Which Galaxy Property is the Best Gauge of the Oxygen Abundance?

Abstract

Abstract We present an extensive exploration of the impact of 29 physical parameters in the oxygen abundance for a sample of 299 star-forming galaxies extracted from the extended Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey sample. We corroborate that the stellar mass is the physical parameter that better traces the observed oxygen abundance (i.e., the mass–metallicity relation; MZR), while other physical parameters could play a potential role in shaping this abundance, but with a lower significant impact. We find that the functional form that best describes the MZR is a third-order polynomial function. From the residuals between this best functional form and the MZR, we find that once considered the impact of the mass in the oxygen abundance, the other physical parameters do not play a significant secondary role in shaping the oxygen abundance in these galaxies (including the gas fraction or the star formation rate). Our analysis suggests that the origin of the MZR is related to the chemical enrichment evolution of the interstellar medium due, most likely, to the buildup of stellar mass in these star-forming galaxies.