A Consistent Study of Metallicity Evolution at 0.8 < z < 2.6

Wuyts, E.; Kurk, J.; Förster Schreiber, N.M.; Genzel, R.; Wisnioski, E.; Bandara, K.; Wuyts, S.; Beifiori, A.; Bender, R.; Brammer, G.B.; Burkert, A.; Buschkamp, P.; Carollo, C.M.; Chan, J.; Davies, R.; Eisenhauer, F.; Fossati, M.; Kulkarni, S.K.; Lang, P.; Lilly, S.J.; Lutz, D.; Mancini, C.; Mendel, J.T.; Momcheva, I.G.; Naab, T.; Nelson, E.J.; Renzini, A.; Rosario, D.; Saglia, R.P.; Seitz, S.; Sharples, R.M.; Sternberg, A.; Tacchella, S.; Tacconi, L.J.; van Dokkum, P.; Wilman, D.J.

Abstract

We present the correlations between stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and the [N II]/Hα flux ratio as an indicator of gas-phase metallicity for a sample of 222 galaxies at 0.8 < z < 2.6 and log (M */M ☉) = 9.0-11.5 from the LUCI, SINS/zC-SINF, and KMOS3D surveys. This sample provides a unique analysis of the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) over an extended redshift range using consistent data analysis techniques and a uniform strong-line metallicity indicator. We find a constant slope at the low-mass end of the relation and can fully describe its redshift evolution through the evolution of the characteristic turnover mass where the relation begins to flatten at the asymptotic metallicity. At a fixed mass and redshift, our data do not show a correlation between the [N II]/Hα ratio and SFR, which disagrees with the 0.2-0.3 dex offset in [N II]/Hα predicted by the "fundamental relation" between stellar mass, SFR, and metallicity discussed in recent literature. However, the overall evolution toward lower [N II]/Hα at earlier times does broadly agree with these predictions.

Citation

Wuyts, E., Kurk, J., Förster Schreiber, N., Genzel, R., Wisnioski, E., Bandara, K., …Wilman, D. (2014). A Consistent Study of Metallicity Evolution at 0.8 < z < 2.6. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 789(2), Article L40. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/789/2/l40

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 17, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Jun 26, 2014
• Publication Date: Jul 10, 2014
• Deposit Date: Oct 19, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: May 21, 2015
• Journal: Astrophysical Journal Letters
• Print ISSN: 2041-8205
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-8213
• Publisher: American Astronomical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 789
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: L40
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/789/2/l40
• Keywords: Galaxies: evolution, Galaxies: high-redshift, Infrared: galaxies.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1421469
• Related Public URLs: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014ApJ...789L..40W