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A possible origin of the high metallicity in the nuclei of massive galaxies and quasars

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Abstract

According to current observations, the relative abundance of gas-phase metals in distant quasars with ages of only ∼109 yr (z∼5) can be appreciably higher than the solar abundance. We show that there are two main ways to explain the high metallicity of these galactic nuclei: a high gas density in the central regions, or an increase in the minimum masses of forming stars to several solar masses. The results of numerical modeling confirm this conclusion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. V. Moiseev

  2. Institute of Astronomy, Moscow, Russia

    A. V. Tutukov, D. S. Wiebe & B. M. Shustov

Authors
  1. A. V. Moiseev
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  2. A. V. Tutukov
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  3. D. S. Wiebe
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  4. B. M. Shustov
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__________

Translated from Astronomicheski\(\overset{\lower0.5em\hbox{$\smash{\scriptscriptstyle\smile}$}}{l} \) Zhurnal, Vol. 81, No. 5, 2004, pp. 403–410.

Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Moiseev, Tutukov, Wiebe, Shustov.

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Moiseev, A.V., Tutukov, A.V., Wiebe, D.S. et al. A possible origin of the high metallicity in the nuclei of massive galaxies and quasars. Astron. Rep. 48, 367–373 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1134/1.1744936

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/1.1744936

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