GOODS-ALMA 2.0: Last gigayear star formation histories of the so-called starbursts within the main sequence

TL;DR

This study investigates the recent star formation histories of compact main sequence galaxies with starburst-like features, revealing they maintain steady star formation activity and challenging the idea they are transitioning from starburst phases.

Contribution

It introduces a non-parametric SFH modeling approach and a new SFR gradient parameter to analyze recent star formation activity in GOODS-ALMA galaxies, providing insights into their evolutionary states.

Findings

Starburst in the MS galaxies have similar recent SFH to normal MS galaxies.

They maintain star formation activity within the main sequence.

No evidence of transition from starburst to quiescence in recent Gyr.

Abstract

Recently, a population of compact main sequence (MS) galaxies exhibiting starburst-like properties have been identified in the GOODS-ALMA blind survey at 1.1mm. Several evolution scenarios were proposed to explain their particular physical properties (e.g., compact size, low gas content, short depletion time). In this work, we aim at studying the star formation history (SFH) of the GOODS-ALMA galaxies to understand if the so-called ``starburst (SB) in the MS'' galaxies exhibit a different star formation activity over the last Gyr compared to MS galaxies that could explain their specificity. We use the CIGALE SED modelling code to which we add non-parametric SFHs. To compare quantitatively the recent SFH of the galaxies, we define a parameter, the star formation rate (SFR) gradient that provides the angle showing the direction that a galaxy has followed in the SFR vs stellar mass plane over a given period. We show that ``SB in the MS'' have positive or weak negative gradients over the last 100, 300, and 1000 Myr, at odds with a scenario where these galaxies would be transitioning from the SB region at the end of a strong starburst phase. Normal GOODS-ALMA galaxies and ``SB in the MS'' have the same SFR gradients distributions meaning that they have similar recent SFH, despite their different properties (compactness, low depletion time). The ``SBs in the MS'' manage to maintain a star-formation activity allowing them to stay within the MS. This points toward a diversity of galaxies within a complex MS.