The metallicity gradients of star-forming regions store information of the assembly history of galaxies

Abstract

The variations in metallicity and spatial patterns within star-forming regions of galaxies result from diverse physical processes unfolding throughout their evolutionary history, with a particular emphasis on recent events. Analysing MaNGA and EAGLE galaxies, we discovered an additional dependence of the mass–metallicity relation (MZR) on metallicity gradients (∇(O/H)). Two regimes emerged for low- and high-stellar mass galaxies, distinctly separated at approximately M⋆ > 109.75⁠. Low-mass galaxies with strong positive ∇(O/H) appear less enriched than the MZR median, while those with strong negative gradients are consistently more enriched in both simulated and observed samples. Interestingly, low-mass galaxies with strong negative ∇(O/H) exhibit high star-forming activity, regardless of stellar surface density or ∇(O/H). In contrast, a discrepancy arises for massive galaxies between MaNGA and EAGLE data sets. The latter exhibit a notable anticorrelation between specific star formation rate and stellar surface density, independent of ∇(O/H), while MaNGA galaxies show this trend mainly for strong positive ∇(O/H). Further investigation indicates that galaxies with strong negative gradients tend to host smaller central black holes in observed data sets, a trend not replicated in simulations. These findings suggest disparities in metallicity recycling and mixing history between observations and simulations, particularly in massive galaxies with varying metallicity gradients. These distinctions could contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying physics.