Environmental Effects on Evolution of Cluster Galaxies in a LCDM Universe

Abstract

We investigate environmental effects on evolution of bright cluster galaxies in a $Λ$ dominated cold dark matter universe using a combination of dissipationless N-body simulations and a semi-analytic galaxy formation model. The N-body simulations enable us to calculate orbits of galaxies in simulated clusters. Therefore we can incorporate stripping of cold gas from galactic disks by ram pressure from intracluster medium into our model. In this paper we study how ram pressure stripping (RPS) and small starburst induced by a minor merger affect colors, star formation rates, and morphologies of cluster galaxies. We find that the RPS is not important for colors and SFRs of galaxies in the cluster core if star formation time-scale is properly chosen, because the star formation is sufficiently suppressed by consumption of the cold gas in the disks. Then observed color and SFR gradients can be reproduced without the RPS. The small starburst triggered by a minor merger hardly affects the SFRs and colors of the galaxies as well. We also examine whether these two processes can resolve the known problem that the major merger-driven bulge formation scenario predict too few galaxies of intermediate bulge-to-total luminosity ratio (B/T) in clusters. When the minor burst is taken into account, the intermediate B/T population is increased and the observed morphology gradients in clusters are successfully reproduced. When the minor burst is considered, the RPS also plays an important role in formation of the intermediate B/T galaxies. We present redshift evolution of morphological fractions predicted by our models. The predicted number ratios of the intermediate B/T galaxies to the bulge-dominated galaxies show nearly flat or slightly increasing trends with increasing redshift.