Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Deconstructing the galaxy stellar mass function by star formation and environment

Using the equatorial Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) dataset, we investigate how the low-redshift galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) varies across different galaxy populations and as a function of halo mass. We find that: (i) the GSMF of passive and star-forming galaxies are well described by a double and a single Schechter function, respectively, although the inclusion of a second component for the star-forming population yields a more accurate description. Furthermore, star-forming galaxies dominate the low-mass end of the total GSMF, whereas passive galaxies mainly shape the intermediate-to-high-mass regime; (ii) the GSMF of central galaxies dominates the high-mass end, whereas satellites and ungrouped galaxies shape the intermediate-to-low-mass regime. Additionally, we find a relative increase in the abundance of low-mass galaxies moving from dense group environments to isolated systems; (iii) more massive halos host more massive galaxies, have a higher fraction of passive systems, and show a steeper decline in the number of intermediate-mass galaxies. Finally, our results reveal larger differences between passive and star-forming GSMFs than predicted by a phenomenological quenching model, but generally confirm the environmental quenching trends for central and satellite galaxies reported in other works.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2026-01-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202557424
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Deconstructing the galaxy stellar mass function by star formation and environment

A.S.G. Robotham, L.J.M. Davies, E.N. Taylor, S.P. Driver et al.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
article

Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Deconstructing the galaxy stellar mass function by star formation and environment

A.S.G. Robotham, L.J.M. Davies, E.N. Taylor, S.P. Driver, J. Liske, A. Sbaffoni
article en

Abstract

Using the equatorial Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) dataset, we investigate how the low-redshift galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) varies across different galaxy populations and as a function of halo mass. We find that: (i) the GSMF of passive and star-forming galaxies are well described by a double and a single Schechter function, respectively, although the inclusion of a second component for the star-forming population yields a more accurate description. Furthermore, star-forming galaxies dominate the low-mass end of the total GSMF, whereas passive galaxies mainly shape the intermediate-to-high-mass regime; (ii) the GSMF of central galaxies dominates the high-mass end, whereas satellites and ungrouped galaxies shape the intermediate-to-low-mass regime. Additionally, we find a relative increase in the abundance of low-mass galaxies moving from dense group environments to isolated systems; (iii) more massive halos host more massive galaxies, have a higher fraction of passive systems, and show a steeper decline in the number of intermediate-mass galaxies. Finally, our results reveal larger differences between passive and star-forming GSMFs than predicted by a phenomenological quenching model, but generally confirm the environmental quenching trends for central and satellite galaxies reported in other works.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 706
Universität Hamburg (DE), The University of Western Australia (AU), Excellence Cluster Universe (DE), International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (AU), Swinburne University of Technology (AU)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Science and Technology Facilities Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 94%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
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Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Deconstructing the galaxy stellar mass function by star formation and environment — A.S.G. Robotham, L.J.M. Davies, et al. · Astronomy and Astrophysics (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS