Trading oxygen for iron

Abstract

Our current knowledge of the star-forming metallicity of galaxies relies primarily on gas-phase oxygen abundance measurements. However, these do not always allow an accurate description of differences in stellar evolution and feedback, which are driven by variations in iron abundance. α-elements (such as oxygen) and iron are produced by sources that operate on different timescales and the link between them is not straightforward. We explore the origin of the [O/Fe]–specific SFR (sSFR) relation, linking chemical abundances to galaxy formation timescales. This relation is adhered to by star-forming galaxies across redshifts according to cosmological simulations and basic theoretical expectations. Its apparent universality makes it suitable for trading the readily available oxygen for iron abundance. We show that the relation is determined by the relative iron production efficiency of core-collapse and type Ia supernovae and the delay-time distribution of the latter – uncertain factors that could be constrained empirically with the [O/Fe]–sSFR relation. We compile and homogenise a literature sample of star-forming galaxies with observational iron abundance determinations to place first constraints on the [O/Fe]–sSFR relation over a wide range of sSFR. The relation shows a clear evolution towards lower [O/Fe] with decreasing sSFR and a flattening above log10(sSFR/yr)  >   − 9. These results are broadly consistent with expectations, but better constraints are needed to inform the models. We independently derive the relation from old Milky Way stars and find remarkable agreement between the two, as long as the recombination-line absolute oxygen abundance scale is used in conjunction with stellar metallicity measurements.