The Metallicity History of Disk Galaxies

Evolution between $0<z<3$

Lisa Kewley
Institute for Astronomy
University of Hawaii

Chip Kobulnicky
University of Wyoming

Abstract:

We present results of our investigation into the metallicity history of disk galaxies between redshifts 0<z<3. Theory predicts that metallicity changes less rapidly than star formation rate as a function of redshift, but until now, there has been no observational foundation for the metallicity history of star-forming galaxies. Our local comparison samples include the Nearby Field Galaxy Survey (NFGS) and an objectively selected sample of galaxy pairs. We find that the central metallicities in close pairs are affected by gas flows triggered by an interaction. We compare the metallicity properties of our local field galaxies with a large sample of galaxies from the GOODS Field North and the Lyman Break Galaxies. In our preliminary analysis, we observe metallicity evolution of 0.15 dex per unit redshift.