arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Gabriella De Lucia.
We use photometric redshifts and statistical background subtraction to measure stellar mass functions in galaxy group-mass ($4.5-8\times10^{13}~\mathrm{M}_\odot$) haloes at $1 1$.
We present results on the measured shapes of 832 galaxies in 11 galaxy clusters at 1.0 < z <1.4 from the GOGREEN survey. We measure the axis ratio ($q$), the ratio of the minor to the major axis, of the cluster galaxies from near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope imaging using Sérsic profile fitting and compare them with a field sample. We find that the median $q$ of both star-forming and quiescent galaxies in clusters increases with stellar mass, similar to the field. Comparing the axis ratio distributions between clusters and the field in four mass bins, the distributions for star-forming galaxies in clusters are consistent with those in the field. Conversely, the distributions for quiescent galaxies in the two environments are distinct, most remarkably in $10.1\leq\log(M/{\rm M}_{\odot})<10.5$ where clusters show a flatter distribution, with an excess at low $q$. Modelling the distribution with oblate and triaxial components, we find that the cluster and field sample difference is consistent with an excess of flattened oblate quiescent galaxies in clusters. The oblate population contribution drops at high masses, resulting in a narrower $q$ distribution in the massive population than at lower masses. Using a simple accretion model, we show that the observed $q$ distributions and quenched fractions are consistent with a scenario where no morphological transformation occurs for the environmentally quenched population in the two intermediate mass bins. Our results suggest that environmental quenching mechanism(s) likely produce a population that has a different morphological mix than those resulting from the dominant quenching mechanism in the field.
Studies of cluster mass and velocity anisotropy profiles are useful tests of dark matter models, and of the assembly history of clusters of galaxies. These studies might be affected by unknown systematics caused by projection effects. We aim at testing observational methods for the determination of mass and velocity anisotropy profiles of clusters of galaxies. Particularly, we focus on the MAMPOSSt technique (Mamon et al. 2013). We use results from two semi-analytic models of galaxy formation coupled with high-resolution N-body cosmological simulations, the catalog of De Lucia & Blaizot (2007) and the FIRE catalog based on the new GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly model. We test the reliability of the Jeans equation in recovering the true mass profile when full projected phase-space information is available. We examine the reliability of the MAMPOSSt method in estimating the true mass and velocity anisotropy profiles of the simulated halos when only projected phase-space information is available, as in observations. The spherical Jeans equation provides a reliable tool for the determination of cluster mass profiles, also for subsamples of tracers separated by galaxy color. Results are equally good for prolate and oblate clusters. Using only projected phase-space information, MAMPOSSt provides estimates of the mass profile with a standard deviation of 35-69 %, and a negative bias of 7-17 %, nearly independent of radius, and that we attribute to the presence of interlopers in the projected samples. The bias changes sign, that is, the mass is over-estimated, for prolate clusters with their major axis aligned along the line-of-sight. MAMPOSSt measures the velocity anisotropy profiles accurately in the inner cluster regions, with a slight overestimate in the outer regions, both for the whole sample of observationally-identified cluster members and separately for red and blue galaxies.
In this work, we study the evolution of the mass-metallicity relations (MZRs) as predicted by the GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly (GAEA) semi-analytic model. We contrast these predictions with recent results from the VANDELS survey, that allows us to expand the accessible redshift range for the stellar MZR up to $z\sim3.5$. We complement our study by considering the evolution of the gas-phase MZR in the same redshift range. We show that GAEA is able to reproduce the observed evolution of the $z<3.5$ gas-phase MZR and $z<0.7$ stellar MZR, while it overpredicts the stellar metallicity at $z\sim3.5$. Furthermore, GAEA also reproduces the so-called fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) between gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR). In particular, the gas-phase FMR in GAEA is already in place at $z\sim5$ and shows almost no evolution at lower redshift. GAEA predicts the existence of a stellar FMR, that is, however, characterized by a relevant redshift evolution, although its shape follows closely the gas-phase FMR. We also report additional unsolved tensions between model and data: the overall normalization of the predicted MZR agrees with observations only within $\sim$0.1 dex; the largest discrepancies are seen at $z\sim3.5$ where models tend to slightly overpredict observed metallicities; the slope of the predicted MZR at fixed SFR is too steep below a few ${\rm M}_\odot\ {\rm yr}^{-1}$. Finally, we provide model predictions for the evolution of the MZRs at higher redshifts, that would be useful in the context of future surveys, like those that will be performed with JWST.
Using our measurements of the H$α$ emission line flux originating in the cool (T $\sim10^4$ K) gas that populates the halos of galaxies, we build a joint model to describe mass of the cool circumgalactic medium (CGM) as a function of galactic stellar mass ($10^{9.5} < ({\rm M_*/M}_\odot) < 10^{11}$) and environment. Because the H$α$ emission correlates with the main cooling channel for this gas, we are able to estimate the rate at which the CGM cools and becomes fuel for star formation in the central galaxy. We describe this calculation, which uses our observations, previous measurements of some critical CGM properties, and modeling of the cooling mechanism using the \cloudy modeling suite. We find that the mass cooling rate is larger than the star formation rates of the central galaxies by a factor of $\sim 4 - 90$, empirically confirming that there is sufficient fuel to resolve the gas consumption problem and that feedback is needed to avoid collecting too much cold gas in galaxies. We find excellent agreement between our estimates of both the mass cooling rates and mass loading factors and the predictions of independent theoretical studies. The convergence in results that we find from several completely different treatments of the problem, particularly at the lower end of the galactic mass range, is a strong indication that we have a relatively robust understanding of the quantitative effects of feedback across this mass range.
We present results on the environmental dependence of the star-forming galaxy main sequence in 11 galaxy cluster fields at $1.0 < z < 1.5$ from the Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments Survey (GOGREEN) survey. We use a homogeneously selected sample of field and cluster galaxies whose membership is derived from dynamical analysis. Using [OII]-derived star formation rates (SFRs), we find that cluster galaxies have suppressed SFRs at fixed stellar mass in comparison to their field counterparts by a factor of 1.4 $\pm$ 0.1 ($\sim3.3σ$) across the stellar mass range: $9.0 < \log(M_{*} /M_{\odot}) < 11.2$. We also find that this modest suppression in the cluster galaxy star-forming main sequence is mass and redshift dependent: the difference between cluster and field increases towards lower stellar masses and lower redshift. When comparing the distribution of cluster and field galaxy SFRs to the star-forming main sequence, we find an overall shift towards lower SFRs in the cluster population, and note the absence of a tail of high SFR galaxies as seen in the field. Given this observed suppression in the cluster galaxy star-forming main sequence, we explore the implications for several scenarios such as formation time differences between cluster and field galaxies, and environmentally-induced star formation quenching and associated timescales.
We study the star formation histories (SFHs) and mass-weighted ages of 331 UVJ-selected quiescent galaxies in 11 galaxy clusters and in the field at 1 1 has been driven by different physical processes than those at play at z=0.
In this paper, we take advantage of the GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly (GAEA) semi-analytic model to analyse the origin of secondary dependencies in the local galaxy mass - gas metallicity relation. Our model reproduces quite well the trends observed in the local Universe as a function of galaxy star formation rate and different gas-mass phases. We show that the cold gas content (whose largest fraction is represented by the atomic gas phase) can be considered as the third parameter governing the scatter of the predicted mass-metallicity relation, in agreement with the most recent observational measurements. The trends can be explained with fluctuations of the gas accretion rates: a decrease of the gas supply leads to an increase of the gas metallicity due to star formation, while an increase of the available cold gas leads to a metallicity depletion. We demonstrate that the former process is responsible for offsets above the mass-metallicity relation, while the latter is responsible for deviations below the mass-metallicity relation. In low and intermediate mass galaxies, these negative offsets are primarily determined by late gas cooling dominated by material that has been previously ejected due to stellar feedback.
Reproducing the observed quenched fraction of satellite galaxies has been a long-standing issue for galaxy formation models. We modify the treatment of environmental effects in our state-of-the-art GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly (GAEA) semi-analytic model to improve our modelling of satellite galaxies. Specifically, we implement gradual stripping of hot gas, ram-pressure stripping of cold gas, and an updated algorithm to account for angular momentum exchanges between the gaseous and stellar disc components of model galaxies. Our updated model is in good agreement with the observed quenched fractions for central and satellite galaxies, and their dependencies on stellar mass and halo mass. We also find consistency between model predictions and observational estimates of quenching time for satellite galaxies; HI, H$_2$ fractions of central galaxies; and deficiencies of HI, H$_2$, SFR of galaxies in cluster haloes. Analysing results from our updated model, we find that the dominant quenching mechanisms are hot-gas stripping for low-mass galaxies, and AGN feedback for massive galaxies. The Ram-pressure stripping of cold gas has a limited impact on the predicted quenched fractions, nonetheless, is needed to reproduce the observed HI deficiencies.
Using the GAEA semi-analytic model, we analyse the connection between Damped Lyman-$α$ systems (DLAs) and HI in galaxies. Our state-of-the-art semi-analytic model is tuned to reproduce the local galaxy HI mass function, and that also reproduces other important galaxy properties, including the galaxy mass - gas metallicity relation. To produce catalogs of simulated DLAs we throw $10^5$ random lines of sight in a composite simulated volume: dark matter haloes with log$(\frac{M_{200}}{ M_{\odot}}) \geq 11.5$ are extracted from the Millennium Simulation, while for $9.2 \leq \log(\frac{M_{200}}{ M_{\odot}})<11.5$ we use the Millennium II, and for $8 \leq \log(\frac{M_{200}}{M_{\odot}}) < 9.2$ a halo occupation distribution model. At $2 < z < 3$, where observational data are more accurate, our fiducial model predicts the correct shape of the column density distribution function, but its normalization falls short of the observations, with the discrepancy increasing at higher redshift. The agreement with observations is significantly improved increasing both the HI masses and the disk radii of model galaxies by a factor 2, as implemented 'a posteriori' in our $2M-2R$ model. In the redshift range of interest, haloes with $M_{200} \geq {10}^{11} M_{\odot}$ give the major contribution to $Ω_{\rm DLA}$, and the typical DLA host halo mass is $\sim {10}^{11} M _{\odot}$. The simulated DLA metallicity distribution is in relatively good agreement with observations, but our model predicts an excess of DLAs at low metallicities. Our results suggest possible improvements for the adopted modelling of the filtering mass and metal ejection in low-mass haloes.
We present a new implementation of the GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly (GAEA) semi-analytic model, that features an improved modelling of the process of cold gas accretion onto supermassive black hole (SMBHs), derived from both analytic arguments and high-resolution simulations. We consider different scenarios for the loss of angular momentum required for the available cold gas to be accreted onto the central SMBHs, and we compare different combinations of triggering mechanisms, including galaxy mergers and disc instabilities in star forming discs. We compare our predictions with the luminosity function (LF) observed for Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and we confirm that a non-instantaneous accretion timescale (either in the form of a low-angular momentum reservoir or as an assumed light curve evolution) is needed in order to reproduce the measured evolution of the AGN-LF and the so-called AGN-downsizing trend. Moreover, we also study the impact of AGN feedback, in the form of AGN-driven outflows, on the SF properties of model galaxies, using prescriptions derived both from empirical studies or from numerical experiments. We show that AGN-driven outflows are effective in suppressing the residual star formation rate in massive galaxies ($> 10^{11} M_\odot$) without changing their overall assembly history. These winds also affect the SFR of lower mass galaxies, resulting in a too large fraction of passive galaxies at $< 10^{10} M_\odot$. Finally, we study the Eddington ratio distribution as a function of SMBH mass, showing that only objects more massive than $10^8 M_\odot$ are already in a self-regulated state as inferred from observations.
We study the stellar mass functions (SMFs) of star-forming and quiescent galaxies in 11 galaxy clusters at 1.0<z<1.4, drawn from the Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments (GOGREEN) survey. Based on more than 500 hours of Gemini/GMOS spectroscopy, and deep multi-band photometry taken with a range of observatories, we probe the SMFs down to a stellar mass limit of 10^9.7 Msun (10^9.5 Msun for star-forming galaxies). At this early epoch, the fraction of quiescent galaxies is already highly elevated in the clusters compared to the field at the same redshift. The quenched fraction excess (QFE) represents the fraction of galaxies that would be star-forming in the field, but are quenched due to their environment. The QFE is strongly mass dependent, and increases from ~30% at Mstar=10^9.7 Msun, to ~80% at Mstar=10^11.0 Msun. Nonetheless, the shapes of the SMFs of the two individual galaxy types, star-forming and quiescent galaxies, are identical between the clusters and the field - to high statistical precision. Yet, along with the different quiescent fractions is the total galaxy SMF environmentally dependent, with a relative deficit of low-mass galaxies in the clusters. These results are in stark contrast with findings in the local Universe, and thus require a substantially different quenching mode to operate at early times. We discuss these results in the light of several popular quenching models.
We present results from a low-resolution spectroscopic survey for 21 galaxy clusters at $0.4 < z < 0.8$ selected from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey. We measured spectra using the low-dispersion prism in IMACS on the Magellan Baade telescope and calculate redshifts with an accuracy of $σ_z = 0.007$. We find 1763 galaxies that are brighter than $R = 22.9$ in the large-scale cluster environs. We identify the galaxies expected to be accreted by the clusters as they evolve to $z = 0$ using spherical infall models and find that $\sim30\%$ to $\sim70\%$ of the $z = 0$ cluster population lies outside the virial radius at $z \sim 0.6$. For analogous clusters at $z = 0$, we calculate that the ratio of galaxies that have fallen into the clusters since $z \sim 0.6$ to those that were already in the core at that redshift is typically between $\sim0.3$ and $1.5$. This wide range of ratios is due to intrinsic scatter and is not a function of velocity dispersion, so a variety of infall histories is to be expected for clusters with current velocity dispersions of $300 \lesssimσ\lesssim 1200$ km s$^{-1}$. Within the infall regions of $z \sim 0.6$ clusters, we find a larger red fraction of galaxies than in the field and greater clustering among red galaxies than blue. We interpret these findings as evidence of "preprocessing", where galaxies in denser local environments have their star formation rates affected prior to their aggregation into massive clusters, although the possibility of backsplash galaxies complicates the interpretation.
We present a comprehensive analysis of atomic hydrogen (HI) properties using a semi-analytical model of galaxy formation and N-body simulations covering a large cosmological volume at high resolution. We examine the HI mass function and the HI density, characterizing both their redshift evolution and their dependence on hosting halo mass. We analyze the HI content of dark matter haloes in the local Universe and up to redshift $z=5$, discussing the contribution of different galaxy properties. We find that different assembly history plays a crucial role in the scatter of this relation. We propose new fitting functions useful for constructing mock HI maps with HOD techniques. We investigate the HI clustering properties relevant for future $21$~cm Intensity Mapping (IM) experiments, including the HI bias and the shot noise level. The HI bias increases with redshift and it is roughly flat on the largest scales probed. The scale dependency is found at progressively larger scales with increasing redshift, apart from a dip feature at $z=0$. The shot-noise values are consistent with the ones inferred by independent studies, confirming that shot-noise will not be a limiting factor for IM experiments. We detail the contribution from various galaxy properties on the HI power spectrum and their relation to the halo bias. We find that HI poor satellite galaxies play an important role at the scales of the 1-halo term. Finally, we present the $21$~cm signal in redshift space, a fundamental prediction to be tested against data from future radio telescopes such as SKA.
We present results on the rest-frame $H$-band luminosity functions (LF) of red sequence galaxies in seven clusters at 1.0 < z < 1.3 from the Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments Survey (GOGREEN). Using deep GMOS-z' and IRAC $3.6 μ$m imaging, we identify red sequence galaxies and measure their LFs down to $M_{H} \sim M_{H}^{*} + (2.0 - 3.0)$. By stacking the entire sample, we derive a shallow faint end slope of $ α\sim -0.35^{+0.15}_{-0.15} $ and $ M_{H}^{*} \sim -23.52^{+0.15}_{-0.17} $, suggesting that there is a deficit of faint red sequence galaxies in clusters at high redshift. By comparing the stacked red sequence LF of our sample with a sample of clusters at z~0.6, we find an evolution in the faint end of the red sequence over the ~2.6 Gyr between the two samples, with the mean faint end red sequence luminosity growing by more than a factor of two. The faint-to-luminous ratio of our sample ($0.78^{+0.19}_{-0.15}$) is consistent with the trend of decreasing ratio with increasing redshift as proposed in previous studies. A comparison with the field shows that the faint-to-luminous ratios in clusters are consistent with the field at z~1.15 and exhibit a stronger redshift dependence. Our results support the picture that the build up of the faint red sequence galaxies occurs gradually over time and suggest that faint cluster galaxies, similar to bright cluster galaxies, experience the quenching effect induced by environment already at z~1.15.
We extend our previous work focused at $z\sim0$, studying the redshift evolution of galaxy dynamical properties using the state-of-the-art semi-analytic model GAEA: we show that the predicted size-mass relation for disky/star forming and quiescent galaxies is in good agreement with observational estimates, up to $z\sim2$. Bulge dominated galaxies have sizes that are offset low with respect to observational estimates, mainly due to our implementation of disk instability at high redshift. At large masses, both quiescent and bulge dominated galaxies have sizes smaller than observed. We interpret this as a consequence of our most massive galaxies having larger gas masses than observed, and therefore being more affected by dissipation. We argue that a proper treatment of quasar driven winds is needed to alleviate this problem. Our model compact galaxies have number densities in agreement with observational estimates and they form most of their stars in small and low angular momentum high-$z$ halos. GAEA predicts that a significant fraction of compact galaxies forming at high-$z$ is bound to merge with larger structures at lower redshifts: therefore they are not the progenitors of normal-size passive galaxies at $z=0$. Our model also predicts a stellar-halo size relation that is in good agreement with observational estimates. The ratio between stellar size and halo size is proportional to the halo spin and does not depend on stellar mass but for the most massive galaxies, where AGN feedback leads to a significant decrease of the retention factor (from about 80 per cent to 20 per cent).
We study the shape and evolution of the star formation main sequence in three independently developed semi-analytic models of galaxy formation. We focus, in particular, on the characterization of the model galaxies that are significantly above the main sequence, and that can be identified with galaxies classified as `starburst' in recent observational work. We find that, in all three models considered, star formation triggered by merger events (both minor and major) contribute to only a very small fraction of the cosmic density of star formation. While mergers are associated to bursts of star formation in all models, galaxies that experienced recent merger events are not necessarily significantly above the main sequence. On the other hand, `starburst galaxies' are not necessarily associated with merger episodes, especially at the low-mass end. Galaxies that experienced recent mergers can have relatively low levels of star formation when/if the merger is gas-poor, and galaxies with no recent merger can experience episodes of starbursts due to a combination of large amount of cold gas available from cooling/accretion events and/or small disk radii which increases the cold gas surface density.
We use our state-of-the-art Galaxy Evolution and Assembly (GAEA) semi-analytic model to study how and on which time-scales star formation is suppressed in satellite galaxies. Our fiducial stellar feedback model, implementing strong stellar driven outflows, reproduces relatively well the variations of passive fractions as a function of galaxy stellar mass and halo mass measured in the local Universe, as well as the `quenching' time-scales inferred from the data. We show that the same level of agreement can be obtained by using an alternative stellar feedback scheme featuring lower ejection rates at high redshift, and modifying the treatment for hot gas stripping. This scheme over-predicts the number densities of low to intermediate mass galaxies. In addition, a good agreement with the observed passive fractions can be obtained only by assuming that cooling can continue on satellites, at the rate predicted considering halo properties at infall, even after their parent dark matter substructure is stripped below the resolution of the simulation. For our fiducial model, the better agreement with the observed passive fractions can be ascribed to: (i) a larger cold gas fraction of satellites at the time of accretion, and (ii) a lower rate of gas reheating by supernovae explosions and stellar winds with respect to previous versions of our model. Our results suggest that the abundance of passive galaxies with stellar mass larger than ~10^10 Msun is primarily determined by the self-regulation between star formation and stellar feedback, with environmental processes playing a more marginal role.