Scientific Seminars

In and out the main sequence of star-forming galaxies at z~2

Alvio Renzini
INAF-OAPadova

2012-04-18    11:00    Brera - Cupola Fiore

At all redshifts most starforming galaxies cluster around a tight, linear relation between the star formation rate and the stellar mass, that then came to be called the "Main Sequence of Starforming Galaxies". Outliers to such Main Sequence are starburst galaxies on one side and passively evolving galaxies on the other side, i.e., galaxies where star formation has been quenched. Till recently the relative contributions of main sequence and starburst galaxies to the growth of the stellar mass in the Universe were very poorly constrained by observations. Recent far infrared observations with the Herschel Telescope of starforming galaxies at redshift about 2 have precisely assessed such contributions, thus establishing a dominant role for Main Sequence galaxies, in which star formation proceeds in a quasi-steady fashion, as opposed to occasional starbursts.