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arXiv · 1103.3277

Metallicity Gradient of a Lensed Face-on Spiral Galaxy at Redshift 1.49

T. -T. Yuan·L. J. Kewley·A. M. Swinbank·J. Richard·R. C. Livermore
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Abstract

We present the first metallicity gradient measurement for a grand-design face-on spiral galaxy at z~1.5. This galaxy has been magnified by a factor of 22$\times$ by a massive, X-ray luminous galaxy cluster MACS\,J1149.5+2223 at z=0.544. Using the Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics aided integral field spectrograph OSIRIS on KECK II, we target the Halpha emission and achieve a spatial resolution of 0.1", corresponding to a source plane resolution of 170 pc. The galaxy has well-developed spiral arms and the nebular emission line dynamics clearly indicate a rotationally supported disk with V_{rot}/σ~4. The best-fit disk velocity field model yields a maximum rotation of V_{rot} sin{i}=150$\pm$15 km s^{-1}, and a dynamical mass of M_{dyn}=1.3$\pm0.2\times10^{10}csc^2(i) M_{\odot} (within 2.5\,kpc), where the inclination angle i=45$\pm10^{\circ}$. Based on the [NII] and Halpha ratios, we measured the radial chemical abundance gradient from the inner hundreds of parsecs out to ~5 kpc. The slope of the gradient is -0.16$\pm$0.02 dex kpc$^{-1}$, significantly steeper than the gradient of late-type or early-type galaxies in the local universe. If representative of disk galaxies at z~1.5, our results support an "inside-out" disk formation scenario in which early infall/collapse in the galaxy center builds a chemically enriched nucleus, followed by slow enrichment of the disk over the next 9 Gyr.

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T. -T. Yuan, L. J. Kewley, A. M. Swinbank, J. Richard, R. C. Livermore. 2011-04-05. Metallicity Gradient of a Lensed Face-on Spiral Galaxy at Redshift 1.49. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205%2F732%2F1%2Fl14

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