Reconstructing the galaxy density field with photometric redshifts: II. Environment-dependent galaxy evolution since $z\simeq 3$

Abstract

Although extensively investigated, the role of the environment in galaxy formation is still not well understood. In this context, the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function (GSMF) is a powerful tool to understand how environment relates to galaxy mass assembly and the quenching of star-formation. In this work, we make use of the high-precision photometric redshifts of the UltraVISTA Survey to study the GSMF in different environments up to $z\sim 3$, on physical scales from 0.3 to 2 Mpc, down to masses of $M\sim 10^{10}{M}_{\odot }$. We witness the appearance of environmental signatures for both quiescent and star-forming galaxies. We find that the shape of the GSMF of quiescent galaxies is different in high- and low-density environments up to $z\sim 2$ with the high-mass end ($M\gtrsim 10^{11}{M}_{\odot }$) being enhanced in high-density environments. On the contrary, for star-forming galaxies a difference between the GSMF in high- and low density environments is present for masses $M\lesssim 10^{11}{M}_{\odot }$. Star-forming galaxies in this mass range appear to be more frequent in low-density environments up to $z<1.5$. Differences in the shape of the GSMF are not visible anymore at $z>2$. Our results, in terms of general trends in the shape of the GSMF, are in agreement with a scenario in which galaxies are quenched when they enter hot gas-dominated massive haloes which are preferentially in high-density environments.

18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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