Star Formation Rates and Metallicities of K-selected Star Forming Galaxies at z~2

TL;DR

This study analyzes the star formation rates and metallicities of K-selected star-forming galaxies at z~2, revealing correlations between stellar mass, SFR, SSFR, and metallicity, and comparing properties with UV-selected galaxies.

Contribution

It provides new spectroscopic measurements of emission lines in z~2 galaxies, establishing relationships between stellar mass, SFR, SSFR, and metallicity, and comparing these with UV-selected galaxy samples.

Findings

Higher stellar mass correlates with larger SFRs.

Negative correlation between stellar mass and SSFR.

More massive galaxies tend to be more metal-rich.

Abstract

We present spectroscopy of 15 star-forming BzK galaxies (sBzKs) with K(AB)<23 in the Subaru Deep Field, for which Halpha and some other emission lines are detected in 0.9 to 2.3 micron spectra with a resolution of R=500. Using Halpha luminosities, we obtain star formation rates (SFRs), and then specific SFRs (SSFRs) dividing SFRs by stellar masses, which are derived from SED fitting to BVRi'z'K photometry. It is found that sBzKs with higher stellar masses have larger SFRs. A negative correlation is seen between stellar mass and SSFR, which is consistent with the previous results for z~2 galaxies. This implies that a larger growth of stellar mass occurs in less massive galaxies. In addition, gas-phase oxygen abundances, 12+log(O/H), are derived from the ratio of NII(lambda 6584) to Halpha using the N2 index method. We have found a correlation between stellar mass and oxygen abundance in the sense that more massive sBzKs tend to be more metal rich, which is qualitatively consistent with the relation for UV-selected z~2 galaxies. However, the metallicity of the sBzKs is ~0.2 dex higher than that of UV-selected galaxies with similar stellar masses, which is significant considering the small uncertainties. The sBzKs in our sample have redder R-K colors than the UV-selected galaxies. This galaxy color-dependence in the oxygen abundance may be caused by older or dustier galaxies having higher metallicities at z~2.