Distinct origins of environmentally quenched galaxies in the core and outer virialized regions of massive clusters at 0.8 &amp;lt; <i>z</i> &amp;lt; 1.5

ABSTRACT High-redshift ($z\sim 1$) galaxy clusters are the domain where environmental quenching mechanisms are expected to emerge as important factors in the evolution of the quiescent galaxy population. Uncovering these initially subtle effects requires exploring multiple dependencies of quenching across the cluster environment, and through time. We analyse the stellar mass functions (SMFs) of 17 galaxy clusters within the GOGREEN and GCLASS surveys in the range $0.8&amp;lt; z&amp;lt;1.5$, and with $\log {(M/{\rm {M_\odot }})}&amp;gt;9.5$. The data are fit simultaneously with a Bayesian model that allows the Schechter function parameters of the quiescent and star-forming populations to vary smoothly with cluster-centric radius and redshift. The model also fits the radial galaxy number density profile of each population, allowing the global quenched fraction to be parametrized as a function of redshift and cluster velocity dispersion. We find the star-forming SMF to not depend on radius or redshift. For the quiescent population however, there is $\sim 2\sigma$ evidence for a radial dependence. Outside the cluster core ($R&amp;gt;0.3\, R_{\rm 200}$), the quenched fraction above $\log {(M/{\rm {M_\odot }})}=9.5$ is $\sim 40{\rm\,\,per\, cent}$, and the quiescent SMF is similar in shape to the star-forming field. In contrast, the cluster core has an elevated quenched fraction ($\sim 70{\rm \,\,per\, cent}$), and a quiescent SMF similar in shape to the quiescent field population. We explore contributions of ‘early mass-quenching’ and mass-independent ‘environmental-quenching’ models in each of these radial regimes. The core is well described primarily by early mass-quenching, which we interpret as accelerated quenching of massive galaxies in protoclusters, possibly through merger-driven feedback mechanisms. The non-core is better described through mass-independent environmental-quenching of the infalling field population.

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Publication Details

Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-06-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf932
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.93

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article

Distinct origins of environmentally quenched galaxies in the core and outer virialized regions of massive clusters at 0.8 &lt; z &lt; 1.5

Dennis Zaritsky, Benedetta Vulcani, Yannick M Bahé, Michael L. Balogh et al.
6 citations
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
6.93
article

Distinct origins of environmentally quenched galaxies in the core and outer virialized regions of massive clusters at 0.8 &lt; z &lt; 1.5

Dennis Zaritsky, Benedetta Vulcani, Yannick M Bahé, Michael L. Balogh, Ben Forrest, Guillaume Hewitt, Devontae C. Baxter, Michael C. Cooper, Julie Nantais, Adam Muzzin, Rose Finn, Florian Sarron, Gillian Wilson, Gregory Rudnick, Pierluigi Cerulo, G. Castignani, R. Demarco, Adit H Edward
article en
6 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT High-redshift ($z\sim 1$) galaxy clusters are the domain where environmental quenching mechanisms are expected to emerge as important factors in the evolution of the quiescent galaxy population. Uncovering these initially subtle effects requires exploring multiple dependencies of quenching across the cluster environment, and through time. We analyse the stellar mass functions (SMFs) of 17 galaxy clusters within the GOGREEN and GCLASS surveys in the range $0.8&amp;lt; z&amp;lt;1.5$, and with $\log {(M/{\rm {M_\odot }})}&amp;gt;9.5$. The data are fit simultaneously with a Bayesian model that allows the Schechter function parameters of the quiescent and star-forming populations to vary smoothly with cluster-centric radius and redshift. The model also fits the radial galaxy number density profile of each population, allowing the global quenched fraction to be parametrized as a function of redshift and cluster velocity dispersion. We find the star-forming SMF to not depend on radius or redshift. For the quiescent population however, there is $\sim 2\sigma$ evidence for a radial dependence. Outside the cluster core ($R&amp;gt;0.3\, R_{\rm 200}$), the quenched fraction above $\log {(M/{\rm {M_\odot }})}=9.5$ is $\sim 40{\rm\,\,per\, cent}$, and the quiescent SMF is similar in shape to the star-forming field. In contrast, the cluster core has an elevated quenched fraction ($\sim 70{\rm \,\,per\, cent}$), and a quiescent SMF similar in shape to the quiescent field population. We explore contributions of ‘early mass-quenching’ and mass-independent ‘environmental-quenching’ models in each of these radial regimes. The core is well described primarily by early mass-quenching, which we interpret as accelerated quenching of massive galaxies in protoclusters, possibly through merger-driven feedback mechanisms. The non-core is better described through mass-independent environmental-quenching of the infalling field population.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 541(1)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), University of Arizona (US), University of Nottingham (GB), University of Kansas (US), University of Waterloo (CA), University of California, Merced (US), University of Concepción (CL), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), York University (CA), University of California, Irvine (US), University of California San Diego (US), Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna (IT), Instituto de Geofísica y Astronomía (CU), Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (IT), Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (FR), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), University of California, Davis (US), Siena College (US)
National Science Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
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