The edge of the Milky Way's star-forming disc: Evidence from a 'U-shaped' stellar age profile

TL;DR

This study reveals a 'U-shaped' stellar age profile in the Milky Way's outer disc, identifying a break radius linked to the edge of star formation, supported by observational data and simulations.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of the Milky Way's outer disc age profile, linking the age minimum to the disc's star formation edge through combined observational and simulation evidence.

Findings

The age profile shows a negative gradient inward and positive outward from the break.

The break radius coincides with the stellar density profile's edge, indicating the star formation cutoff.

Outer disc star formation likely ceased due to dynamical effects, warp, or thermal regulation.

Abstract

We leveraged reliable age and distance estimates from LAMOST-DR3 and APOGEE-DR17+AstroNN combined with \gaia\ data to perform a detailed analysis of the stellar age distribution in the Milky Way's (MW) outer disc using giant stars. Selecting stars near the midplane ($|z|<0.3$ kpc) on near-circular orbits ($\lambda_c > 0.9$), we analysed these independent datasets that employed different age-estimation methods. Our stringent kinematic selection criteria effectively exclude halo stars, ensuring that the observed age trends reflect genuine disc properties rather than contamination from older halo populations. Our results reveal a 'U-shaped' stellar age profile, where a negative gradient in the inner disc transitions to a positive gradient in the outer disc region. We identify the minimum in the stellar age profile at $R_{\rm min}=11.28 \pm 0.58$ kpc and $R_{\rm min}=12.15\pm 0.62$ kpc for the APOGEE-DR17 and LAMOST-DR3 samples, respectively. Using N-body+SPH simulations, we demonstrate that $R_{\rm min}$ corresponds to the break radius in the stellar density profile ($R_{\rm br}$), marking the edge of the Galaxy's star-forming disc. This break arises from a sharp decline in the star formation rate, with the outer positive age gradient produced by the radial migration of stars born inside $R_{\rm br}$. The cessation of star formation in the outer disc might be due to several mechanisms, including the dynamical influence of the bar's outer Lindblad resonance, the onset of the Galactic warp, or thermally regulated star formation. Overall, our results support the picture that the MW has a Type II (down-bending) stellar disc with a break at $R_{\rm br} \approx 11.28-12.15$ kpc, where the combination of star-formation cut-off and radial migration produces the observed U-shaped age profile.