To understand in what mass regime star-forming galaxies (SFGs) build up central mass concentration most actively, we present a study on the luminosity-weighted stellar age radial gradient ($\nabla_{ \rm age}$) distribution of $\sim3600$ low-redshift SFGs using the MaNGA Pipe3D data available in the SDSS DR17. The mean age gradient is negative, with $\nabla_{ \rm age}=-0.14$log Gyr/$R_{ \rm e}$, consistent with the inside-out disk formation scenario. Specifically, SFGs with positive $\nabla_{ \rm age}$ consist of $\sim 28\%$ at log$(M_{ *}/M_{ \odot})<9.5$, while this fraction rises up to its peak ($\sim 40\%$) near log$(M_{ *}/M_{ \odot})=10$ and then decreases to $\sim 15\%$ at log$(M_{ *}/M_{ \odot})=11$. At fixed $M_{ *}$, SFGs with positive $\nabla_{ \rm age}$ typically have more compact sizes and more centrally concentrated star formation than their counterparts, indicative of recent central mass build-up events. These results suggest that the build-up of central stellar mass concentration in local SFGs is mostly active near $M_{ *}=10^{ 10}M_{ \odot}$. Our findings provide new insights on the origin of morphological differences between low-mass and high-mass SFGs.
Categories: astro-ph.GA