Related papers: Chemical clocks for early-type galaxies
We present a detailed stellar population analysis of 27 massive elliptical galaxies within 4 very rich clusters at redshift z~0.2: A115, A655, A963 and A2111. Using the new, high-resolution stellar populations models developed in our group,…
In models of galaxy formation in a hierarchical Universe, elliptical galaxies form through the merging of smaller disk systems. These models yield a number of testable predictions if reliable techniques for determining the relative ages and…
Spectroscopic studies of elliptical galaxies show that their stellar population ages, mean metallicity, and $\alpha$-enhancement traced by [Mg/Fe] all increase with galaxy stellar mass or velocity dispersion. We use one-zone galactic…
In this paper we compute new multi-zone photo-chemical evolution models for elliptical galaxies, taking into account detailed nucleosynthetic yields, feedback from supernovae and an initial infall episode. By comparing model predictions…
Unlike spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way, the majority of the stars in massive elliptical galaxies were formed in a short period early in the history of the Universe. The duration of this formation period can be measured using the ratio…
We study the stellar populations of 1,923 elliptical galaxies at z<0.05 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey as a function of velocity dispersion, sigma, and environment. We construct average, high signal-to-noise spectra and find the…
To investigate star formation and assembly processes of massive galaxies, we present here a spatially-resolved stellar populations analysis of a sample of 45 elliptical galaxies (Es) selected from the CALIFA survey. We find rather flat age…
We determine relative stellar ages and metallicities mainly for about 80 elliptical galaxies in low and high density environments via the latest binary stellar population (BSP) synthesis model and test a latest hierarchical formation model…
We review some of the models of chemical evolution of ellipticals and bulges of spirals. In particular, we focuse on the star formationn histories of ellipticals and their influence on chemical properties such as the [alpha/Fe] versus…
Stellar archeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies today formed rapidly about ten billion years ago with star formation rates above several hundreds solar masses per year (M_sun/yr). Their progenitors are likely the…
Velocity dispersions $\sigma$ and Mg absorption line-strengths Mg$_b$ have been measured for a sample of 16 ellipticals in 3 clusters at a redshift of 0.37. Like local cluster ellipticals, these objects show a correlation between Mg$_b$ and…
We take advantage of the largest high-resolution simulation of cosmic structure growth ever carried out -- the Millennium Simulation of the concordance LambdaCDM cosmogony -- to study how the star formation histories, ages and metallicities…
There are strong indications from recent papers (e.g. Worthey et al. 1992) that the abundance ratio of Mg/Fe, and consequently also O/Fe in giant elliptical galaxies is not solar. The line strengths of two Fe lines at 5270 and 5335 A are…
The aim of this paper is to set constraints of the epochs of early-type galaxy formation through the 'archaeology' of the stellar populations in local galaxies. Using our models of absorption line indices that account for variable abundance…
Previous studies of the stellar mean metallicity and [Mg/Fe] values of massive elliptical (E)~galaxies suggest that their stars were formed in a very short timescale which cannot be reconciled with estimates from stellar population…
Context: The spatial distribution of the stellar populations inside a spheroidal system and their kinematical properties supply important informations about the formation process. Aims: We have performed a detailed stellar population…
We compute new population synthesis models of Lick absorption line indices with variable alpha/Fe ratios and use them to derive average ages, metallicities, and alpha/Fe element enhancements for a sample of 126 field and cluster early-type…
In hierarchical models of galaxy formation, ellipticals form from the merging of disk galaxies drawn together by gravity as their surrounding dark halos coalesce. Using semi-analytic techniques, we are able to follow the merging, star…
Dedicated photometric and spectroscopic surveys have provided unambiguous evidence for a strong stellar mass-size evolution of galaxies within the last 10 Gyr. The likely progenitors of today's most massive galaxies are remarkably small,…
The scope of this paper is two-fold: i) to test and improve our previous models of an outside-in formation for the majority of ellipticals in the context of the SN-driven wind scenario, by means of a careful study of gas inflows/outflows;…