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CN as a tracer of galaxy assembly timescales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2005

C. Carretero
Affiliation:
Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. Vía Láctea s/n. 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. email: [email protected]
A. Vazdekis
Affiliation:
Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. Vía Láctea s/n. 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. email: [email protected]
J.E. Beckman
Affiliation:
Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias. Vía Láctea s/n. 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. email: [email protected] Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain.
P. Sánchez-Blázquez
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain.
J. Gorgas
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain.
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Abstract

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We present the values of CN and Mg overabundances with respect to Fe, for a large sample of elliptical galaxies in different environments. Abundances were derived by confronting observed absorption line indices with stellar population model spectra. We obtained significant differences between the [CN/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] abundance ratios as a functions of: i) the environment, and ii) the galaxy mass. This is interpreted as implying varying formation timescales for CN, Mg and Fe, combined with different star formation histories in elliptical galaxies depending on their mass and environment. Our principal conclusions are: 1) CN is sensitive to the characteristic assembly timescales of elliptical galaxies, 2) more massive elliptical galaxies are assembled on shorter timescales than less massive ones, 3) elliptical galaxies in denser environments are assembled on shorter timescales than those in lower density environments, and 4) our results strongly suggest an upper limit for the assembly timescale of ∼1 Gy, in all cases.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
© 2005 International Astronomical Union