Population Of Elliptical Galaxies Research Articles

Impact of PSF misestimation and galaxy population bias on precision shear measurement using a CNN

ABSTRACT Weak gravitational lensing of distant galaxies provides a powerful probe of dark energy. The aim of this study is to investigate the application of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to precision shear estimation. In particular, using a shallow CNN, we explore the impact of point spread function (PSF) misestimation and ‘galaxy population bias’ (including ‘distribution bias’ and ‘morphology bias’), focusing on the accuracy requirements of next generation surveys. We simulate a population of noisy disc and elliptical galaxies and adopt a PSF that is representative of a Euclid-like survey. We quantify the accuracy achieved by the CNN, assuming a linear relationship between the estimated and true shears and measure the multiplicative (m) and additive (c) biases. We make use of an unconventional loss function to mitigate the effects of noise bias and measure m and c when we use either: (i) an incorrect galaxy ellipticity distribution or size–magnitude relation, or the wrong ratio of morphological types, to describe the population of galaxies (distribution bias); (ii) an incorrect galaxy light profile (morphology bias); or (iii) a PSF with size or ellipticity offset from its true value (PSF misestimation). We compare our results to the Euclid requirements on the knowledge of the PSF model shape and size. Finally, we outline further work to build on the promising potential of CNNs in precision shear estimation.

Splitting the lentils: Clues to galaxy/black hole coevolution from the discovery of offset relations for non-dusty versus dusty (wet-merger-built) lenticular galaxies in theMbh–M*,spheroid andMbh–M*,galaxy diagrams

ABSTRACTThis work advances the (galaxy morphology)-dependent (black hole mass, Mbh)–(spheroid/galaxy stellar mass, M*) scaling relations by introducing ‘dust bins’ for lenticular (S0) galaxies. Doing so has led to the discovery of Mbh–M*,sph and Mbh–M*,gal relations for dusty S0 galaxies – built by major wet mergers and comprising half the S0 sample – offset from the distribution of dust-poor S0 galaxies. The situation is reminiscent of how major dry mergers of massive S0 galaxies have created an offset population of ellicular and elliptical galaxies. For a given Mbh, the dust-rich S0 galaxies have 3–4 times higher M*,sph than the dust-poor S0 galaxies, and the steep distributions of both populations in the Mbh–M*,sph diagram bracket the $M_{\rm bh} \propto M_{\rm *,sph}^{2.27+/-0.48}$ relation defined by the spiral galaxies, themselves renovated through minor mergers. The new relations offer refined means to estimate Mbh in other galaxies and should aid with: (i) constructing (galaxy morphology)-dependent black hole mass functions; (ii) estimating the masses of black holes associated with tidal disruption events; (iii) better quantifying evolution in the scaling relations via improved comparisons with high-z data by alleviating the pickle of apples versus oranges; (iv) mergers and long-wavelength gravitational wave science; (v) simulations of galaxy/black hole coevolution and semi-analytic works involving galaxy speciation; plus (vi) facilitating improved extrapolations into the intermediate-mass black hole landscape. The role of the galaxy’s environment is also discussed, and many potential projects that can further explore the morphological divisions are mentioned.

An expanded ultraluminous X-ray source catalogue

Context. Ultraluminous X-ray sources (LX ≳ ×1039 erg s−1, ULXs) are excellent probes for extreme accretion physics, star formation history in galaxies, and intermediate-mass black holes searches. As the sample size of X-ray data from modern observatories such as XMM-Newton and Chandra increases, producing extensive catalogues of ULXs and studying their collective properties has become both a possibility and a priority. Aims. Our aim is to build a clean updated ULX catalogue based on one of the most recent XMM-Newton X-ray serendipitous survey data releases, 4XMM-DR9, and the most recent and exhaustive catalogue of nearby galaxies, HECATE. We performed a preliminary population study to test if the properties of the expanded XMM-Newton ULX population are consistent with previous findings. Methods. We performed positional cross-matches between XMM-Newton sources and HECATE objects to identify host galaxies, and we used distance and luminosity arguments to identify ULX candidates. We flagged interlopers by finding known counterparts in external catalogues and databases such as Gaia DR2, SSDS, Pan-STARRS1, the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database, and SIMBAD. Source, galaxy and variability parameters from 4XMM-DR9, HECATE, and 4XMM-DR9s were used to study the spectral, abundance, and variability properties of the ULX sample. Results. We identify 779 ULX candidates, 94 of which hold LX ≳ 5 × 1040 erg s−1. Spiral galaxies are more likely to host ULXs. For early spiral galaxies the number of ULX candidates per star-forming rate is consistent with previous studies, while a significant ULX population in elliptical and lenticular galaxies also exists. Candidates hosted by late-type galaxies tend to present harder spectra and to undergo more extreme inter-observation variability than those hosted by early-type galaxies. Approximately 30 candidates with LX > 1041 erg s−1 are also identified, constituting the most interesting candidates for intermediate-mass black hole searches. Conclusions. We have built the largest ULX catalogue to date. Our results on the spectral and abundance properties of ULXs confirm the findings made by previous studies based on XMM-Newton and Chandra data, while our population-scale study on variability properties is unprecedented. Our study, however, provides limited insight into the properties of the brightest ULX candidates due to the small sample size. The expected growth of X-ray catalogues and potential future follow-ups will aid in drawing a clearer picture.

A Morphological Study of Galaxies Hosting Optical Variability-selected AGNs in the COSMOS Field

Abstract Morphological studies are crucial to investigate the connections between active galactic nucleus (AGN) activities and the evolution of galaxies. Substantial studies have found that radiative-mode AGNs primarily reside in disk galaxies, questioning the merger-driven mechanism of AGN activities. In this study, through Sérsic profile fitting and nonparametric morphological parameter measurements, we investigated the morphology of host galaxies of 485 optical variability-selected low-luminosity AGNs at z ≲ 4.26 in the COSMOS field. We analyzed high-resolution images of the Hubble Space Telescope to measure these morphological parameters. We only successfully measured the morphological parameters for 76 objects and most AGN hosts (∼70%) were visually compact point-like sources. We examined the obtained morphological information as a function of redshift and compared them with literature data. We found that these AGN host galaxies showed no clear morphological preference. However, the merger rate increased with higher host star formation rate and AGN luminosity. Interestingly, we found ongoing star formation consistent with the typical star-forming populations in both elliptical and spiral galaxies, while these two types of galaxies were more symmetric than normal star-forming galaxies. These results suggest that optical variability-selected AGNs have higher probabilities to reside in elliptical galaxies than infrared-selected AGNs, whose host galaxies have a strong disk dominance, and support recent findings that the AGN feedback can enhance star-forming activities in host galaxies.

On the deceleration of Fanaroff-Riley Class I jets: mass loading of magnetized jets by stellar winds.

Abstract In this paper we present steady-state RMHD simulations that include a mass-load term to study the process of jet deceleration. The mass-load mimics the injection of a proton-electron plasma from stellar winds within the host galaxy into initially pair plasma jets, with mean stellar mass-losses ranging from 10−14 to 10−9 M⊙ yr−1. The spatial jet evolution covers ∼500 pc from jet injection in the grid at 10 pc from the jet nozzle. Our simulations use a relativistic gas equation of state and a pressure profile for the ambient medium. We compare these simulations with previous dynamical simulations of relativistic, non-magnetised jets. Our results show that toroidal magnetic fields can prevent fast jet expansion and the subsequent embedding of further stars via magnetic tension. In this sense, magnetic fields avoid a runaway deceleration process. Furthermore, when the mass-load is large enough to increase the jet density and produce fast, differential jet expansion, the conversion of magnetic energy flux into kinetic energy flux (i.e., magnetic acceleration), helps to delay the deceleration process with respect to non-magnetised jets. We conclude that the typical stellar population in elliptical galaxies cannot explain jet deceleration in classical FRI radio galaxies. However, we observe a significant change in the jet composition, thermodynamical parameters and energy dissipation along its evolution, even for moderate values of the mass-load.

Two phase formation of massive elliptical galaxies: study through cross-correlation including spatial effect

Formation mechanism of present day population of elliptical galaxies have been revisited in the context of hierarchical cosmological models accompanied by accretion and minor mergers through cross correlation function including spatial effect. The present work investigates the formation and evolution of several components of nearby massive early type galaxies (ETGs) through cross-correlation in the spatial coordinates, right ascension and declination (RA, DEC) and mass-size parameter space with high redshift $(0.5\leq z\leq2.7)$ ETGs. It is found that innermost components of nearby ETGs are highly correlated with ETGs in the redshift range $(2\leq z\leq2.7)$ known as 'red nuggets'. The intermediate and outermost parts have moderate correlations with ETGs in the redshift range $(0.5\leq z\leq0.75)$. The quantitative measures are highly consistent with the two phase formation scenario of massive nearby early type galaxies as suggested by various authors and resolves the conflict raised in a previous work suggesting other possibilities for the formation of outermost part of nearby massive ETGs. The improvement is expected to be due to inclusion of spatial effects in addition to other linear parameters.

Rapidly star-forming galaxies adjacent to quasars at redshifts exceeding 6.

The existence of massive (1011 Msun) elliptical galaxies by redshift z~4[1,2,3] (when the Universe was 1.5 billion years old) necessitates the presence of galaxies with star formation rates SFR>100 Msun/yr at z>6 (corresponding to an age of the Universe of less than 1 billion years). Surveys have discovered hundreds of galaxies at these early cosmic epochs, but their star formation rates are more than an order of magnitude lower[4]. The only known examples of very high rate galaxies at z>6 are, with only one exception[5], quasar host galaxies[6,7,8,9], i.e. galaxies that host an accreting supermassive (~109 Msun) black hole that likely affects the host properties. Here we report observations of the [CII] 158 μm line in 4 galaxies that are companions of quasars, with velocity offsets of less than 600 kilometres per second and linear offsets of less than 100 kiloparsecs. The discovery of these four galaxies was serendipitous; they are close to their companion quasars and appear bright in the far-infrared. Based upon the [CII] measurements, we estimate star formation rates of >100 Msun/yr. These sources are similar to the quasar hosts in [CII] brightness, line width and implied dynamical masses, but do not show evidence for accreting supermassive black holes. Similar systems have previously been found at lower redshift[10,11,12]. We find such close companions in 4 out of 25 z>6 quasars surveyed, a fraction that needs to be accounted for in simulations[13,14]. If representative of the bright end of the [CII] luminosity function, they can account for the population of massive elliptical galaxies at z~4 in terms of cosmic space density.

M32 Analogs? A Population of Massive Ultra-compact Dwarf and Compact Elliptical Galaxies in Intermediate-redshift Clusters

Abstract We report the discovery of relatively massive, M32-like ultra compact dwarf (UCD) and compact elliptical (CE) galaxy candidates in massive galaxy clusters imaged by the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH) survey. Examining the nearly unresolved objects in the survey, we identify a sample of compact objects concentrated around the cluster central galaxies with colors similar to cluster red sequence galaxies. Their colors and magnitudes suggest stellar masses around . More than half of these galaxies have half-light radii smaller than 200 pc, falling into the category of massive UCDs and CEs, with properties similar to M32. The properties are consistent with a tidal stripping origin, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they are early-formed compact objects trapped in massive dark matter halos. The 17 CLASH clusters studied in this work on average contain 2.7 of these objects in their central 0.3 Mpc and 0.6 in their central 50 kpc. Our study demonstrates the possibility of statistically characterizing UCDs/CEs with a large set of uniform imaging survey data.

Quenching vs. Quiescence: forming realistic massive ellipticals with a simple starvation model

The decrease in star formation (SF) and the morphological change necessary to produce the $z=0$ elliptical galaxy population are commonly ascribed to a sudden quenching event, which is able to rid the central galaxy of its cold gas reservoir in a short time. Following this event, the galaxy is able to prevent further SF and stay quiescent via a maintenance mode. We test whether such a quenching event is truly necessary using a simple model of quiescence. In this model, hot gas (all gas above a temperature threshold) in a $\sim10^{12} M_{\odot}$ halo mass galaxy at redshift $z\sim3$ is prevented from cooling. The cool gas continues to form stars at a decreasing rate and the galaxy stellar mass, morphology, velocity dispersion and position on the color magnitude diagram (CMD) proceed to evolve. By $z=0$, the halo mass has grown to $10^{13} M_{\odot}$ and the galaxy has attained characteristics typical of an observed $z=0$ elliptical galaxy. Our model is run in the framework of a cosmological, smooth particle hydrodynamic code which includes SF, early stellar feedback, supernova feedback, metal cooling and metal diffusion. Additionally, we post-process our simulations with a radiative transfer code to create a mock CMD. In contrast to previous assumptions that a pure "fade away" model evolves too slowly to account for the sparsity of galaxies in the "green valley", we demonstrate crossing times of $<$1 Gyr. We conclude that no sudden quenching event is necessary to produce such rapid colour transitions.

Red nuggets grow inside-out: evidence from gravitational lensing

We present a new sample of strong gravitational lens systems where both the foreground lenses and background sources are early-type galaxies. Using imaging from HST/ACS and Keck/NIRC2, we model the surface brightness distributions and show that the sources form a distinct population of massive, compact galaxies at redshifts $0.4 \lesssim z \lesssim 0.7$, lying systematically below the size-mass relation of the global elliptical galaxy population at those redshifts. These may therefore represent relics of high-redshift red nuggets or their partly-evolved descendants. We exploit the magnifying effect of lensing to investigate the structural properties, stellar masses and stellar populations of these objects with a view to understanding their evolution. We model these objects parametrically and find that they generally require two S\'ersic components to properly describe their light profiles, with one more spheroidal component alongside a more envelope-like component, which is slightly more extended though still compact. This is consistent with the hypothesis of the inside-out growth of these objects via minor mergers. We also find that the sources can be characterised by red-to-blue colour gradients as a function of radius which are stronger at low redshift -- indicative of ongoing accretion -- but that their environments generally appear consistent with that of the general elliptical galaxy population, contrary to recent suggestions that these objects are predominantly associated with clusters.

A comparison of properties of different population radio galaxies based on the Planck mission microwave data

Applying the stacking method, we examine the areas of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) maps, constructed according to the Planck SpaceObservatory data in the neighbourhood of different populations of radio sources and giant elliptical galaxies. The samples of objects include giant radio galaxies (GRG), radio sources, selected by the radio-spectral index and redshift, as well as the gamma-ray bursts, used as a secondary comparative sample. We have studied the topological properties of the CMB signal in the neighbourhood of the average object of the population, namely, we searched for the presence of the maxima and minima in the average area. The difference of the signal in the neighbourhood of GRGs from the other types of objects was discovered.

To the problem of the secondary CMB anisotropy separation

We study contribution to the secondary anisotropy maps of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation which difficult to account for faint sources. Two effects are investigated. They are the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect connected with the inverse Compton scattering of CMB photons on hot electrons of cluster of galaxies, and contamination of the background by weak extragalctic sources. First, we study fields of the Planck CMB maps around radio sources of the RATAN-600 catalog. We see weak microwave sources which make an additional contribution to the secondary anisotropy on angular small scales (< 7′). An algorithm for selecting candidate objects with the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect was proposed, based on the use of data on the radio spectral indices and the signal in cosmic-microwave background maps. Second, applying the stacking method, we examine the areas of the CMB maps, constructed according to the Planck Space Observatory data in the neighborhood of different populations of radio sources and giant elliptical galaxies. The samples of objects include giant radio galaxies (GRG), radio sources, selected by the radio spectral index and redshift, as well as the gammaray bursts, used as a secondary comparative sample. The signal from this objects exists on CMB maps and its difference in the neighborhood of GRGs from the other types of objects was discovered.

On the assembly of dwarf galaxies in clusters and their efficient formation of globular clusters

Galaxy clusters contain a large population of low mass dwarf elliptical galaxies whose exact origin is unclear: their colors, structural properties and kinematics differ substantially from those of dwarf irregulars in the field. We use the Illustris cosmological simulation to study differences in the assembly paths of dwarf galaxies (3e8 < M_*/M_sun < 1e10) according to their environment. We find that cluster dwarfs achieve their maximum total and stellar mass on average ~ 8 and ~ 4.5 Gyr ago (or redshifts z = 1.0 and z = 0.4, respectively), around the time of infall into the clusters. In contrast, field dwarfs not subjected to environmental stripping, reach their maximum mass at redshift z = 0. This different assembly history naturally produces a color bimodality, with blue isolated dwarfs and redder cluster dwarfs exhibiting negligible star-formation today. The cessation of star formation happens over median times 3.5-5 Gyr depending on stellar mass, and shows a large scatter (~ 1-8 Gyr), with the lower values associated with starburst events that occur at infall through the virial radius or pericentric passages. We argue that such starbursts together with the early assembly of cluster dwarfs can provide a natural explanation for the higher specific frequency of globular clusters (GCs) in cluster dwarfs, as found observationally. We present a simple model for the formation and stripping of GCs that supports this interpretation. The origin of dwarf ellipticals in clusters is, therefore, consistent with an environmentally-driven evolution of field dwarf irregulars. However the z = 0 field analogs of cluster dwarf progenitors have today stellar masses a factor ~ 3 larger --a difference arising from the early truncation of star formation in cluster dwarfs.

Lick-index entanglement and biased diagnostic of stellar populations in galaxies★

The Lick-index spectrophotometric system is investigated in its inherent statistical and operational properties to ease a more appropriate use for astrophysical studies. Non-Gaussian effects in the index standardization procedure suggest that a minimum S/N ratio has to be reached by spectral data, such as S/N >= 5 px^{-1} for a spectral resolution R~2000. In addition, index (re-)definition in terms of narrow-band "color" should be preferred over the classical pseudo-equivalent width scheme. The overlapping wavelength range among different indices is also an issue, as it may lead the latter ones to correlate, beyond any strictly physical relationship. The nested configuration of the Fe5335, Fe5270 indices, and the so-called "Mg complex" (including Mg1, Mg2 and Mgb) is analysed, in this context, by assessing the implied bias when joining entangled features into "global" diagnostic meta-indices, like the perused [MgFe] metallicity tracer. The perturbing effect of [OIII](5007) and [NI](5199) forbidden gas emission on Fe5015 and Mgb absorption features is considered, and an updated correction scheme is proposed when using [OIII](5007) as a proxy to appraise Hbeta residual emission. When applied to present-day elliptical galaxy population, the revised Hbeta scale leads, on average, to 20-30% younger age estimates. Finally, the misleading role of the christening element in Lick-based chemical analyses is illustrated for the striking case of Fe4531. In fact, while Iron is nominally the main contributor to the observed feature in high-resolution spectra, we have shown that the Fe4531 index actually maximizes its responsiveness to Titanium abundance.

X-RAY TRANSIENTS: HYPER- OR HYPO-LUMINOUS?

The disk instability picture gives a plausible explanation for the behavior of soft X-ray transient systems if self-irradiation of the disk is included. We show that there is a simple relation between the peak luminosity (at the start of an outburst) and the decay timescale. We use this relation to place constraints on systems assumed to undergo disk instabilities. The observable X-ray populations of elliptical galaxies must largely consist of long-lived transients, as deduced on different grounds by Piro and Bildsten (2002). The strongly-varying X-ray source HLX-1 in the galaxy ESO 243-49 can be modeled as a disk instability of a highly super-Eddington stellar-mass binary similar to SS433. A fit to the disk instability picture is not possible for an intermediate-mass black hole model for HLX-1. Other, recently identified, super-Eddington ULXs might be subject to disk instability.

Detection of galaxies withGaia

Besides its major objective tuned to the detection of the stellar galactic population the Gaia mission experiment will also observe a large number of galaxies. In this work we intend to evaluate the number and the characteristics of the galaxies that will effectively pass the onboard selection algorithm of Gaia. The detection of objects in Gaia will be performed in a section of the focal plane known as the Sky Mapper. Taking into account the Video Processing Algorithm criterion of detection and considering the known light profiles of discs and bulges galaxies we assess the number and the type of extra-galactic objects that will be observed by Gaia. We show that the stellar disk population of galaxies will be very difficult to be observed. On the contrary the spheroidal component of elliptical galaxies and bulges having higher central surface brightness and steeper brightness profile will be more easy to be detected. We estimate that most of the 20 000 elliptical population of nearby galaxies inside the local region up to 170 Mpc are in condition to be observed by Gaia. A similar number of bulges could also be observed although the low luminosity bulges should escape detection. About two thirds of the more distant objects up to 600 Mpc could also be detected increasing the total sample to half a million objects including ellipticals and bulges. The angular size of the detected objects will never exceed 4.72 arcsec which is the size of the largest transmitted windows. An heterogeneous population of elliptical galaxies and bulges will be observable by Gaia. This nearby Universe sample of galaxies should constitute a very rich and interesting sample to study their structural properties and their distribution.

Properties of galaxies reproduced by a hydrodynamic simulation.

Previous simulations of the growth of cosmic structures have broadly reproduced the 'cosmic web' of galaxies that we see in the Universe, but failed to create a mixed population of elliptical and spiral galaxies, because of numerical inaccuracies and incomplete physical models. Moreover, they were unable to track the small-scale evolution of gas and stars to the present epoch within a representative portion of the Universe. Here we report a simulation that starts 12 million years after the Big Bang, and traces 13 billion years of cosmic evolution with 12 billion resolution elements in a cube of 106.5 megaparsecs a side. It yields a reasonable population of ellipticals and spirals, reproduces the observed distribution of galaxies in clusters and characteristics of hydrogen on large scales, and at the same time matches the 'metal' and hydrogen content of galaxies on small scales.

COLOR-MAGNITUDE RELATIONS WITHIN GLOBULAR CLUSTER SYSTEMS OF GIANT ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES: THE EFFECTS OF GLOBULAR CLUSTER MASS LOSS AND THE STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION

Several recent studies have provided evidence for a `bottom-heavy' stellar initial mass function (IMF) in massive elliptical galaxies. Here we investigate the influence of the IMF shape on the recently discovered color-magnitude relation (CMR) among globular clusters (GCs) in such galaxies. To this end we use calculations of GC mass loss due to stellar and dynamical evolution to evaluate (i) the shapes of stellar mass functions in GCs after 12 Gyr of evolution as a function of current GC mass along with their effects on integrated-light colors and mass-to-light ratios, and (ii) their impact on the effects of GC self-enrichment using the 2009 `reference' model of Bailin & Harris. As to the class of metal-poor GCs, we find the observed shape of the CMR (often referred to as the `blue tilt') to be very well reproduced by Bailin & Harris' reference self-enrichment model once 12 Gyr of GC mass loss is taken into account. The influence of the IMF on this result is found to be insignificant. However, we find that the observed CMR among the class of metal-rich GCs (the `red tilt') can only be adequately reproduced if the IMF was bottom-heavy (e.g., $-3.0 <~ \alpha <~ -2.3$ in $dN/dM \propto M^{\alpha}$), which causes the stellar mass function at subsolar masses to depend relatively strongly on GC mass. This constitutes additional evidence that the metal-rich stellar populations in giant elliptical galaxies were formed with a bottom-heavy IMF.

The Planetary Nebula Spectrograph survey of S0 galaxy kinematics

The origins of S0 galaxies remain obscure, with various mechanisms proposed for their formation, likely depending on environment. These mechanisms would imprint different signatures in the galaxies' stellar kinematics out to large radii, offering a method for distinguishing between them. We aim to study a sample of six S0 galaxies from a range of environments, and use planetary nebulae (PNe) as tracers of their stellar populations out to very large radii, to determine their kinematics in order to understand their origins. Using a special-purpose instrument, the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph, we observe and extract PNe catalogues for these six systems*. We show that the PNe have the same spatial distribution as the starlight, that the numbers of them are consistent with what would be expected in a comparable old stellar population in elliptical galaxies, and that their kinematics join smoothly onto those derived at smaller radii from conventional spectroscopy. The high-quality kinematic observations presented here form an excellent set for studying the detailed kinematics of S0 galaxies, in order to unravel their formation histories. We find that PNe are good tracers of stellar kinematics in these systems. We show that the recovered kinematics are largely dominated by rotational motion, although with significant random velocities in most cases.

The similar stellar populations of quiescent spiral and elliptical galaxies

We compare the stellar population properties in the central regions of visually classified non-starforming spiral and elliptical galaxies from Galaxy Zoo and SDSS DR7. The galaxies lie in the redshift range $0.04<z<0.1$ and have stellar masses larger than $logM_*=10.4$. We select only face-on spiral galaxies in order to avoid contamination by light from the disk in the SDSS fiber and enabling the robust visual identification of spiral structure. Overall, we find that galaxies with larger central stellar velocity dispersions, regardless of morphological type, have older ages, higher metallicities, and an increased overabundance of alpha-elements. Age and alpha-enhancement, at fixed velocity dispersion, do not depend on morphological type. The only parameter that, at a given velocity dispersion, correlates with morphological type is metallicity, where the metallicity of the bulges of spiral galaxies is 0.07 dex higher than that of the ellipticals. However, for galaxies with a given total stellar mass, this dependence on morphology disappears. Under the assumption that, for our sample, the velocity dispersion traces the mass of the bulge alone, as opposed to the total mass (bulge+disk) of the galaxy, our results imply that the formation epoch of galaxy and the duration of its star-forming period are linked to the mass of the bulge. The extent to which metals are retained within the galaxy, and not removed as a result of outflows, is determined by the total mass of the galaxy.