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An Objective Definition for the Main Sequence of Star-Forming Galaxies

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arxiv 1502.01027 v1 pith:C36N67WG submitted 2015-02-03 astro-ph.GA

classification astro-ph.GA
keywords galaxiesstar-formingdifferentdefinitionobjectiveadoptedcriteriadiagnostics
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal
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The Main Sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies plays a fundamental role in driving galaxy evolution and in our efforts to understand it. However, different studies find significant differences in the normalization, slope and shape of the MS. These discrepancies arise mainly from the different selection criteria adopted to isolate star-forming galaxies, that may include or exclude galaxies with specific star formation rate (SFR) substantially below the MS value. To obviate this limitation of all current criteria, we propose an objective definition of the MS that does not rely at all on a pre-selection of star-forming galaxies. Constructing the 3D SFR-Mass-Number plot, the MS is then defined as the ridge line of the star-forming peak, as illustrated with various figures. The advantages of such definition are manifold. If generally adopted it will facilitate the inter-comparison of results from different groups using the same star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass diagnostics, or to highlight the relative systematics of different diagnostics. All this could help understanding MS galaxies as systems in a quasi-steady state equilibrium and would also provide a more objective criterion for identifying quenching galaxies.

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Cited by 5 Pith papers

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    astro-ph.GA 2026-07 accept novelty 6.0 of 10

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  4. PEARLS: JWST Counterparts of Micro-Jy Radio Sources in the NEP Time Domain Field. II. All Four Spokes

    astro-ph.GA 2026-05 conditional novelty 5.0 of 10

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    JWST finds infrared counterparts for nearly all micro-Jy radio sources, with star formation explaining the radio output in roughly 79% of cases after accounting for non-linear luminosity relations.

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