A unified picture of breaks and truncations in spiral galaxies from SDSS and S4G imaging

Seibert, Mark; Sheth, Kartik; Salo, Heikki; Regan, Michael W.; Muñoz-Mateos, Juan-Carlos; Menéndez-Delmestre, Karín.; Mizusawa, Trisha; Laurikainen, Eija; Laine, Jarkko; Kim, Taehyun; Holwerda, Benne W.; Ho, Luis C.; Hinz, Joannah L.; Gadotti, Dimitri A.; Gil de Paz, Armando; Erroz-Ferrer, S.; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Comerón, Sébastien; Bosma, Albert; Athanassoula, E.; Knapen, J. H.; Trujillo, I.; Bakos, J.; Martín-Navarro, I.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 427, Issue 2, pp. 1102-1134.

Advertised on:
12
2012
Number of authors
24
IAC number of authors
5
Citations
61
Refereed citations
57
Description
The mechanism causing breaks in the radial surface-brightness distribution of spiral galaxies is not yet well known. Despite theoretical efforts, there is not a unique explanation for these features and the observational results are not conclusive. In an attempt to address this problem, we have selected a sample of 34 highly inclined spiral galaxies present in both the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). We have measured the surface-brightness profiles in the five Sloan optical bands and in the 3.6-μm Spitzer band. We have also calculated the colour and stellar surface mass density profiles using the available photometric information, finding two differentiated features: an innermost break radius at distances of ˜8 ± 1 kpc [0.77 ± 0.06 R25] and a second characteristic radius, or truncation radius, close to the outermost optical extent (˜14 ± 2 kpc [1.09 ± 0.05 R25]) of the galaxy. We propose in this work that breaks might be phenomena related to a threshold in the star formation, while truncations are more likely a real drop in the stellar mass density of the disc associated with the maximum angular momentum of the stars.
Related projects
Group members
Traces of Galaxy Formation: Stellar populations, Dynamics and Morphology
We are a large, diverse, and very active research group aiming to provide a comprehensive picture for the formation of galaxies in the Universe. Rooted in detailed stellar population analysis, we are constantly exploring and developing new tools and ideas to understand how galaxies came to be what we now observe.
Ignacio
Martín Navarro
Project Image
Spiral Galaxies: Evolution and Consequences
Our small group is well known and respected internationally for our innovative and important work on various aspects of the structure and evolution of nearby spiral galaxies. We primarily use observations at various wavelengths, exploiting synergies that allow us to answer the most pertinent questions relating to what the main properties of
Johan Hendrik
Knapen Koelstra