$\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$: Studying Quenching in Intermediate-<em>z</em> Galaxies—Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{{Angu\overrightarrow{L}ar}}$ Momentum, and Evolution

We describe the Studying Quenching in Intermediate-z Galaxies: Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{\rm{angu}}\overrightarrow{L}{\rm{ar}}$ momentum, and Evolution ($\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$) survey of intermediate-redshift post-starburst galaxies. We leverage the large sky coverage of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to select ~1300 recently quenched galaxies at 0.5 < z ≤ 0.9 based on their unique spectral shapes. These bright, intermediate-redshift galaxies are ideal laboratories to study the physics responsible for the rapid quenching of star formation: they are distant enough to be useful analogs for high-redshift quenching galaxies, but low enough redshift that multiwavelength follow-up observations are feasible with modest telescope investments. We use the Prospector code to infer the stellar population properties and nonparametric star formation histories (SFHs) of all galaxies in the sample. We find that $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies are both very massive (M<sub>*</sub> ~ 10<sup>11.25</sup> M<sub>⊙</sub>) and quenched, with inferred star formation rates ≲1 M<sub>⊙</sub> yr<sup>-1</sup>, more than an order of magnitude below the star-forming main sequence. The best-fit SFHs confirm that these galaxies recently quenched a major burst of star formation: >75% of $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies formed at least a quarter of their total stellar mass in the recent burst, which ended just ~200 Myr before observation. We find that $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies are on average younger and more burst-dominated than most other z ≲ 1 post-starburst galaxy samples. This large sample of bright post-starburst galaxies at intermediate redshift opens a wide range of studies into the quenching process. In particular, the full $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ survey will investigate the molecular gas reservoirs, morphologies, kinematics, resolved stellar populations, active galactic nucleus incidence, and infrared properties of this unique sample of galaxies in order to place definitive constraints on the quenching process.

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Publication Details

Journal
OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)
Published
2024-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac404a
Citations
31
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
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article

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article

$\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$: Studying Quenching in Intermediate-z Galaxies—Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{{Angu\overrightarrow{L}ar}}$ Momentum, and Evolution

Katherine A. Suess
31 citations
OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
article

$\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$: Studying Quenching in Intermediate-z Galaxies—Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{{Angu\overrightarrow{L}ar}}$ Momentum, and Evolution

Katherine A. Suess
article en
31 citations

Abstract

We describe the Studying Quenching in Intermediate-z Galaxies: Gas, $\scriptsize\mathrm{\rm{angu}}\overrightarrow{L}{\rm{ar}}$ momentum, and Evolution ($\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$) survey of intermediate-redshift post-starburst galaxies. We leverage the large sky coverage of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to select ~1300 recently quenched galaxies at 0.5 < z ≤ 0.9 based on their unique spectral shapes. These bright, intermediate-redshift galaxies are ideal laboratories to study the physics responsible for the rapid quenching of star formation: they are distant enough to be useful analogs for high-redshift quenching galaxies, but low enough redshift that multiwavelength follow-up observations are feasible with modest telescope investments. We use the Prospector code to infer the stellar population properties and nonparametric star formation histories (SFHs) of all galaxies in the sample. We find that $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies are both very massive (M<sub>*</sub> ~ 10<sup>11.25</sup> M<sub>⊙</sub>) and quenched, with inferred star formation rates ≲1 M<sub>⊙</sub> yr<sup>-1</sup>, more than an order of magnitude below the star-forming main sequence. The best-fit SFHs confirm that these galaxies recently quenched a major burst of star formation: >75% of $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies formed at least a quarter of their total stellar mass in the recent burst, which ended just ~200 Myr before observation. We find that $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ galaxies are on average younger and more burst-dominated than most other z ≲ 1 post-starburst galaxy samples. This large sample of bright post-starburst galaxies at intermediate redshift opens a wide range of studies into the quenching process. In particular, the full $\scriptsize\mathrm{{SQuIGG\overrightarrow{L}E}}$ survey will investigate the molecular gas reservoirs, morphologies, kinematics, resolved stellar populations, active galactic nucleus incidence, and infrared properties of this unique sample of galaxies in order to place definitive constraints on the quenching process.

OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)
University of California, Santa Cruz (US), Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (US), University of California, Berkeley (US), Stanford University (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Yale University, Vanderbilt University, Princeton University, Ohio State University, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Aspen Center for Physics, University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Portsmouth, New Mexico State University, York University, Office of Science, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, University of California, Los Angeles, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
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