The evolution of the gas fraction of quiescent galaxies modeled as a consequence of their creation rate

Abstract

We discuss the evolution of the interstellar medium of quiescent galaxies, currently emerging from recent analyses, with the help of a simple model based on well-established empirical relations such as the stellar mass functions and the main sequence of star formation. This model is meant to describe observed quantities without making specific assumptions on the nature of quenching processes, but relying on their observable consequences. We find that the high gas fractions seen or suggested at high redshift in quiescent galaxies, and their apparent mild evolution at early times, can be mostly attributed to a progenitor effect where recently quenched galaxies with ~10% gas fractions dominate the quiescent galaxy population until z~1. In the same context, the much lower gas and dust fractions measured in local early-type galaxies are interpreted as the product of the steady depletion of their interstellar medium on a ~2 Gyr timescale, coupled with a higher fraction of more gas-exhaustive events.

7 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables (including appendices). Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

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• The [CII] 158 $\mu$m emission line as a gas mass tracer in high redshift quiescent galaxies
• The fate of the interstellar medium in early-type galaxies. III. The mechanism of ISM removal and quenching of star formation
• The Gas Mass Reservoir of Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon
• The weak dependence of velocity dispersion on disk fractions, mass-to-light ratio and redshift: Implications for galaxy and black hole evolution
• Tracing the evolutionary pathways of dust and cold gas in high-z quiescent galaxies with SIMBA
• The uncertain interstellar medium of high-redshift quiescent galaxies: Impact of methodology
• Cosmic evolution of the incidence of Active Galactic Nuclei in massive clusters: Simulations versus observations
• Feeding the Dead: Neutral Gas Inflow in a Long-Quenched Ancient Massive Galaxy at $z\sim 2.7$ Observed with JWST/NIRSpec
• A${}^3$COSMOS: The dust content of massive quiescent galaxies and its evolution with cosmic time