Building blocks in hierarchical clustering scenarios and their connection with damped Ly-alpha systems

Apr, 2003
15 pages
Published in:
  • Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 343 (2003) 959
e-Print:

Citations per year

200320062009201220152041
Abstract: (arXiv)
We carried out a comprehensive analysis of the chemical properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) and the stellar population (SP) of current normal galaxies and their progenitors in a hierarchical clustering scenario. We compared the results with observations of Damped Lyman-α\alpha systems (DLAs) under the hypothesis that, at least, part of the observed DLAs could originate in the building blocks of today normal galaxies. We used a hydrodynamical cosmological code which includes star formation and chemical enrichment. Galaxy-like objects are identified at z=0z=0 and then followed back in time. Random line-of-sights (LOS) are drawn through these structures in order to mimic Damped Lyman α\alpha systems. We then analysed the chemical properties of the ISM and SP along the LOS. We found that the progenitors of current galaxies in the field with mean L<0.5LL <0.5 L^* and virial circular velocity of 100250km/sec100-250 {\rm km/sec} could be the associated DLA galaxies. For these systems we detected a trend for <L/L><L/L^*> to increase with redshift.(Abridged)