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The atomic gas sequence and mass-metallicity relation from dwarfs to massive galaxies


Abstract Galaxy scaling relations provide insights into the processes that drive galaxy evolution. The extension of these scaling relations into the dwarf galaxy regime is of particular interest. This is because dwarf galaxies represent a crucial stage in galaxy evolution, and understanding them could also shed light on their role in reionizing the early Universe. There is currently no consensus on the processes that dominate the evolution of dwarfs. In this work, we constrain the atomic gas sequence (stellar mass versus atomic gas fraction) and mass–metallicity relation (stellar mass versus gas-phase metallicity) from dwarf ($10^{6.5} \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$) to massive ($10^{11.5} \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$) galaxies in the local Universe. The combined optical and 21-cm spectroscopic observations of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument and Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA surveys allow us to constrain both scaling relations simultaneously. We find a slope change of the atomic gas sequence at a stellar mass of ${\sim} 10^{9} \, \textrm{M}_{\odot }$. We also find that the shape and scatter of the atomic gas sequence and mass–metallicity relation are strongly linked for both dwarfs and more massive galaxies. Consequently, the low-mass slope change of the atomic gas sequence is imprinted onto the mass–metallicity relation of dwarf galaxies. The mass scale of the measured slope change is consistent with a predicted escape velocity threshold below which low-mass galaxies experience significant supernova-driven gas loss, as well as with a reduction in cold gas accretion onto more massive galaxies.
Authors D. Scholte ORCID , A. Saintonge ORCID , John Moustakas ORCID , Barbara Catinella ORCID , Hu Zou ORCID , Biprateep Dey ORCID , J. Aguilar ORCID , S. P. Ahlen ORCID , Abhijeet Anand ORCID , Robert Blum ORCID , Donal Brooks , Chiara Circosta ORCID , T. Claybaugh ORCID , Axel de la Macorra ORCID , P. Doel , Andreu Font-Ribera ORCID , P U Förster ORCID , J. E. Forero-Romero ORCID , E. Gaztañaga ORCID , Satya Gontcho A Gontcho ORCID , S. Juneau ORCID , R. Kehoe ORCID , Theodore Kisner ORCID , S. E. Koposov ORCID , A. Kremin ORCID , A. Lambert ORCID , Martin Landriau ORCID , Claudia Maraston ORCID , Paul Martini ORCID , Aaron M. Meisner ORCID , A. S. Mighty , R. Miquel University of WyomingORCID , Adam D. Myers , Jundan Nie ORCID , Claire Poppett ORCID , F. Prada , Mehdi Rezaie ORCID , G. Rossi , E. Sánchez ORCID , M. Schubnell ORCID , J. Silber ORCID , D. Sprayberry , M. Siudek University of WyomingORCID , Fabio Speranza ORCID , G. Tarlé ORCID , Rita Tojeiro ORCID , B. A. Weaver
Journal Info Oxford University Press | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , vol: 535 , iss: 3 , pages: 2341 - 2356
Publication Date 11/6/2024
ISSN 0035-8711
TypeKeyword Image article
Open Access gold Gold Access
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2477
KeywordsKeyword Image Stellar mass (Score: 0.42530918)