ZFIRE: The Beginning of the End for Massive Galaxies at z ~ 2 and Why Environment Matters

Abstract

We use ZFIRE and ZFOURGE observations with the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting tool Prospector to reconstruct the star formation histories (SFHs) of proto-cluster and field galaxies at $z\sim 2$ and compare our results to the TNG100 run of the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulation suite. In the observations, we find that massive proto-cluster galaxies ($\log [{\mathrm{M}}_{\ast }/{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }]>$10.5) form $45\pm 8\%$ of their total stellar mass in the first $2$ Gyr of the Universe compared to $31\pm 2\%$ formed in the field galaxies. In both observations and simulations, massive proto-cluster galaxies have a flat/declining SFH with decreasing redshift compared to rising SFH in their field counterparts. Using IllustrisTNG, we find that massive galaxies ($\log [{\mathrm{M}}_{\ast }/{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }]\ge 10.5$) in both environments are on average $\approx 190$ Myr older than low mass galaxies ($\log [{\mathrm{M}}_{\ast }/{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }]=9-9.5$). However, the difference in mean stellar ages of cluster and field galaxies is minimal when considering the full range in stellar mass ($\log [{\mathrm{M}}_{\ast }/{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }]\ge 9$). We explore the role of mergers in driving the SFH in IllustrisTNG and find that massive cluster galaxies consistently experience mergers with low gas fraction compared to other galaxies after 1 Gyr from the Big Bang. We hypothesize that the low gas fraction in the progenitors of massive cluster galaxies is responsible for the reduced star formation.

arXiv commentAccepted For Publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (112)

• Galactic Stellar and Substellar Initial Mass Function
• Nine-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Cosmological Parameter Results
• Simulating the joint evolution of quasars, galaxies and their large-scale distribution
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA)
• Coevolution (Or Not) of Supermassive Black Holes and Host Galaxies
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Giant Planets, Oscillations, Rotation, and Massive Stars
• The physical properties of star forming galaxies in the low redshift universe
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Binaries, Pulsations, and Explosions
• Observational Evidence of AGN Feedback
• The broken hierarchy of galaxy formation
• The Host Galaxies and Classification of Active Galactic Nuclei
• Mass and environment as drivers of galaxy evolution in SDSS and zCOSMOS and the origin of the Schechter function
• Simulating Galaxy Formation with the IllustrisTNG Model
• Star Formation in AEGIS Field Galaxies since z=1.1 : The Dominance of Gradually Declining Star Formation, and the Main Sequence of Star-Forming Galaxies
• MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST) 0: Methods for the construction of stellar isochrones
• EAZY: A Fast, Public Photometric Redshift Code
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: matter and galaxy clustering
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: the stellar mass content of groups and clusters of galaxies
• Gasdynamics and Starbursts in Major Mergers
• The epochs of early-type galaxy formation as a function of environment
• New Insight on Galaxy Formation and Evolution from Keck Spectroscopy of the Hawaii Deep Fields
• The reversal of the star formation-density relation in the distant universe
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: the galaxy color bimodality
• The Environmental Dependence of the Relations between Stellar Mass, Structure, Star Formation and Nuclear Activity in Galaxies
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: A tale of two elements -- chemical evolution of magnesium and europium
• Simulating galaxy formation with black hole driven thermal and kinetic feedback
• GOODS-Herschel: an infrared main sequence for star-forming galaxies
• The Circumgalactic Medium
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: radio haloes and magnetic fields
• An ultra-deep near-infrared spectrum of a compact quiescent galaxy at z=2.2
• Detection of quiescent galaxies in a bicolor sequence from z=0-2
• Morphological Transformation from Galaxy Harassment
• Inferring the star-formation histories of massive quiescent galaxies with BAGPIPES: Evidence for multiple quenching mechanisms
• The merger rate of galaxies in the Illustris Simulation: a comparison with observations and semi-empirical models
• The Origin of Star Formation Gradients in Rich Galaxy Clusters
• Galaxy evolution in groups and clusters: satellite star formation histories and quenching timescales in a hierarchical Universe
• How to Measure Galaxy Star Formation Histories II: Nonparametric Models
• Deriving Physical Properties from Broadband Photometry with Prospector: Description of the Model and a Demonstration of its Accuracy Using 129 Galaxies in the Local Universe
• COSMOS : Hubble Space Telescope Observations
• Galaxy evolution in groups and clusters: star formation rates, red sequence fractions, and the persistent bimodality
• Stellar Population Diagnostics of Elliptical Galaxy Formation
• Evolution of galaxy stellar masses and star formation rates in the EAGLE simulations
• The Gemini Cluster Astrophysics Spectroscopic Survey (GCLASS): The Role of Environment and Self-Regulation in Galaxy Evolution at z ~ 1
• Halo assembly bias and its effects on galaxy clustering
• The environmental history of group and cluster galaxies in a LambdaCDM Universe
• Environment and self-regulation in galaxy formation
• The evolution of the star formation activity in galaxies and its dependence on environment
• Star formation rates and masses of z ~ 2 galaxies from multicolour photometry
• The SFR-M* Relation and Empirical Star-Formation Histories from ZFOURGE at 0.5 < z < 4
• A Model of Supernovae Feedback in Galaxy Formation
• The star-formation activity of IllustrisTNG galaxies: main sequence, UVJ diagram, quenched fractions, and systematics
• Mass downsizing and "top-down" assembly of early-type galaxies
• Stellar Content from high resolution galactic spectra via Maximum A Posteriori
• The Assembly History of Field Spheroidals: Evolution of Mass-to-light Ratios and Signatures of Recent Star Formation
• A massive, quiescent galaxy at redshift of z=3.717
• The FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE): ultraviolet to far-infrared catalogs, medium-bandwidth photometric redshifts with improved accuracy, stellar masses, and confirmation of quiescent galaxies to z~3.5
• Reversal of Fortune: Confirmation of an Increasing Star Formation-Density Relation in a Cluster at z=1.62
• The Hydrangea simulations: galaxy formation in and around massive clusters
• A substantial population of massive quiescent galaxies at z~4 from ZFOURGE
• The role of mergers and halo spin in shaping galaxy morphology
• Ejective and preventative: the IllustrisTNG black hole feedback and its effects on the thermodynamics of the gas within and around galaxies
• On the evolution and environmental dependence of the star formation rate versus stellar mass relation since z~2
• The quenching and morphological evolution of central galaxies is facilitated by the feedback-driven expulsion of circumgalactic gas
• Quenched fractions in the IllustrisTNG simulations: the roles of AGN feedback, environment, and pre-processing
• The Rising Star-Formation Histories of Distant Galaxies and Implications for Gas Accretion with Time
• ProSpect: Generating Spectral Energy Distributions with Complex Star Formation and Metallicity Histories
• Quenched fractions in the IllustrisTNG simulations: comparison with observations and other theoretical models
• Effect of local environment and stellar mass on galaxy quenching and morphology at $0.5<z<2.0$
• Comparing the relation between star formation and galaxy mass in different environments
• Interacting galaxies on FIRE-2: The connection between enhanced star formation and interstellar gas content
• The Star Formation Epoch of the Most Massive Early-Type Galaxies
• Introducing RomulusC: A Cosmological Simulation of a Galaxy Cluster with Unprecedented Resolution
• The IMACS Cluster Building Survey: IV. The Log-normal Star Formation History of Galaxies
• Stellar populations of early-type galaxies in different environments I. Line-strength indices
• The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Spatially Resolving the Main Sequence of Star Formation
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of Multiple Red Galaxy-Galaxy Mergers in MS1054-03 (z=0.83)
• Cosmic Web of Galaxies in the COSMOS Field: Public Catalog and Different Quenching for Centrals and Satellites
• An Extremely Massive Quiescent Galaxy at $z=3.493$: Evidence of Insufficiently Rapid Quenching Mechanisms in Theoretical Models
• Evolution of Cluster Red-Sequence Galaxies from redshift 0.8 to 0.4: ages, metallicities and morphologies
• The Star Formation Rate-Density Relation at 0.6<z<0.9 and the Role of Star Forming Galaxies
• Slow quenching of star formation in OMEGAWINGS clusters: galaxies in transition in the local universe
• Physical properties of SDSS satellite galaxies in projected phase-space
• ZFIRE: A KECK/MOSFIRE Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies in Rich Environments at z~2
• KECK/MOSFIRE spectroscopic confirmation of a Virgo-like cluster ancestor at z=2.095
• The Effects of Environment on the Evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function
• Interacting galaxies in the IllustrisTNG simulations -- II: Star formation in the post-merger stage
• The Absence of an Environmental Dependence in the Mass-Metallicity Relation at z=2
• Galaxy pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - XII: The fuelling mechanism of low excitation radio-loud AGN
• The GOGREEN survey: The environmental dependence of the star-forming galaxy main sequence at $1.0<z<1.5$
• The evolution of the star formation activity per halo mass up to redshift ~ 1.6 as seen by Herschel
• ZFIRE: Galaxy Cluster Kinematics, H$\alpha$ Star Formation Rates, and Gas-Phase Metallicities of XMM-LSS J02182-05102 at z=1.6233
• Stellar and nebular diagnostics in the UV for star-forming galaxies
• Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): impact of the group environment on galaxy star formation
• Star formation history of galaxies from z=0 to z=0.7 A backward approach to the evolution of star-forming galaxies
• The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Observing the environmental quenching of star formation in GAMA groups
• SFHs OF $Z\sim 1$ Galaxies in LEGA-C
• The Carnegie-Spitzer-IMACS Redshift Survey of Galaxy Evolution since z=1.5: I. Description and Methodology and More!
• A journey from the outskirts to the cores of groups I: Color- and mass-segregation in 20K-zCOSMOS groups
• Matching the Evolution of the Stellar Mass Function Using Log-normal Star Formation Histories
• Galaxy Merger Fractions in Two Clusters at $z\sim 2$ Using the Hubble Space Telescope
• Z-FIRE: ISM properties of the z = 2.095 COSMOS Cluster
• Chemical pre-processing of cluster galaxies over the past 10 billion years in the IllustrisTNG simulations
• Prevalence of neutral gas in centres of merging galaxies-II: nuclear HI and multi-wavelength properties
• ZFIRE: Similar Stellar Growth in H$\alpha$-emitting Cluster and Field Galaxies at z~2
• Differences in the structural properties and star-formation rates of field and cluster galaxies at z~1
• The dominance of quenching through cosmic times
• Gas Accretion in Star-Forming Galaxies
• Multimoment Radio Transient Detection
• ZFIRE: Measuring Electron Density with [OII] as a function of environment at z = 1.62
• MOSEL Survey: Tracking the Growth of Massive Galaxies at 2<z<4 using Kinematics and the IllustrisTNG Simulation
• A Tale of Two Clusters: An Analysis of Gas-Phase Metallicity and Nebular Gas Conditions in Proto-cluster Galaxies at z~2
• MOSEL and IllustrisTNG: Massive Extended Galaxies at z=2 Quench Later Than Normal-size Galaxies

Cited by in corpus (2)

• ZFIRE -- The Gas Inflow Inequality for Satellite Galaxies in Cluster and Field Halos at z = 2
• Lack of influence of the environment in the earliest stages of massive galaxy formation