{
  "id": "2308.03441",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2023-08-07T09:48:51.000Z",
  "updated": "2023-08-07T09:48:51.000Z",
  "title": "The elemental abundances of quiescent galaxies in the LEGA-C survey: the (non-)evolution of [α/Fe] from z = 0.75 to z = 0",
  "authors": [
    "Davide Bevacqua",
    "Paolo Saracco",
    "Francesco La Barbera",
    "Giuseppe D'Ago",
    "Roberto de Propris",
    "Ignacio Ferreras",
    "Anna Gallazzi",
    "Anna Pasquali",
    "Chiara Spiniello"
  ],
  "comment": "12 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, 1 appendix",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.GA"
  ],
  "abstract": "We measure the [${\\alpha}$/Fe] abundances for 183 quiescent galaxies at z = 0.60 - 0.75 with stellar masses ranging 10.4 \\leq log10 10.4 $\\leq$ log10 (M$_*$ /M$_\\odot$) $\\leq$ 11.6 selected from the LEGA-C survey. We estimate [${\\alpha}$/Fe] from the ratio of the spectral indices Mgb (${\\lambda} \\sim 5177$ {\\AA}) and Fe4383, compared to predictions of simple stellar population models. We find that 91% of quiescents in our sample have supersolar [${\\alpha}$/Fe], with an average value of [${\\alpha}$/Fe] = +0.24 $\\pm$ 0.01. We find no significant correlation between [${\\alpha}$/Fe] and stellar metallicity, mass, velocity dispersion, and average formation time. Galaxies that formed the bulk of their stellar mass on time scales shorter than 1 Gyr follow the same [${\\alpha}$/Fe] distribution as those which formed on longer time scales. In comparison to local early-type galaxies and to stacked spectra of quiescent galaxies at z = 0.38 and z = 0.07, we find that the average [${\\alpha}$/Fe] has not changed between z = 0.75 and the present time. Our work shows that the vast majority of massive quiescent galaxies at z $\\sim$ 0.7 are ${\\alpha}$-enhanced, and that no detectable evolution of the average [${\\alpha}$/Fe] has taken place over the last $\\sim$ 6.5 Gyr.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2023-08-07T09:48:51.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "quiescent galaxies",
      "lega-c survey",
      "elemental abundances",
      "simple stellar population models",
      "stellar mass"
    ],
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 12,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable"
    }
  }
}