Red post-starburst galaxies

Abstract

Observations of nearby star-forming regions suggest that the initial mass function is deficient in low-mass stars when the ambient star formation rate is high. We investigate the consequences of a truncated initial mass function on the photometric evolution of starburst galaxies using new models of stellar population synthesis. A major prediction with respect to the case of a standard initial mass function is that the spectra of the galaxies become unusually red when the turnoff mass reaches the cutoff of the initial mass function. This red phase can last for more than 10⁹ yr if the lower cutoff is less than 2M_⊙. The amplitude of the reddening depends only weakly on the lower cutoff but increases with the fraction of the galaxy mass involved in the starburst. Such unusually red (V - K > 3.5) post-starburst galaxies can be distinguished from galaxies reddened by dust or with abnormally high metallicities by their unusually strong 4000 Å break and the presence of stellar absorption features typical of late-type giants.