The stellar population of stripped cluster spiral NGC 4522: A local analog to K+A galaxies?

We present observations of the stripped Virgo Cluster spiral galaxy NGC 4522, a clear, nearby example of a galaxy currently undergoing interstellar medium - intracluster medium (ISM-ICM) stripping. Utilizing SparsePak integral field spectroscopy on the Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO (WIYN) 3.5 m telescope and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) UV photometry, we present an analysis of the outer disk (r > 3 kpc) stellar population of r 1 3 this galaxy, beyond the H I and H alpha truncation radius. We find that the star formation in the gas-stripped outer disk ceased very recently, similar to 100 Myr ago, in agreement with previous claims that this galaxy is currently being stripped. At the time of this stripping, data and models suggest that the galaxy experienced a modest starburst. The stripping is occurring in a region of the cluster well outside the cluster core, likely because this galaxy is experiencing extreme conditions from a dynamic ICM due to an ongoing subcluster merger. The outer disk has a spectrum of a K + A galaxy, traditionally observed in high-redshift cluster galaxies. In the case of NGC 4522, a K + A spectrum is formed by simple stripping of the interstellar gas by the hot intracluster medium. These data show K + A spectra can be created by cluster processes and that these processes likely extend beyond the cluster core.