Age patterns in a sample of spiral galaxies

Sánchez-Gil, M. Carmen
Jones, D. Heath
Pérez, Enrique
Bland-Hawthorn, Joss
Alfaro, Emilio J
O'Byrne, John

Open link

Publication date

January 2011

DOI

10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18759.x

Publisher

Wiley

ISSN

0035-8711

Journal

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Citation count (estimate)

Abstract

We present the burst ages for young stellar populations in a sample of six nearby (<10 Mpc) spiral galaxies using a differential pixel-based analysis of the ionized gas emission. We explore this as an alternative approach for connecting large-scale dynamical mechanisms with star formation processes in disc galaxies, based on burst ages derived from the Hα to far-UV (FUV) flux ratio. Images of each galaxy in Hα were taken with Taurus Tunable Filter and matched to FUV imaging from GALEX. The resulting flux ratio provides a robust measure of relative age across the disc which we discuss in terms of the large-scale dynamical motions. Systematic effects such as a variable initial mass function, non-solar metallicities, variable star formation hi...