BreakBRD Galaxies I: Global Properties of Spiral Galaxies with Central
  Star Formation in Red Disks
  We introduce a collection of primarily centrally star-forming galaxies that
are selected by disk color to have truncated disk star formation. We show that
common explanations for centrally-concentrated star formation -- low stellar
mass, bars, and high-density environments, do not universally apply to this
sample. To gain insight into our sample, we compare these galaxies to a parent
sample of strongly star-forming galaxies and to a parent sample of galaxies
with low specific star formation rates. We find that in star formation and
color space from ultraviolet to the infrared these galaxies either fall between
the two samples or agree more closely with galaxies with high-specific star
formation rates. Their morphological characteristics also lie between high- and
low-specific star formation rate galaxies, although their Petrosian radii agree
well with that of the low-specific star formation rate parent sample. We
discuss whether this sample is likely to be quenching or showing an unusual
star-formation distribution while continuing to grow through star formation.
Future detailed studies of these galaxies will give us insights into how the
local conditions within a galaxy balance environmental influence to govern the
distribution of star formation. In this first paper in a series, we describe
the global properties that identify this sample as separate from more average
spiral galaxies, and identify paths forward to explore the underlying causes of
their differences.
