Galaxy formation and chemical evolution

TL;DR

This paper investigates how different galaxy accretion and star formation scenarios influence the chemical evolution of the galaxy, emphasizing the importance of early rapid accretion and star formation in shaping elemental abundances.

Contribution

It demonstrates that early rapid accretion and enhanced star formation are key to explaining galactic chemical evolution, supporting a massive thick disk formation model.

Findings

Rapid early accretion explains major elemental trends.

Enhanced early star formation influences chemical inventories.

Supports formation of a massive thick disk.

Abstract

The manner the galaxy accretes matter along with the star formation rates at different epochs, influence the evolution of the stable isotopic inventories of the galaxy. A detailed analysis is presented here to study the dependence of the galactic chemical evolution on the accretion scenario of the galaxy along with the star formation rate during the early accretionary phase of the galactic thick disk and thin disk. Our results indicate that a rapid early accretion of the galaxy during the formation of the galactic thick disk along with an enhanced star formation rate in the early stages of the galaxy accretion could explain the majority of the galactic chemical evolution trends of the major elements. Further, we corroborate the recent suggestions regarding the formation of a massive galactic thick disk rather than the earlier assumed low mass thick disk.