the environment of the supernova-less long-duration GRB 111005A

Long ($>2$ s) gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are associated with explosions of massive stars, although in three instances, supernovae (SNe) have not been detected, despite deep observations. With new HI line and archival optical integral field spectroscopy data, we characterize the interstellar medium (ISM) of the host galaxy of one of these events, GRB 111005A, in order to shed light on the unclear nature of these peculiar objects. We found that the atomic gas, radio continuum, and rotational patterns are in general very smooth throughout the galaxy, which does not indicate a recent gas inflow or outflow. There is also no gas concentration around the GRB position. The ISM in this galaxy differs from that in hosts of other GRBs and SNe, which may suggest that the progenitor of GRB 111005A was not an explosion of a very massive star (e.g. a compact object merger). However, there are subtle irregularities of the GRB 111005A host (most at a $2σ$ level), which may point to a weak gas inflow or interaction. Since in the SE part of the host there is 15% more atomic gas and twice less molecular gas than in NW part, the molecular gas fraction is low. In the SE part there is also a region with very high H$α$ equivalent width. There is more continuum 1.4 GHz emission to the SE and an S-shaped warp in the UV. Finally, there is also a low-metallicity region 3.5" (1 kpc) from the GRB position. Two galaxies within 300 kpc or a past merger can be responsible for these irregularities.

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arXiv2018

SY Mus - search for physical parameters

This is a preliminary analysis of the orbital parameters of the well known eclipsing symbiotic binary, SY Muscae. It is a system composed of a white dwarf (WD) and a red giant (RG), located in the southern sky. With the use of photometric data in the infrared (IR) bands and radial velocities (RV) for the RG, we determine physical parameters of the object, such as masses and radii. We use PHOEBE tools to model all the observations.

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arXiv2016

Stellar evolution in the outer Galaxy

We investigate the distribution of different classes of spectroscopically identified sources and theoretical models in the color-color diagrams (CCDs) combining the near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) data to develop a method to classify Outer Galaxy sources detected with the Spitzer Space Telescope (hereafter Spitzer) SMOG survey in the IRAC 3.6 and 8.0 micrometer and MIPS 24 micrometer bands. We supplement the Spitzer data with the data from other satellite and ground-based surveys. The main goal of our study is to discover and characterize the population of intermediate- and low-mass young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Outer Galaxy and use it to study star formation in a significantly different environment than the Galaxy inside the solar circle. Since the YSOs can be confused with evolved stars in the MIR, these classes of objects need to be carefully separated. Here we present the initial results of our analysis using the Ks-[8.0] vs. Ks-[24] CCD as an example. The evolved stars separated from YSOs in the YSO selection process will be investigated in detail in the follow-up study.

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