Star formation and stellar & AGN feedback in the absence of accretion, not gas stripping, set the quenching time-scale in satellite galaxies

ABSTRACT Observational measurements hint at a peak in the quenching time-scale of satellite galaxies in groups and clusters as a function of their stellar masses at $M_{\star } \approx 10^{9.5}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$; less and more massive satellite galaxies quench faster. We investigate the origin of these trends using the EAGLE simulation in which they are qualitatively reproduced for satellites with $10^{9}< M_{\star }/\mathrm{M}_\odot < 10^{11}$ around hosts of $10^{13}< M_\mathrm{200c}/\mathrm{M}_\odot < 10^{14.6}$. We select gas particles of simulated galaxies at the time that they become satellites and track their evolution. Interpreting these data yields insights into the prevailing mechanism that leads to the depletion of the interstellar medium (ISM) and the cessation of star formation. We find that for satellites across our entire range in stellar mass the quenching time-scale is to leading order set by the depletion of the ISM by star formation and stellar & active galactic nuclear (AGN) feedback in the absence of sustained accretion of fresh gas. The turnover in the quenching time-scale as a function of stellar mass is a direct consequence of the maximum in the star formation efficiency (or equivalently the minimum in the total–stellar plus AGN – feedback efficiency) at the same stellar mass. We can discern the direct stripping of the ISM by ram pressure and/or tides in the simulations; these mechanisms modulate the quenching time-scale but do not drive its overall scaling with satellite stellar mass. Our findings argue against a scenario in which the turnover in the quenching time-scale is a consequence of the competing influences of gas stripping and ‘starvation’.