arXiv subjects

Jesse van de Sande

Publications and source records attributed to Jesse van de Sande.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Evolution in the orbital structure of quiescent galaxies from MAGPI, LEGA-C and SAMI surveys: direct evidence for merger-driven growth over the last 7 Gy

We present the first study of spatially integrated higher-order stellar kinematics over cosmic time. We use deep rest-frame optical spectroscopy of quiescent galaxies at redshifts z=0.05, 0.3 and 0.8 from the SAMI, MAGPI and LEGA-C surveys to measure the excess kurtosis $h_4$ of the stellar velocity distribution, the latter parametrised as a Gauss-Hermite series. Conservatively using a redshift-independent cut in stellar mass ($M_\star = 10^{11}\,{\rm M}_\odot$), and matching the stellar-mass distributions of our samples, we find 7 $σ$ evidence of $h_4$ increasing with cosmic time, from a median value of 0.019$\pm$0.002 at z=0.8 to 0.059$\pm$0.004 at z=0.06. Alternatively, we use a physically motivated sample selection, based on the mass distribution of the progenitors of local quiescent galaxies as inferred from numerical simulations; in this case, we find 10 $σ$ evidence. This evolution suggests that, over the last 7 Gyr, there has been a gradual decrease in the rotation-to-dispersion ratio and an increase in the radial anisotropy of the stellar velocity distribution, qualitatively consistent with accretion of gas-poor satellites. These findings demonstrate that massive galaxies continue to accrete mass and increase their dispersion support after becoming quiescent.

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arXiv2023

Different higher-order kinematics between star-forming and quiescent galaxies based on the SAMI, MAGPI and LEGA-C surveys

We present the first statistical study of spatially integrated non-Gaussian stellar kinematics spanning 7 Gyr in cosmic time. We use deep, rest-frame optical spectroscopy of massive galaxies (stellar mass $M_\star > 10^{10.5} {\rm M}_\odot$) at redshifts z = 0.05, 0.3 and 0.8 from the SAMI, MAGPI and LEGA-C surveys, to measure the excess kurtosis $h_4$ of the stellar velocity distribution, the latter parametrised as a Gauss-Hermite series. We find that at all redshifts where we have large enough samples, $h_4$ anti-correlates with the ratio between rotation and dispersion, highlighting the physical connection between these two kinematic observables. In addition, and independently from the anti-correlation with rotation-to-dispersion ratio, we also find a correlation between $h_4$ and $M_\star$, potentially connected to the assembly history of galaxies. In contrast, after controlling for mass, we find no evidence of independent correlation between $h_4$ and aperture velocity dispersion or galaxy size. These results hold for both star-forming and quiescent galaxies. For quiescent galaxies, $h_4$ also correlates with projected shape, even after controlling for the rotation-to-dispersion ratio. At any given redshift, star-forming galaxies have lower $h_4$ compared to quiescent galaxies, highlighting the link between kinematic structure and star-forming activity.

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arXiv2023

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Environmental analysis of the orbital structures of passive galaxies

Most dynamical models of galaxies to date assume axisymmetry, which is not representative of a significant fraction of massive galaxies. We have built triaxial orbit-superposition Schwarzschild models of galaxies observed by the SAMI Galaxy Survey, in order to reconstruct their inner orbital structure and mass distribution. The sample consists of 153 passive galaxies with total stellar masses in the range $10^{9.5}$ to $10^{12} M_{\odot}$. We present an analysis of the internal structures and intrinsic properties of these galaxies as a function of their environment. We measure their environment using three proxies: central or satellite designation, halo mass and local $5^{th}$ nearest neighbour galaxy density. We find that although these intrinsic properties correlate most strongly with stellar mass, environment does play a secondary role: at fixed stellar mass, galaxies in the densest regions are more radially anisotropic. In addition, central galaxies, and galaxies in high local densities show lower values of edge-on spin parameter proxy \lam. We also find suggestions of a possible trend of the fractions of orbits with environment for lower-mass galaxies (between $10^{9.5}$ and $10^{11} M_{\odot}$) such that, at fixed stellar mass, galaxies in higher local densities and halo mass have higher fractions of hot orbits and lower fractions of warm orbits. Our results demonstrate that after stellar mass, environment does play a role in shaping present-day passive galaxies.

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arXiv2023

The SAMI Survey: Evidence for dynamical coupling of ionised gas and young stellar populations

We explore local and global dynamical differences between the kinematics of ionised gas and stars in a sample of galaxies from Data Release 3 of the SAMI Galaxy Survey. We find better agreement between local (i.e., comparing on a spaxel-to-spaxel basis) velocities and dispersion of gas and stars in younger systems as with previous work on the asymmetric drift in galaxies, suggesting that the dynamics of stars and ionised gas are initially coupled. The intrinsic scatter around the velocity and dispersion relations increases with increasing stellar age and mass, suggesting that subsequent mechanisms such as internal processes, divergent star formation and assembly histories also play a role in setting and altering the dynamics of galaxies. The global (flux-weighted) dynamical support of older galaxies is hotter than in younger systems. We find that the ionised gas in galaxies is almost always dynamically colder than the stars with a steeper velocity gradient. In absolute terms, the local difference in velocity dispersion is more pronounced than the local difference in velocity, possibly reflecting inherent differences in the impact of turbulence, inflow and/or feedback on gas compared to stars. We suggest how these findings may be taken into account when comparing high and low redshift galaxy samples to infer dynamical evolution.

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arXiv2022

SAMI-HI: the connection between global asymmetry in the ionised and neutral atomic hydrogen gas in galaxies

Observations of the neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) gas in galaxies are predominantly spatially unresolved, in the form of a global HI spectral line. There has been substantial work on quantifying asymmetry in global HI spectra (`global HI asymmetry'), but due to being spatially unresolved, it remains unknown what physical regions of galaxies the asymmetry traces, and whether the other gas phases are affected. Using optical integral field spectrograph (IFS) observations from the Sydney AAO Multi-object IFS (SAMI) survey for which global HI spectra are also available (SAMI-HI), we study the connection between asymmetry in galaxies' ionised and neutral gas reservoirs to test if and how they can help us better understand the origin of global HI asymmetry. We reconstruct the global H$α$ spectral line from the IFS observations and find that, while some global H$α$ asymmetries can arise from disturbed ionised gas kinematics, the majority of asymmetric cases are driven by the distribution of H$α$-emitting gas. When compared to the HI, we find no evidence for a relationship between the global H$α$ and HI asymmetry. Further, a visual inspection reveals that cases where galaxies have qualitatively similar H$α$ and HI spectral profiles can be spurious, with the similarity originating from an irregular 2D H$α$ flux distribution. Our results highlight that comparisons between global H$α$ and HI asymmetry are not straightforward, and that many global HI asymmetries trace disturbances that do not significantly impact the central regions of galaxies.

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arXiv2022

SAMI-HI: The HI view of the H$α$ Tully-Fisher relation and data release

We present SAMI-HI, a survey of the atomic hydrogen content of 296 galaxies with integral field spectroscopy available from the SAMI Galaxy Survey. The sample spans nearly 4 dex in stellar mass ($M_\star = 10^{7.4}-10^{11.1}~ \rm M_\odot$), redshift $z<0.06$, and includes new Arecibo observations of 153 galaxies, for which we release catalogues and HI spectra. We use these data to compare the rotational velocities obtained from optical and radio observations and to show how systematic differences affect the slope and scatter of the stellar-mass and baryonic Tully-Fisher relations. Specifically, we show that H$α$ rotational velocities measured in the inner parts of galaxies (1.3 effective radii in this work) systematically underestimate HI global measurements, with HI/H$α$ velocity ratios that increase at low stellar masses, where rotation curves are typically still rising and H$α$ measurements do not reach their plateau. As a result, the H$α$ stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation is steeper (when $M_\star$ is the independent variable) and has larger scatter than its HI counterpart. Interestingly, we confirm the presence of a small fraction of low-mass outliers of the H$α$ relation that are not present when HI velocity widths are used and are not explained by "aperture effects". These appear to be highly disturbed systems for which H$α$ widths do not provide a reliable estimate of the rotational velocity. Our analysis reaffirms the importance of taking into account differences in velocity definitions as well as tracers used when interpreting offsets from the Tully-Fisher relation, at both low and high redshifts and when comparing with simulations.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Using concentrated star-formation and stellar population ages to understand environmental quenching

We study environmental quenching using the spatial distribution of current star-formation and stellar population ages with the full SAMI Galaxy Survey. By using a star-formation concentration index [C-index, defined as log10(r_{50,Halpha}/r_{50,cont})], we separate our sample into regular galaxies (C-index>-0.2) and galaxies with centrally concentrated star-formation (SF-concentrated; C-index<-0.2). Concentrated star-formation is a potential indicator of galaxies currently undergoing `outside-in' quenching. Our environments cover ungrouped galaxies, low-mass groups (M_200<10^12.5 M_sun), high-mass groups (M_200 in the range 10^{12.5-14} M_sun) and clusters (M_200>10^14 M_sun). We find the fraction of SF-concentrated galaxies increases as halo mass increases with 9\pm2 per cent, 8\pm3 per cent, 19\pm4 per cent and 29\pm4 per cent for ungrouped galaxies, low-mass groups, high-mass groups and clusters, respectively. We interpret these results as evidence for `outside-in' quenching in groups and clusters. To investigate the quenching time-scale in SF-concentrated galaxies, we calculate light-weighted age (Age_L) and mass-weighted age (Age_M) using full spectral fitting, as well as the Dn4000 and Hdelta_A indices. We assume that the average galaxy age radial profile before entering a group or cluster is similar to ungrouped regular galaxies. At large radius (1-2 R_e), SF-concentrated galaxies in high-mass groups have older ages than ungrouped regular galaxies with an age difference of 1.83\pm0.38 Gyr for Age_L and 1.34\pm0.56 Gyr for Age_M. This suggests that while `outside-in' quenching can be effective in groups, the process will not quickly quench the entire galaxy. In contrast, the ages at 1-2 R_e of cluster SF-concentrated galaxies and ungrouped regular galaxies are consistent (0.19\pm0.21 Gyr for Age_L, 0.40\pm0.61 Gyr for Age_M), suggesting the quenching process must be rapid.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: flipping of the spin-filament alignment correlates most strongly with growth of the bulge

We study the alignments of galaxy spin axes with respect to cosmic web filaments as a function of various properties of the galaxies and their constituent bulges and discs. We exploit the SAMI Galaxy Survey to identify 3D spin axes from spatially-resolved stellar kinematics and to decompose the galaxy into the kinematic bulge and disc components. The GAMA survey is used to reconstruct the cosmic filaments. The mass of the bulge, defined as the product of stellar mass and bulge-to-total flux ratio M_bulge=M_star x (B/T), is the primary parameter of correlation with spin-filament alignments: galaxies with lower bulge masses tend to have their spins parallel to the closest filament, while galaxies with higher bulge masses are more perpendicularly aligned. M_star and B/T separately show correlations, but they do not fully unravel spin-filament alignments. Other galaxy properties, such as visual morphology, stellar age, star formation activity, kinematic parameters and local environment, are secondary tracers. Focusing on S0 galaxies, we find preferentially perpendicular alignments, with the signal dominated by high-mass S0 galaxies. Studying bulge and disc spin-filament alignments separately reveals additional information about the formation pathways of the corresponding galaxies: bulges tend to have more perpendicular alignments, while discs show different tendencies according to their kinematic features and the mass of the associated bulge. The observed correlation between the flipping of spin-filament alignments and the growth of the bulge can be explained by mergers, which drive both alignment flips and bulge formation.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI galaxy survey: galaxy size can explain the offset between star-forming and passive galaxies in the mass-metallicity relationship

In this work, we investigate how the central stellar metallicity ([Z/H]) of 1363 galaxies from the SAMI galaxy survey is related to their stellar mass and a proxy for the gravitational potential, $Φ$ = log10(M/M*) - log10($r_e$/kpc). In agreement with previous studies, we find that passive and star-forming galaxies occupy different areas of the [Z/H]-M* plane, with passive galaxies having higher [Z/H] than star-forming galaxies at fixed mass (a difference of 0.23 dex at log10(M/M*)=10.3). We show for the first time that all galaxies lie on the same relation between [Z/H] and $Φ$, and show that the offset in [Z/H] between passive and star-forming galaxies at fixed $Φ$ is smaller than or equal to the offset in [Z/H] at fixed mass (an average $Δ$[Z/H] of 0.11 dex at fixed $Φ$ compared to 0.21 dex at fixed mass). We then build a simple model of galaxy evolution to explain and understand our results. By assuming that [Z/H] traces $Φ$ over cosmic time and that the probability that a galaxy quenches depends on both its mass and size, we are able to reproduce these offsets in stellar metallicity with a model containing instantaneous quenching. We therefore conclude that an offset in metallicity at fixed mass cannot by itself be used as evidence of slow quenching processes, in contrast to previous studies. Instead, our model implies that metal-rich galaxies have always been the smallest objects for their mass in a population. Our findings reiterate the need to consider galaxy size when studying stellar populations.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: The relationship between galaxy rotation and the motion of neighbours

Using data from the SAMI Galaxy Survey, we investigate the correlation between the projected stellar kinematic spin vector of 1397 SAMI galaxies and the line-of-sight motion of their neighbouring galaxies. We calculate the luminosity-weighted mean velocity difference between SAMI galaxies and their neighbours in the direction perpendicular to the SAMI galaxies angular momentum axes. The luminosity-weighted mean velocity offsets between SAMI and neighbours, which indicates the signal of coherence between the rotation of the SAMI galaxies and the motion of neighbours, is 9.0 $\pm$ 5.4 km s$^{-1}$ (1.7 $σ$) for neighbours within 1 Mpc. In a large-scale analysis, we find that the average velocity offsets increase for neighbours out to 2 Mpc. However, the velocities are consistent with zero or negative for neighbours outside 3 Mpc. The negative signals for neighbours at distance around 10 Mpc are also significant at $\sim 2$ $σ$ level, which indicate that the positive signals within 2 Mpc might come from the variance of large-scale structure. We also calculate average velocities of different subsamples, including galaxies in different regions of the sky, galaxies with different stellar masses, galaxy type, $λ_{Re}$ and inclination. Although low-mass, high-mass, early-type and low-spin galaxies subsamples show 2 - 3 $σ$ signal of coherence for the neighbours within 2 Mpc, the results for different inclination subsamples and large-scale results suggest that the $\sim 2 σ$ signals might result from coincidental scatter or variance of large-scale structure. Overall, the modest evidence of coherence signals for neighbouring galaxies within 2 Mpc needs to be confirmed by larger samples of observations and simulation studies.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: The Link Between [$α$/Fe] and Kinematic Morphology

We explore a sample of 1492 galaxies with measurements of the mean stellar population properties and the spin parameter proxy, $λ_{R_{\rm{e}}}$, drawn from the SAMI Galaxy Survey. We fit a global $\left[α/\rm{Fe}\right]$-$σ$ relation, finding that $\left[α/\rm{Fe}\right]=(0.395\pm0.010)\rm{log}_{10}\left(σ\right)-(0.627\pm0.002)$. We observe an anti-correlation between the residuals $Δ\left[α/\rm{Fe}\right]$ and the inclination-corrected $λ_{\,R_{\rm{e}}}^{\rm{\,eo}}$, which can be expressed as $Δ\left[α/\rm{Fe}\right]=(-0.057\pm0.008)λ_{\,R_{\rm{e}}}^{\rm{\,eo}}+(0.020\pm0.003)$. The anti-correlation appears to be driven by star-forming galaxies, with a gradient of $Δ\left[α/\rm{Fe}\right]\sim(-0.121\pm0.015)λ_{\,R_{\rm{e}}}^{\rm{\,eo}}$, although a weak relationship persists for the subsample of galaxies for which star formation has been quenched. We take this to be confirmation that disk-dominated galaxies have an extended duration of star formation. At a reference velocity dispersion of 200 km s$^{-1}$, we estimate an increase in half-mass formation time from $\sim$0.5 Gyr to $\sim$1.2 Gyr from low- to high-$λ_{\,R_{\rm{e}}}^{\rm{\,eo}}$ galaxies. Slow rotators do not appear to fit these trends. Their residual $α$-enhancement is indistinguishable from other galaxies with $λ_{\,R_{\rm{e}}}^{\rm{\,eo}}\lessapprox0.4$, despite being both larger and more massive. This result shows that galaxies with $λ_{\,R_{\rm{e}}}^{\rm{\,eo}}\lessapprox0.4$ experience a similar range of star formation histories, despite their different physical structure and angular momentum.

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arXiv2022

The LEGA-C and SAMI Galaxy Surveys: Quiescent Stellar Populations and the Mass-Size Plane across 6 Gyr

We investigate the change in mean stellar population age and metallicity ([Z/H]) scaling relations for quiescent galaxies from intermediate redshift ($0.60\leq z\leq0.76$) using the LEGA-C Survey, to low redshift ($0.014\leq z\leq0.10$) using the SAMI Galaxy Survey. We find that, similarly to their low-redshift counterparts, the stellar metallicity of quiescent galaxies at $0.60\leq z\leq 0.76$ closely correlates with $M_*/R_\mathrm{e}$ (a proxy for the gravitational potential or escape velocity), in that galaxies with deeper potential wells are more metal-rich. This supports the hypothesis that the relation arises due to the gravitational potential regulating the retention of metals, by determining the escape velocity required by metal-rich stellar and supernova ejecta to escape the system and avoid being recycled into later stellar generations. On the other hand, we find no correlation between stellar age and $M_*/R_\mathrm{e}^2$ (stellar mass surface density $Σ$) in the LEGA-C sample, despite this being a strong relation at low redshift. We consider this change in the age--$Σ$ relation in the context of the redshift evolution of the star-forming and quiescent populations in the mass--size plane, and find our results can be explained as a consequence of galaxies forming more compactly at higher redshifts, and remaining compact throughout their evolution. Furthermore, galaxies appear to quench at a characteristic surface density that decreases with decreasing redshift. The $z\sim 0$ age--$Σ$ relation is therefore a result of building up the quiescent and star-forming populations with galaxies that formed at a range of redshifts and so a range of surface densities.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: The internal orbital structure and mass distribution of passive galaxies from triaxial orbit-superposition Schwarzschild models

Dynamical models are crucial for uncovering the internal dynamics of galaxies, however, most of the results to date assume axisymmetry, which is not representative for a significant fraction of massive galaxies. Here, we build triaxial Schwarschild orbit-superposition models of galaxies taken from the SAMI Galaxy Survey, in order to reconstruct their inner orbital structure and mass distribution. The sample consists of 161 passive galaxies with total stellar masses in the range $10^{9.5}$ to $10^{12} M_{\odot}$. We find that the changes in internal structures within 1$R_{\rm e}$ are correlated with the total stellar mass of the individual galaxies. The majority of the galaxies in the sample ($73\% \pm 3\%$) are oblate, while $19\% \pm 3\%$ are mildly triaxial and $8\% \pm 2\%$ have triaxial/prolate shape. Galaxies with $\log M_{\star}/M_{\odot} > 10.50$ are more likely to be non-oblate. We find a mean dark matter fraction of $f_{\rm{DM}} = 0.28 \pm 0.20$, within 1$R_{\rm e}$. Galaxies with higher intrinsic ellipticity (flatter) are found to have more negative velocity anisotropy $β_r$ (tangential anisotropy). $β_r$ also shows an anti-correlation with the edge-on spin parameter \lam, so that $β_r$ decreases with increasing \lam. We see evidence of an increasing fraction of hot orbits with increasing stellar mass, while warm and cold orbits show a decreasing trend. We also find that galaxies with different ($V/σ$ - $h_3$) kinematic signatures have distinct combinations of orbits. These results are in agreement with a formation scenario in which slow- and fast-rotating galaxies form through two main channels.

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arXiv2022

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: the difference between ionised gas and stellar velocity dispersions

We investigate the mean locally-measured velocity dispersions of ionised gas ($σ_{\rm gas}$) and stars ($σ_*$) for 1090 galaxies with stellar masses $\log\,(M_*/M_{\odot}) \geq 9.5$ from the SAMI Galaxy Survey. For star-forming galaxies, $σ_*$ tends to be larger than $σ_{\rm gas}$, suggesting that stars are in general dynamically hotter than the ionised gas (asymmetric drift). The difference between $σ_{\rm gas}$ and $σ_*$ ($Δσ$) correlates with various galaxy properties. We establish that the strongest correlation of $Δσ$ is with beam smearing, which inflates $σ_{\rm gas}$ more than $σ_*$, introducing a dependence of $Δσ$ on both the effective radius relative to the point spread function and velocity gradients. The second-strongest correlation is with the contribution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) (or evolved stars) to the ionised gas emission, implying the gas velocity dispersion is strongly affected by the power source. In contrast, using the velocity dispersion measured from integrated spectra ($σ_{\rm aper}$) results in less correlation between the aperture-based $Δσ$ ($Δσ_{\rm aper}$) and the power source. This suggests that the AGN (or old stars) dynamically heat the gas without causing significant deviations from dynamical equilibrium. Although the variation of $Δσ_{\rm aper}$ is much smaller than that of $Δσ$, a correlation between $Δσ_{\rm aper}$ and gas velocity gradient is still detected, implying there is a small bias in dynamical masses derived from stellar and ionised gas velocity dispersions.

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arXiv2021

The diverse nature and formation paths of slow rotator galaxies in the EAGLE simulations

We use a sample of $z=0$ galaxies visually classified as slow rotators (SRs) in the EAGLE hydrodynamical simulations to explore the effect of galaxy mergers on their formation, characterise their intrinsic galaxy properties, and study the connection between quenching and kinematic transformation. SRs that have had major or minor mergers (mass ratios $\ge 0.3$ and $0.1-0.3$, respectively) tend to have a higher triaxiality parameter and ex-situ stellar fractions than those that had exclusively very minor mergers or formed in the absence of mergers ("no-merger" SRs). No-merger SRs are more compact, have lower black hole-to-stellar mass ratios and quenched later than other SRs, leaving imprints on their $z=0$ chemical composition. For the vast majority of SRs we find that quenching, driven by active galactic nuclei feedback, precedes kinematic transformation, except for satellite SRs, in which these processes happen in tandem. However, in $\approx 50$\% of these satellites, satellite-satellite mergers are responsible for their SR fate, while environment (i.e. tidal field and interactions with the central) can account for the transformation in the rest. By splitting SRs into kinematic sub-classes, we find that flat SRs prefer major mergers; round SRs prefer minor or very minor mergers; prolate SRs prefer gas-poor mergers. Flat and prolate SRs are more common among satellites hosted by massive halos ($>10^{13.6}\,\rm M_{\odot}$) and centrals of high masses ($M_{\star} > 10^{10.5}\, \rm M_{\odot}$). Although EAGLE galaxies display kinematic properties that broadly agree with observations, there are areas of disagreement, such as inverted stellar age and velocity dispersion profiles. We discuss these and how upcoming simulations can solve them.

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arXiv2021

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Mass and Environment as Independent Drivers of Galaxy Dynamics

The kinematic morphology-density relation of galaxies is normally attributed to a changing distribution of galaxy stellar masses with the local environment. However, earlier studies were largely focused on slow rotators; the dynamical properties of the overall population in relation to environment have received less attention. We use the SAMI Galaxy Survey to investigate the dynamical properties of $\sim$1800 early and late-type galaxies with $\log(M_*/M_{\odot})>9.5$ as a function of mean environmental overdensity ($Σ_{5}$) and their rank within a group or cluster. By classifying galaxies into fast and slow rotators, at fixed stellar mass above $\log(M_*/M_{\odot})>10.5$, we detect a higher fraction ($\sim3.4σ$) of slow rotators for group and cluster centrals and satellites as compared to isolated-central galaxies. Focusing on the fast-rotator population, we also detect a significant correlation between galaxy kinematics and their stellar mass as well as the environment they are in. Specifically, by using inclination-corrected or intrinsic $λ_{R_e}$ values, we find that, at fixed mass, satellite galaxies on average have the lowest $λ_{\,R_e,intr}$, isolated-central galaxies have the highest $λ_{\,R_e,intr}$, and group and cluster centrals lie in between. Similarly, galaxies in high-density environments have lower mean $λ_{\,R_e,intr}$ values as compared to galaxies at low environmental density. However, at fixed $Σ_{5}$, the mean $λ_{\,R_e,intr}$ differences for low and high-mass galaxies are of similar magnitude as when varying $Σ_{5}$ {($Δλ_{\,R_e,intr} \sim 0.05$. Our results demonstrate that after stellar mass, environment plays a significant role in the creation of slow rotators, while for fast rotators we also detect an independent, albeit smaller, impact of mass and environment on their kinematic properties.

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arXiv2021

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Trends in [α/Fe] as a Function of Morphology and Environment

We present a new set of index-based measurements of [$α$/Fe] for a sample of 2093 galaxies in the SAMI Galaxy Survey. Following earlier work, we fit a global relation between [$α$/Fe] and the galaxy velocity dispersion $σ$ for red sequence galaxies, [$α$/Fe]=(0.378$\pm$0.009)log($σ$/100)+(0.155$\pm$0.003). We observe a correlation between the residuals and the local environmental surface density, whereas no such relation exists for blue cloud galaxies. In the full sample, we find that elliptical galaxies in high-density environments are $α$-enhanced by up to 0.057$\pm$0.014 dex at velocity dispersions $σ$<100 km/s, compared with those in low-density environments. This $α$-enhancement is morphology-dependent, with the offset decreasing along the Hubble sequence towards spirals, which have an offset of 0.019$\pm$0.014 dex. At low velocity dispersion and controlling for morphology, we estimate that star formation in high-density environments is truncated $\sim1$ Gyr earlier than in low-density environments. For elliptical galaxies only, we find support for a parabolic relationship between [$α$/Fe] and $σ$, with an environmental $α$-enhancement of at least 0.03 dex. This suggests strong contributions from both environment and mass-based quenching mechanisms. However, there is no evidence for this behaviour in later morphological types.

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arXiv2021

Stellar Dynamical Models for 797 $z\sim 0.8$ Galaxies from LEGA-C

We present spatially resolved stellar kinematics for 797 $z=0.6-1$ galaxies selected from the LEGA-C survey and construct axisymmetric Jeans models to quantify their dynamical mass and degree of rotational support. The survey is $K_s$-band selected, irrespective of color or morphological type, and allows for a first assessment of the stellar dynamical structure of the general $L^*$ galaxy population at large lookback time. Using light profiles from Hubble Space Telescope imaging as a tracer, our approach corrects for observational effects (seeing convolution and slit geometry), and uses well-informed priors on inclination, anisotropy and a non-luminous mass component. Tabulated data include total mass estimates in a series of spherical apertures (1, 5, and 10 kpc; 1$\times$ and 2$\times$\re), as well as rotational velocities, velocity dispersions and anisotropy. We show that almost all star-forming galaxies and $\sim$50\% of quiescent galaxies are rotation-dominated, with deprojected $V/σ\sim1-2$. Revealing the complexity in galaxy evolution, we find that the most massive star-forming galaxies are among the most rotation-dominated, and the most massive quiescent galaxies among the least rotation-dominated galaxies. These measurements set a new benchmark for studying galaxy evolution, using stellar dynamical structure for galaxies at large lookback time. Together with the additional information on stellar population properties from the LEGA-C spectra, the dynamical mass and $V/σ$ measurements presented here create new avenues for studying galaxy evolution at large lookback time.

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