Impact of the large scale environment on the baryonic scaling relations of disc galaxies: Insights from the GASP survey

Abstract

The Tully--Fisher relation (TFR) and the specific angular momentum--mass relation (SAMR) link the baryonic content of a disc to its kinematics and dynamics. Hence, these scaling relations should bear the imprints of any process removing baryons or altering their kinematics, such as those acting in clusters of galaxies. We test this using the MUSE survey "GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies" (GASP), which targets field, group, and cluster members at $z\approx 0.05$ and various stages of ram pressure stripping. For the 81 discs with favourable inclinations, we measure the distribution and kinematics of stars and ionised gas, and their specific angular momenta. Within their scatter, the stellar and baryonic relations show no significant dependence on the large scale environment: the TFRs have slopes $\alpha \approx 3.6$ and $\approx 3.5$ for any kinematic tracer, and the SAMRs have $\alpha \approx 0.65$--$0.75$, as predicted by tidal torque theory. The same holds for the ten S0-S0/as in our sample, consistent with the "faded spiral" formation scenario. Only the gas SAMR shows an environmental signature, with ram pressure stripped galaxies lying $\approx 0.16$~dex below unperturbed ones. This offset is mostly due to their enhanced star formation rate, and thus higher gas mass when inferred through the Schmidt-Kennicutt law, rather than to kinematic perturbations or disc truncation. Our results suggest that, within the area probed by MUSE ($\lesssim 6$ disc scale lengths), these discs have preserved the angular momentum acquired at formation not only from cluster processes and pre-processing in filaments, but also from mergers and ejective feedback acting in any environment.

arXiv comment14 pages (+ appendices), 4 figures. Accepted by A&A. Galaxy atlas available at https://doi.org/10. 5281/zenodo.23061246