# Contrasting evolutionary pathways of fast- and slow-rotating galaxies in the green valley

**Authors:** Shuang Zhou, Angela Iovino, Marcella Longhetti, Francesco La Barbera, Luca Costantin  
**arXiv:** [2603.18292](https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.18292)  
**Date:** 2026-03-18  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2603.18292v1/

## Key points

- Investigated evolutionary pathways of Green Valley (GV) galaxies using SDSS-IV/MaNGA survey data
- Categorized GV sample into fast- and slow-rotating galaxies based on stellar spin
- Fast-rotating galaxies consistently exhibit higher metallicities in gas and stars compared to slow-rotating galaxies
- Utilized a chemical evolution model to analyze star formation and enrichment histories, constraining parameters related to gas inflow and outflow processes
- Slow-rotating galaxies at lower masses experience stronger outflows, leading to reduced chemical content in both gas and stars compared to fast-rotating galaxies
- At higher masses, slower rotating galaxies have comparable gas-phase metallicities but lower stellar metallicities than fast-rotating galaxies
- Suggested distinct evolutionary pathways for GV galaxies based on merger history, supernova-driven outflows, and AGN feedback effects
- Discussed alternative environmental and assembly-driven scenarios in addition to main conclusions

## Summary

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Our paper investigates the evolutionary pathways of Green Valley (GV) galaxies using data from the SDSS-IV/MaNGA survey. The GV sample is categorized into fast- and slow-rotating galaxies based on stellar spin, with a focus on comparing their stellar and gas-phase metallicities. Our analysis reveals that fast-rotating galaxies consistently exhibit higher metallicities than slow-rotating galaxies in both gas and stars. This difference is more pronounced at lower stellar masses, while the offset in stellar metallicity persists across the entire mass range. To further understand these differences, we utilize a simple yet physically motivated chemical evolution model to analyze the data. By fitting the model to the observed data, we are able to reconstruct the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of individual galaxies. This analysis also allows us to constrain parameters related to gas inflow and outflow processes. At lower stellar masses, both fast- and slow-rotating galaxies show similar gas-infall and star formation timescales. However, slow-rotating galaxies experience stronger outflows, leading to a reduction in their chemical content in both gas and stars compared to their fast-rotating counterparts. Conversely, at higher masses, slower rotating galaxies exhibit comparable gas-phase metallicities to fast-rotating galaxies but have systematically lower stellar metallicities. These findings suggest distinct evolutionary pathways for GV galaxies. Slow-rotating galaxies likely underwent more mergers, which are often associated with significant gas removal processes resulting in lower metallicities. Additionally, at low masses, stronger supernova-driven outflows contribute to reducing the chemical content of slow-rotating galaxies while maintaining similar star formation timescales as fast-rotating galaxies. At higher masses, merger-triggered AGN feedback may play a role in depleting and suppressing gas infall, leading to shorter star formation timescales observed in slow-rotating galaxies. In addition to these main conclusions, alternative environmental and assembly-driven scenarios are also discussed throughout our analysis. The paper is structured with detailed sections covering data collection from MaNGA observations as well as an explanation of the galaxy evolution model used for interpretation. Our key findings are summarized at the end of the paper for easy reference.