Evolutionary paths to and from the red sequence: Star formation and HI properties of transition galaxies at z~0

TL;DR

This study explores the properties and evolutionary paths of transition galaxies between the blue and red sequences, highlighting the roles of HI content, environment, and external accretion in their star formation quenching and migration.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the HI properties and environmental factors influencing galaxy transition paths, revealing diverse evolutionary mechanisms.

Findings

HI-deficient galaxies are mostly in high-density environments and are consistent with gas stripping quenching.

Migration from blue to red sequence can take up to a few Gyr, often involving disk galaxies.

Some HI-normal transition galaxies show signs of external accretion, suggesting varied evolutionary histories.

Abstract

(Abridged) We investigate the properties of galaxies between the blue and the red sequence (i.e., the transition region) by combining UV and NIR imaging to HI line observations for a volume-limited sample of nearby galaxies. We confirm the existence of a tight relation between colour and HI-fraction across all the range of colours, although outside the blue cloud this trend becomes gradually weaker. Transition galaxies are divided into two different families, according to their atomic hydrogen content. HI-deficient galaxies are the majority of transition galaxies in our sample. They are found in high density environments and all their properties are consistent with a quenching of the star formation via gas stripping. However, while the migration from the blue cloud is relatively quick (i.e., <=1 Gyr), a longer amount of time (a few Gyr at least) seems required to completely suppress the star formation and reach the red sequence. At all masses, migrating HI-deficient galaxies are mainly disks, implying that the mechanism responsible for today's migration in clusters cannot have played a significant role in the creation of the red sequence at high-redshift. Conversely, HI-normal transition galaxies are a more heterogeneous population. A fraction of these objects show evidence for accretion/minor-merging events suggesting that at least part of the HI reservoir has an external origin. The detailed evolution of such systems is still unclear, but our analysis suggests that some galaxies might have migrated back from the red sequence after accretion events. Our study clearly shows the variety of evolutionary paths leading to the transition region and suggests that the transition galaxies may not be always associated with systems quickly migrating from the blue to the red sequence.