2001/09/12 by Kentaro Nagamine · 32 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Initial mass function #Metallicity #Population #Star formation #Stellar evolution #Stellar mass #Stellar population #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/324263
published in The Astrophysical Journal 564(1), 73-85 (IOP Publishing) · 29 pages, including 11 figures, ApJ in press. One reference added
arxiv created 2001/09/12 · openalex publication_date 2002/01/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We study the evolution of Lyman break Galaxies (LBGs) from z = 5 to z = 0 by tracing the merger trees of galaxies in a large-scale hydrodynamic simulation based on a Λ cold dark matter model. In particular, we emphasize the range of properties of the sample selected by rest-frame V -band luminosity, in accordance with recent near-IR observations. The predicted rest-frame V -band luminosity function agrees well with the observed one when dust extinction is taken into account. The stellar content and the star formation histories of LBGs are also studied. We find that LBGs intrinsically brighter than M V = -21.0 at z = 3 have stellar masses of at least 10 9 M ☉ , with a median of 10 10 h -1 M ☉ . The brightest LBGs ( M V ≲ -23) at z = 3 merge into clusters/groups of galaxies at z = 0, as suggested by clustering studies of LBGs. Roughly half the galaxies with -23 ≲ M V ≲ -22 at z = 3 fall into groups/clusters, and the other half become typical L * galaxies at z = 0, with stellar mass of ≈10 11 M ☉ . Descendants of LBGs at the present epoch have formed roughly 30% of their stellar mass by z = 3, and half their current stellar population is 10 Gyr old, favoring the scenario that LBGs are the precursors of the present-day spheroids. We find that the most luminous LBGs have undergone a starburst within 500 Myr before z = 3, but also have formed stars continuously over a period of 1 Gyr before z = 3, when all the star formation in progenitors is coadded. We also study the evolution of the mean stellar metallicity distribution of galaxies and find that the entire distribution shifts to lower metallicity at higher redshift. The observed subsolar metallicity of LBGs at z = 3 is naturally predicted in our simulation.