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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
Toward an understanding of the rapid decline of the cosmic star formation rate
Astrophysical Journal, Volume 625, No. 1 I, Year 2005
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Description
We present a first analysis of deep 24 μm observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope of a sample of nearly 1500 galaxies in a thin redshift slice, 0.65 ≤ z < 0.75. We combine the infrared data with redshifts, rest-frame luminosities, and colors from COMBO-17 and with morphologies from Hubble Space Telescope images collected by the Galaxy Evolution from Morphology and SEDs (GEMS) and Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) projects. To characterize the decline in star formation rate (SFR) since z ∼ 0.7, we estimate the total thermal IR luminosities, SFRs, and stellar masses for the galaxies in this sample. At z ∼ 0.7, nearly 40% of intermediate- and high-mass galaxies (with stellar masses ≥2 × 1010 M⊙) are undergoing a period of intense star formation above their past-averaged SFR. In contrast, less than 1 % of equally massive galaxies in the local universe have similarly intense star formation activity. Morphologically undisturbed galaxies dominate the total infrared luminosity density and SFR density: at z ∼ 0.7, more than half of the intensely star-forming galaxies have spiral morphologies, whereas less than ∼30% are strongly interacting. Thus, a decline in major merger rate is not the underlying cause of the rapid decline in cosmic SFR since z ∼ 0.7. Physical properties that do not strongly affect galaxy morphology - for example, gas consumption and weak interactions with small satellite galaxies - appear to be responsible. © 2005. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Bell, Eric F.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Papovich, Casey J.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Le Floc'H, Émeric
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Caldwell, John A.R.
United States, Baltimore
Space Telescope Science Institute
United States, Austin
University of Texas System
Egami, Eiichi E.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
McIntosh, Daniel H.
United States, Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Meisenheimer, Klauss
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Pérez-González, Pablo G.P.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Rieke, George H.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Rieke, Márcia J.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Rigby, Jane R.
United States, Tucson
The University of Arizona
Rix, Hans Walter R.
Germany, Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Statistics
Citations: 391
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 6
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1086/429552
ISSN:
0004637X
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative