Abstract
We derive a variety of physical parameters including star formation rates (SFRs), dust attenuation, and burst mass fractions for 6472 galaxies observed by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and present in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 (SDSS DR1) main spectroscopic sample. Parameters are estimated in a statistical way by comparing each observed broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) (two GALEX and five SDSS bands) with an extensive library of model galaxy SEDs, which cover a wide range of star formation histories and include stochastic starbursts. We compare the constraints derived using SDSS bands only with those derived using the combination of SDSS and GALEX photometry. We find that the addition of the GALEX bands leads to significant improvement in the estimation of both the dust optical depth and the star formation rate over timescales of 100 Myr to 1 Gyr in a galaxy. We attain sensitivity to SFRs as low as 10-3 M⊙ yr -1, and we find that low levels of star formation (SF) are mostly associated with early-type, red galaxies. The least massive galaxies have ratios of current to past-averaged SF rates (b-parameter) consistent with constant SF over a Hubble time. For late-type galaxies, this ratio on average decreases with mass. We find that b correlates tightly with NUV - r color, implying that the SF history of a galaxy can be constrained on the basis of the NUV - r color alone. The fraction of galaxies that have undergone a significant starburst episode within the last 1 Gyr steeply declines with mass, from ∼20% for galaxies with ∼108 M⊙ to ∼5% for ∼1011 M⊙ galaxies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 619 |
| Issue number | 1 II |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 Jan 20 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
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New constraints on the star formation histories and dust attenuation of galaxies in the local universe from GALEX. / Salim, Samir; Charlot, Stéphane; Rich, R. Michael; Kauffmann, Guinevere; Heckman, Timothy M.; Barlow, Tom A.; Bianchi, Luciana; Byun, Yong-Ik; Donas, Jose; Forster, Karl; Friedman, Peter G.; Jelinsky, Patrick N.; Lee, Young-Wook; Madore, Barry F.; Malina, Roger F.; Martin, D. Christopher; Milliard, Bruno; Morrissey, Patrick; Neff, Susan G.; Schiminovich, David; Seibert, Mark; Siegmund, Oswald H.W.; Small, Todd; Szalay, Alex S.; Welsh, Barry Y.; Wyder, Ted K.
In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 619, No. 1 II, 20.01.2005.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - New constraints on the star formation histories and dust attenuation of galaxies in the local universe from GALEX
AU - Salim, Samir
AU - Charlot, Stéphane
AU - Rich, R. Michael
AU - Kauffmann, Guinevere
AU - Heckman, Timothy M.
AU - Barlow, Tom A.
AU - Bianchi, Luciana
AU - Byun, Yong-Ik
AU - Donas, Jose
AU - Forster, Karl
AU - Friedman, Peter G.
AU - Jelinsky, Patrick N.
AU - Lee, Young-Wook
AU - Madore, Barry F.
AU - Malina, Roger F.
AU - Martin, D. Christopher
AU - Milliard, Bruno
AU - Morrissey, Patrick
AU - Neff, Susan G.
AU - Schiminovich, David
AU - Seibert, Mark
AU - Siegmund, Oswald H.W.
AU - Small, Todd
AU - Szalay, Alex S.
AU - Welsh, Barry Y.
AU - Wyder, Ted K.
PY - 2005/1/20
Y1 - 2005/1/20
N2 - We derive a variety of physical parameters including star formation rates (SFRs), dust attenuation, and burst mass fractions for 6472 galaxies observed by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and present in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 (SDSS DR1) main spectroscopic sample. Parameters are estimated in a statistical way by comparing each observed broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) (two GALEX and five SDSS bands) with an extensive library of model galaxy SEDs, which cover a wide range of star formation histories and include stochastic starbursts. We compare the constraints derived using SDSS bands only with those derived using the combination of SDSS and GALEX photometry. We find that the addition of the GALEX bands leads to significant improvement in the estimation of both the dust optical depth and the star formation rate over timescales of 100 Myr to 1 Gyr in a galaxy. We attain sensitivity to SFRs as low as 10-3 M⊙ yr -1, and we find that low levels of star formation (SF) are mostly associated with early-type, red galaxies. The least massive galaxies have ratios of current to past-averaged SF rates (b-parameter) consistent with constant SF over a Hubble time. For late-type galaxies, this ratio on average decreases with mass. We find that b correlates tightly with NUV - r color, implying that the SF history of a galaxy can be constrained on the basis of the NUV - r color alone. The fraction of galaxies that have undergone a significant starburst episode within the last 1 Gyr steeply declines with mass, from ∼20% for galaxies with ∼108 M⊙ to ∼5% for ∼1011 M⊙ galaxies.
AB - We derive a variety of physical parameters including star formation rates (SFRs), dust attenuation, and burst mass fractions for 6472 galaxies observed by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and present in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 (SDSS DR1) main spectroscopic sample. Parameters are estimated in a statistical way by comparing each observed broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) (two GALEX and five SDSS bands) with an extensive library of model galaxy SEDs, which cover a wide range of star formation histories and include stochastic starbursts. We compare the constraints derived using SDSS bands only with those derived using the combination of SDSS and GALEX photometry. We find that the addition of the GALEX bands leads to significant improvement in the estimation of both the dust optical depth and the star formation rate over timescales of 100 Myr to 1 Gyr in a galaxy. We attain sensitivity to SFRs as low as 10-3 M⊙ yr -1, and we find that low levels of star formation (SF) are mostly associated with early-type, red galaxies. The least massive galaxies have ratios of current to past-averaged SF rates (b-parameter) consistent with constant SF over a Hubble time. For late-type galaxies, this ratio on average decreases with mass. We find that b correlates tightly with NUV - r color, implying that the SF history of a galaxy can be constrained on the basis of the NUV - r color alone. The fraction of galaxies that have undergone a significant starburst episode within the last 1 Gyr steeply declines with mass, from ∼20% for galaxies with ∼108 M⊙ to ∼5% for ∼1011 M⊙ galaxies.
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U2 - 10.1086/424800
DO - 10.1086/424800
M3 - Article
VL - 619
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
SN - 0004-637X
IS - 1 II
ER -