Aperture-free star formation rate of SDSS star-forming galaxies

TL;DR

This study develops an empirical aperture correction method for SDSS star-forming galaxies to accurately estimate their total star formation rates, reducing uncertainties from limited aperture observations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel empirical aperture correction for Hα fluxes in SDSS galaxies, enabling more accurate total SFR measurements with minimal uncertainties.

Findings

Aperture-corrected SFRs are ~0.65 dex higher than fibre-based estimates.

The SFR–stellar mass relation aligns with previous integral field spectroscopy studies.

The corrected SFRs are consistent with theoretical models of disc galaxies.

Abstract

Large area surveys with a high number of galaxies observed have undoubtedly marked a milestone in the understanding of several properties of galaxies, such as star-formation history, morphology, and metallicity. However, in many cases, these surveys provide fluxes from fixed small apertures (e.g. fibre), which cover a scant fraction of the galaxy, compelling us to use aperture corrections to study the global properties of galaxies. In this work, we derive the current total star formation rate (SFR) of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) star-forming galaxies, using an empirically based aperture correction of the measured $\rm H\alpha$ flux for the first time, thus minimising the uncertainties associated with reduced apertures. All the $\rm H\alpha$ fluxes have been extinction-corrected using the $\rm H\alpha/H\beta$ ratio free from aperture effects. The total SFR for $\sim$210,000 SDSS star-forming galaxies has been derived applying pure empirical $\rm H\alpha$ and $\rm H\alpha/H\beta$ aperture corrections based on the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey. We find that, on average, the aperture-corrected SFR is $\sim$0.65dex higher than the SDSS fibre-based SFR. The relation between the SFR and stellar mass for SDSS star-forming galaxies (SFR--$\rm M_\star$) has been obtained, together with its dependence on extinction and $\rm H\alpha$ equivalent width. We compare our results with those obtained in previous works and examine the behaviour of the derived SFR in six redshift bins, over the redshift range $\rm 0.005 \leq z\leq 0.22$. The SFR--$\rm M_\star$ sequence derived here is in agreement with selected observational studies based on integral field spectroscopy of individual galaxies as well as with the predictions of recent theoretical models of disc galaxies.