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Title

Dependence of star formation activity on stellar mass and environment from the Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey

Author(s)

Li, I. H.;  Glazebrook, Karl;  Gilbank, David;  Balogh, Michael;  Bower, Richard;  Baldry, Ivan;  Davies, Greg;  Hau, George;  McCarthy, Pat

Abstract

Using the sample from the Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey (ROLES), we probe the dependence of star formation rate (SFR) and specific star formation rate (sSFR) as a function of stellar mass M* and environment as defined by local galaxy density, in the Chandra Deep Field South field. Our spectroscopic sample consists of 312 galaxies with KAB < 24, corresponding to stellar mass log(M*/M⊙) > 8.5, and with [O ii] derived SFR > 0.3 M⊙ yr−1, at 0.889 ≤z≤ 1.149. The results have been compared directly with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 sample at 0.032 ≤z≤ 0.05. For star-forming galaxies, we confirm that there is little correlation between SFR and density at z∼ 0. However, for the lowest mass galaxies in our z∼ 1 sample, those with log(M*/M⊙) < 10, we find that both the median SFR and sSFR increase significantly with increasing local density. The ‘downsizing’ trend for low-mass galaxies to be quenched progressively later in time appears to be more pronounced in moderately overdense environments. Overall we find that the evolution of star formation in galaxies is most strongly driven by their stellar mass, with local galaxy density playing a role that becomes increasingly important for lower mass galaxies.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 411, no. 3 (Mar 2011), pp. 1869-1879

Publication year

2011

FOR Code(s)

0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences

Keyword(s)

Galaxy evolution;  Stellar content

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing

ISSN

0035-8711

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17816.x

Copyright

Copyright © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation copyright © 2010 Royal Astronomical Society. The accepted manuscript of the paper is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. The definitive publication is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.

Research Projects

The broken hierarchy of galaxy formation, Australian Research Council grant number DP0774469

Full text

Peer reviewed