P-MaNGA Galaxies: Emission-Lines Properties – Gas Ionization and Chemical Abundances from Prototype Observations

Authors

F. Belfiore, University of Cambridge, UK
R. Maiolino, University of Cambridge, UK
K. Bundy, University of Tokyo, Japan
D. Thomas, University of Portsmouth, UK
C. Maraston, University of Portsmouth, UK
D. Wilkinson, University of Portsmouth, UK
S. F. Sánchez, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico
M. Bershady, University of Wisconsin - Madison
G. A. Blanc, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science
M. Bothwell, University of Cambridge, UK
S. L. Cales, Yale University
L. Coccato, European Southern Observatory, Germany
N. Drory, University of Texas - Austin
E. Emsellem, European Southern Observatory, Germany
H. Fu, University of Iowa
J. Gelfand, New York University
D. Law, Space Telescope Science Institute
K. Masters, University of Portsmouth, UK
J. Parejko, Yale University
C. Tremonti, University of Wisconsin - Madison
D. Wake, University of Wisconsin - Madison
A. Weijmans, University of St. Andrews, UK
Renbin Yan, University of KentuckyFollow
T. Xiao, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, China
K. Zhang, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, China
T. Zheng, University of Iowa
K. Bizyaev, Apache Point Observatory
K. Kinemuchi, Apache Point Observatory
D. Oravetz, Apache Point Observatory
A. Simmons, Apache Point Observatory

Abstract

MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) is a 6-yr Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) survey that will obtain spatially resolved spectroscopy from 3600 to 10 300 Å for a representative sample of over 10 000 nearby galaxies. In this paper, we present the analysis of nebular emission-line properties using observations of 14 galaxies obtained with P-MaNGA, a prototype of the MaNGA instrument. By using spatially resolved diagnostic diagrams, we find extended star formation in galaxies that are centrally dominated by Seyfert/LINER-like emission, which illustrates that galaxy characterizations based on single fibre spectra are necessarily incomplete. We observe extended low ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINER)-like emission (up to 1R_e) in the central regions of three galaxies. We make use of the Hα equivalent width [EW(Hα)] to argue that the observed emission is consistent with ionization from hot evolved stars. We derive stellar population indices and demonstrate a clear correlation between D_n(4000) and EW(Hδ_A) and the position in the ionization diagnostic diagram: resolved galactic regions which are ionized by a Seyfert/LINER-like radiation field are also devoid of recent star formation and host older and/or more metal-rich stellar populations. We also detect extraplanar LINER-like emission in two highly inclined galaxies, and identify it with diffuse ionized gas. We investigate spatially resolved metallicities and find a positive correlation between metallicity and star formation rate surface density. We further study the relation between N/O versus O/H on resolved scales. We find that, at given N/O, regions within individual galaxies are spread towards lower metallicities, deviating from the sequence defined by galactic central regions as traced by Sloan 3-arcsec fibre spectra. We suggest that the observed dispersion can be a tracer for gas flows in galaxies: infalls of pristine gas and/or the effect of a galactic fountain.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2015

Notes/Citation Information

Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 449, no. 1, p. 867-900.

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2015 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv296

Funding Information

This work was supported by the STFC, UK and World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI Initiative), MEXT, Japan.

Funding for SDSS-III and SDSS-IV has been provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Participating Institutions. Additional funding for SDSS-III comes from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy Office of Science. Further information about both projects is available at www.sdss3.org.

Repository Citation

Belfiore, F.; Maiolino, R.; Bundy, K.; Thomas, D.; Maraston, C.; Wilkinson, D.; Sánchez, S. F.; Bershady, M.; Blanc, G. A.; Bothwell, M.; Cales, S. L.; Coccato, L.; Drory, N.; Emsellem, E.; Fu, H.; Gelfand, J.; Law, D.; Masters, K.; Parejko, J.; Tremonti, C.; Wake, D.; Weijmans, A.; Yan, Renbin; Xiao, T.; Zhang, K.; Zheng, T.; Bizyaev, K.; Kinemuchi, K.; Oravetz, D.; and Simmons, A., "P-MaNGA Galaxies: Emission-Lines Properties – Gas Ionization and Chemical Abundances from Prototype Observations" (2015). Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications. 269.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/physastron_facpub/269