paper

Radial Metallicity Distribution Breaks at Corotation Radius in Spiral Galaxies

arXiv:1209.5031 · doi:10.1093/mnras/sts048

Abstract

We analyzed the relation between the corotation radii and the galactic radii at which breaks or changes of slope of the metallicity gradients occur in spiral galaxies. With this purpose we compiled the results from the literature on rotation curves, corotation radii and radial metallicity distributions of 27 galaxies, of which 16 were considered qualified to be studied in the context of this work. We re-scaled all references of each galaxy to a same framework in order to compare the results and to identify the radii where breaks and changes of slopes are found, when non-linear models fit the radial metallicities better than a linear model. In most galaxies we have found minima and breaks in radial metallicity near the corotation radius, revealing a significant correlation between these two radii, as it occurs in our Galaxy. The results are interpreted as a consequence of long-lived spiral structures, in which the star-formation rate depends on the distance to the corotation radius, producing secular effects in the observed radial metallicity distributions.

20 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. (MN-12-0359-MJ.R2)

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