The evolution of the star formation rate function and cosmic star formation rate density of galaxies at $z\sim 1-4$

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of the galaxy Star Formation Rate Function (SFRF) and Cosmic Star Formation Rate Density (CSFRD) of $z\sim 1-4$ galaxies, using cosmological Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations and a compilation of UV, IR and H$\alpha$ observations. These tracers represent different populations of galaxies with the IR light being a probe of objects with high star formation rates and dust contents, while UV and H$\alpha$ observations provide a census of low star formation galaxies where mild obscuration occurs. We compare the above SFRFs with the results of SPH simulations run with the code {\small{P-GADGET3(XXL)}}. We focus on the role of feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and supernovae in form of galactic winds. The AGN feedback prescription that we use decreases the simulated CSFRD at $z<3$ but is not sufficient to reproduce the observed evolution at higher redshifts. We explore different wind models and find that the key factor for reproducing the evolution of the observed SFRF and CSFRD at $z\sim 1-4$ is the presence of a feedback prescription that is prominent at high redshifts ($z\ge 4$) and becomes less efficient with time. We show that variable galactic winds which are efficient at decreasing the SFRs of low mass objects are quite successful in reproducing the observables.

20 pages, 7 figures, 10 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• An evolving and mass dependent ${\sigma }_{\text{sSFR}}$-${\mathrm{M}}_{\star }$ relation for galaxies
• Simulated metal and HI absorption lines at the conclusion of Reionization
• Characterising the signatures of star-forming galaxies in the extra-galactic $\gamma$-ray background
• The observed cosmic star formation rate density has an evolution which resembles a Γ(a, bt) distribution and can be described successfully by only 2 parameters
• Cosmic Star Formation: a simple model of the SFRD(z)
• AGN and star formation across cosmic time
• The Hα Luminosity Function of Galaxies at z {\sim} 4.5
• Modelling the mass accretion histories of dark matter haloes using a Gamma formalism
• Baryon effects on the dark matter halos constrained from strong gravitational lensing
• Past, present and Future of the Scaling Relations of Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei