Stellar population gradients at cosmic noon as a constraint to the evolution of passive galaxies

Abstract

Context. The radial variations of the stellar populations properties within passive galaxies at high redshift contain information about their assembly mechanisms, based on which galaxy formation and evolution scenarios may be distinguished. Aims. The aim of this work is to give constraints on massive galaxy formation scenarios through one of the first analyses of age and metallicity gradients of the stellar populations in a sample of passive galaxies at z > 1.6 based on spectroscopic data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Methods. We combined G141 deep slitless spectroscopic data and F160W photometric data of the spectroscopically passive galaxies at 1.6 < z < 2.4 with H160 < 22.0 in the field of view of the cluster JKCS 041. We extracted spectra from different zones of the galaxies, and we analysed them by fitting them with a library of synthetic templates of stellar population models to obtain estimates of the age and metallicity gradients. Results. We obtained reliable measurements of age and metallicity parameters in different spatial zones of four galaxies. We performed spatially resolved measurements in individual high-redshift galaxies without the need of peculiar situations (i.e. gravitational lensing) for the first time. All four galaxies exhibit negative metallicity gradients. Their amplitude, similar to that measured in galaxies in the local Universe, suggests that the stellar populations of passive galaxies from z ∼ 2 to z = 0 are not redistributed. Conclusions. Although the sample we analysed is small, the results we obtained suggest that the main mechanism that determines the spatial distribution of the stellar population properties within passive galaxies is constrained in the first 3 Gyr of the Universe. This is consistent with the revised monolithic scenario.