Accelerated structural evolution of galaxies in a starbursting cluster at z=2.51

Abstract

Structural properties of cluster galaxies during their peak formation epoch, $z\sim 2-4$ provide key information on whether and how environment affects galaxy formation and evolution. Based on deep HST/WFC3 imaging towards the z=2.51 cluster, J1001, we explore environmental effects on the structure, color gradients, and stellar populations of a statistical sample of cluster SFGs. We find that the cluster SFGs are on average smaller than their field counterparts. This difference is most pronounced at the high-mass end ($M_{\star }>10^{10.5}{M}_{\odot }$) with nearly all of them lying below the mass-size relation of field galaxies. The high-mass cluster SFGs are also generally old with a steep negative color gradient, indicating an early formation time likely associated with strong dissipative collapse. For low-mass cluster SFGs, we unveil a population of compact galaxies with steep positive color gradients that are not seen in the field. This suggests that the low-mass compact cluster SFGs may have already experienced strong environmental effects, e.g., tidal/ram pressure stripping, in this young cluster. These results provide evidence on the environmental effects at work in the earliest formed clusters with different roles in the formation of low and high-mass galaxies.

13 pages, 10 figures, 1 table

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• JWST's PEARLS: resolved study of the stellar and dust components in starburst galaxies at cosmic noon
• JWST's first glimpse of a z > 2 forming cluster reveals a top-heavy stellar mass function
• Environmental impacts on the rest-frame UV size and morphology ofstar-forming galaxies at $z\sim 2$
• A Bending in the Size-mass Relation of Star-forming Galaxies across $0.5<z<6.0$ at a Critical Stellar Mass of $10^{10}{M}_{\odot }$ Revealed by JWST
• From the Densest Clusters to the Emptiest Voids: No Evidence For Environmental Effects on the Galaxy Size-Mass Relation at Low Redshift
• Ram-pressure stripping caught in action in a young cluster at $z=2.51$