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Galaxy evolution. Evidence for mature bulges and an inside-out quenching phase 3 billion years after the Big Bang.

Authors :
Tacchella S
Carollo CM
Renzini A
Förster Schreiber NM
Lang P
Wuyts S
Cresci G
Dekel A
Genzel R
Lilly SJ
Mancini C
Newman S
Onodera M
Shapley A
Tacconi L
Woo J
Zamorani G
Source :
Science (New York, N.Y.) [Science] 2015 Apr 17; Vol. 348 (6232), pp. 314-7.
Publication Year :
2015

Abstract

Most present-day galaxies with stellar masses ≥10(11) solar masses show no ongoing star formation and are dense spheroids. Ten billion years ago, similarly massive galaxies were typically forming stars at rates of hundreds solar masses per year. It is debated how star formation ceased, on which time scales, and how this "quenching" relates to the emergence of dense spheroids. We measured stellar mass and star-formation rate surface density distributions in star-forming galaxies at redshift 2.2 with ~1-kiloparsec resolution. We find that, in the most massive galaxies, star formation is quenched from the inside out, on time scales less than 1 billion years in the inner regions, up to a few billion years in the outer disks. These galaxies sustain high star-formation activity at large radii, while hosting fully grown and already quenched bulges in their cores.<br /> (Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1095-9203
Volume :
348
Issue :
6232
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Science (New York, N.Y.)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
25883353
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1261094