Insights into formation scenarios of massive Early-Type galaxies from spatially resolved stellar population analysis in CALIFA

Abstract

We perform spatially resolved stellar population analysis for a sample of 69 early-type galaxies (ETGs) from the CALIFA integral field spectroscopic survey, including 48 ellipticals and 21 S0's. We generate and quantitatively characterize profiles of light-weighted mean stellar age and metallicity within $\lesssim 2R_e$, as a function of radius and stellar-mass surface density ${\mu }_{\ast }$. We study in detail the dependence of profiles on galaxies' global properties, including velocity dispersion ${\sigma }_e$, stellar mass, morphology. ETGs are universally characterized by strong, negative metallicity gradients ($\sim -0.3\text{dex}$ per $R_e$) within $1R_e$, which flatten out moving towards larger radii. A quasi-universal local ${\mu }_{\ast }$-metallicity relation emerges, which displays a residual systematic dependence on ${\sigma }_e$, whereby higher ${\sigma }_e$ implies higher metallicity at fixed ${\mu }_{\ast }$. Age profiles are typically U-shaped, with minimum around $0.4R_e$, asymptotic increase to maximum ages beyond $\sim 1.5R_e$, and an increase towards the centre. The depth of the minimum and the central increase anti-correlate with ${\sigma }_e$. A possible qualitative interpretation of these observations is a two-phase scenario. In the first phase, dissipative collapse occurs in the inner $1R_e$, establishing a negative metallicity gradient. The competition between the outside-in quenching due to feedback-driven winds and some form of inside-out quenching, possibly caused by central AGN feedback or dynamical heating, determines the U-shaped age profiles. In the second phase, the accretion of ex-situ stars from quenched and low-metallicity satellites shapes the flatter stellar population profiles in the outer regions.

arXiv commentAccepted version to appear in MNRAS. Improved discussion with respect to original submission and additional tests included

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