Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21342314t&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #423.14; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.245
Other
Scientific paper
Star formation quenching is in part responsible for the build-up of the red sequence of galaxies. Thus, quenching mechanisms are one of the central problems in galaxy evolution. However, quenching time-scales are largely unconstrained. Using mock galaxy redshift surveys created using hybrid N-body/semi-analytic substructure simulations, we have devised a method to select for galaxies that are isolated (alone in dark matter halo) and for galaxies that reside in isolated galaxy pairs (exactly two sharing a dark matter halo). The method includes matching stellar mass distributions and statistical-correction for contamination by interlopers. This allows for a clean measure of the effects of the simplest change in environment on galaxy evolution. We apply our selection criteria to a volume-limited sample of galaxies from the NYU Value-Added Galaxy Catalogue (DR6) with Mr.- 5 log10 h ≤ -20. We compare the g-r color distributions for the two samples. Assuming the isolated galaxy sample is the progenitor of the isolated pairs sample, in a statistical sense, the data indicates that only 17% of satellite galaxies in isolated pairs have moved from the blue to red sequence. We explore the feasibility of a simplistic model in which star formation is quenched immediately when a galaxy becomes a satellite by examining predictions from population synthesis models and hybrid N-body/semi-analytic substructure simulations. If quenching occurs immediately, simulation predicts 29% of satellites in the isolated pairs sample should have transitioned from the blue to red sequence. This rules out the model where satellites cease star formation immediately upon entering another halo. Similar tests of other quenching mechanisms and their time-scales are underway.
Barton Elizabeth J.
Bullock James S.
Trinh Christopher
Wechsler Risa H.
Zentner Andrew R.
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