2010ApJ...719.1946L

A near-infrared (NIR; 2.5-4.5 µm) spectroscopic survey of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-selected blue early-type galaxies (BEGs) has been conducted using the AKARI. The NIR spectra of 36 BEGs are secured, which are well balanced in their star formation (SF)/Seyfert/LINER-type composition. For high signal-to-noise ratio, we stack the BEG spectra in its entirety and in bins of several properties: color, specific star formation rate, and optically determined spectral type. We estimate the NIR continuum slope and the equivalent width of 3.29 µm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. In the comparison between the estimated NIR spectral features of the BEGs and those of model galaxies, the BEGs seem to be old-SSP(simple stellar population)-dominated metal-rich galaxies with moderate dust attenuation. The dust attenuation in the BEGs may originate from recent SF or active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and the BEGs have a clear feature of PAH emission, evidence of current SF. BEGs show NIR features different from those of ULIRGs from which we do not find any clear relationship between BEGs and ULIRGs. We find that Seyfert BEGs have more active SF than LINER BEGs, in spite of the fact that Seyferts show stronger AGN activity than LINERs. One possible scenario satisfying both our results and the AGN feedback is that SF, Seyfert, and LINER BEGs form an evolutionary sequence: SF -> Seyfert -> LINER.