The Fate of the Interstellar Medium in Early-type Galaxies. V. AGN Feedback from Optical Spectral Classification

TL;DR

This study investigates how different ionization sources, especially AGNs and HOLMES, influence the removal of interstellar medium in early-type galaxies, using revised spectral diagnostics and a large galaxy sample.

Contribution

It introduces new spectral classification methods for galaxies and analyzes the role of AGNs and HOLMES in ISM removal across galaxy ages.

Findings

Strong AGNs impact ISM removal in younger galaxies.

Weak AGNs may influence ISM removal regardless of age.

HOLMES significantly contribute to ISM removal in older galaxies.

Abstract

Quenching of star-formation plays a fundamental role in galaxy evolution. This process occurs due to the removal of the cold interstellar medium (ISM) or stabilization against collapse, so that gas cannot be used in the formation of new stars. In this paper, we study the effect of different mechanisms of ISM removal. In particular, we revised the well-known Baldwin-Philips-Terlevich (BPT) and $\mathrm{EW_{H\alpha}}$ vs. $\mathrm{[NII]/H\alpha}$ (WHAN) emission-line ratio diagnostics, so that we could classify all galaxies, even those not detected at some emission lines, introducing several new spectral classes. We use spectroscopic data and several physical parameters of 2409 dusty early-type galaxies in order to find out the dominant ionization source [active galactic nuclei (AGNs), young massive stars, hot low-mass evolved stars (HOLMES)] and its effect on the ISM. We find that strong AGNs can play a significant role in the ISM removal process only for galaxies with ages lower than $10^{9.4}$ yr, but we cannot rule out the influence of weak AGNs at any age. For older galaxies, HOLMES/planetary nebulae contribute significantly to the ISM removal process. Additionally, we provide the BPT and WHAN classifications not only for the selected sample but also for all 300000 galaxies in the GAMA fields.