E+A Galaxies with Blue Cores: Active Galaxies in Transition

Abstract

HST ACS images reveal blue cores in four E+A, or post-starburst, galaxies. Follow-up spectroscopy shows that these cores have LINER spectra. The existence of LINERs, consistent with those in many elliptical galaxies, is yet one more piece of evidence that these post-merger, post-starburst, bulge-dominated galaxies will evolve into normal ellipticals. More interestingly, if LINERs are powered by low-luminosity AGN, their presence in these E+As suggests that any rapid growth phase of the central black hole ended in rough concert with the cessation of star formation. This result emphasizes the importance of E+As for exploring how the evolution of black holes and AGN may be tied to that of galactic bulges.

Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 5 pages, 3 figures