arXiv subjects

Xianzhong Zheng

Publications and source records attributed to Xianzhong Zheng.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

CSST large-scale structure analysis pipeline: I. constructing reference mock galaxy redshift surveys

In this paper, we set out to construct a set of reference mock galaxy redshift surveys (MGRSs) for the future Chinese Space-station Survey Telescope (CSST) observation, where subsequent survey selection effects can be added and evaluated. This set of MGRSs is generated using the dark matter subhalos extracted from a high-resolution Jiutian $N$-body simulation of the standard $Λ$CDM cosmogony with $Ω_m=0.3111$, $Ω_Λ=0.6889$, and $σ_8=0.8102$. The simulation has a boxsize of $1~h^{-1} {\rm Gpc}$, and consists of $6144^3$ particles with mass resolution $3.723 \times 10^{8} h^{-1} M_\odot $. In order to take into account the effect of redshift evolution, we first use all 128 snapshots in the Jiutian simulation to generate a light-cone halo/subhalo catalog. Next, galaxy luminosities are assigned to the main and subhalo populations using the subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) method with the DESI $z$-band luminosity functions at different redshifts. Multi-band photometries, as well as images, are then assigned to each mock galaxy using a 3-dimensional parameter space nearest neighbor sampling of the DESI LS observational galaxies and groups. Finally, the CSST and DESI LS survey geometry and magnitude limit cuts are applied to generate the required MGRSs. As we have checked, this set of MGRSs can generally reproduce the observed galaxy luminosity/mass functions within 0.1 dex for galaxies with $L > 10^8 L_\odot$ (or $M_* > 10^{8.5} M_\odot$) and within 1-$σ$ level for galaxies with $L < 10^8L_\odot$ (or $M_* < 10^{8.5} M_\odot$). Together with the CSST slitless spectra and redshifts for our DESI LS seed galaxies that are under construction, we will set out to test various slitless observational selection effects in subsequent probes.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope Project

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope (JUST) is a 4.4-meter f/6.0 segmentedmirror telescope dedicated to spectroscopic observations. The JUST primary mirror is composed of 18 hexagonal segments, each with a diameter of 1.1 m. JUST provides two Nasmyth platforms for placing science instruments. One Nasmyth focus fits a field of view of 10 arcmin and the other has an extended field of view of 1.2 deg with correction optics. A tertiary mirror is used to switch between the two Nasmyth foci. JUST will be installed at a site at Lenghu in Qinghai Province, China, and will conduct spectroscopic observations with three types of instruments to explore the dark universe, trace the dynamic universe, and search for exoplanets: (1) a multi-fiber (2000 fibers) medium-resolution spectrometer (R=4000-5000) to spectroscopically map galaxies and large-scale structure; (2) an integral field unit (IFU) array of 500 optical fibers and/or a long-slit spectrograph dedicated to fast follow-ups of transient sources for multimessenger astronomy; (3) a high-resolution spectrometer (R~100000) designed to identify Jupiter analogs and Earth-like planets, with the capability to characterize the atmospheres of hot exoplanets.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

The Hubble Deep Hydrogen Alpha (HDH$α$) Project: I. Catalog of Emission-line Galaxies

We present the first results of the Hubble Deep Hydrogen Alpha (HDH$α$) project, which analyzes the space-borne deep H$α$ narrowband imaging data in the GOODS-S region. The HDH$α$ data comprises 72 orbits' images taken with the HST ACS/WFC F658N filter. The exposure time varies across a total area of $\sim$76.1 $\rm{arcmin}^2$, adding up to a total exposure time of 195.7 ks, among which 68.8 ks are spent in the deepest region. These images are aligned, reprojected, and combined to have the same pixel grid as the Hubble Legacy Fields (HLF). The scientific goals of the HDH$α$ include establishing a sample of emission-line galaxies (ELGs) including [O III] emitters at $z\sim$ 0.3, [O II] emitters at $z\sim$ 0.8, and Lyman-$α$ emitters (LAEs) at $z \sim 4.4$, studying the line morphology of ELGs with high resolution imaging data, and statistically analyzing the line luminosity functions and line equivalent-width distributions of ELGs selected with HST. Furthermore, the HDH$α$ project enhances the legacy value of the GOODS-S field by contributing the first HST-based narrowband image to the existing data sets, which includes the HST broadband data and other ancillary data from X-ray to radio taken by other facilities. In this paper, we describe the data reduction process of the HDH$α$, select ELGs based on HST's F658N and broadband data, validate the redshifts of the selected candidates by cross matching with the public spectroscopic catalogs in the GOODS-S, and present a final catalog of the confirmed [O III] emitters at $z\sim$ 0.3, [O II] emitters at $z\sim$ 0.8, and LAEs at $z \sim 4.4$.

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arXiv2023

Nature vs. Nurture: Revisiting the environmental impact on star formation activities of galaxies

We present a systematic study of the environmental impact on star formation activities of galaxies using a mass-complete sample of $\sim$170k galaxies at $z<4$ from the latest COSMOS2020 catalog. At $z<1$, we find that the mean star-formation rate (SFR) of all galaxies decreases with increasing density of the environment. However when we consider only star-forming galaxies, the mean SFR becomes independent of the environment at $z<1$. At $z>2$ we observe a clear positive correlation between the SFR and density of the environment for all the galaxies. On the other hand, stellar mass of the galaxies increases significantly with the environments at all redshifts except for star-forming galaxies at $z<1$. The fraction of quiescent galaxies increases with increasing density of environment at $z<2$, and the ``morphology-density'' relation is confirmed to be present up to $z\sim1$. We also find that environmental quenching is negligible at $z>1$, whereas mass quenching is the dominant quenching mechanism for massive galaxies at all redshifts. Based on these results, we argue that stellar mass regulated physical processes might be the major driving force for star formation activities of galaxies. At low redshift ($z<1$) massive galaxies are quenched primarily due to their high mass, resulting in a normal ``SFR-density'' relation. At high redshift ($z>2$) most of the galaxies are star-forming ones tightly following the star-forming main sequence, and the difference in their stellar mass at different environments naturally leads to a reversal of ``SFR-density'' relation.

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arXiv2023

Local star-forming galaxies build up central mass concentration most actively near $M_{*}=10^{10}M_{\odot}$

To understand in what mass regime star-forming galaxies (SFGs) build up central mass concentration most actively, we present a study on the luminosity-weighted stellar age radial gradient ($\nabla_{\rm age}$) distribution of $\sim3600$ low-redshift SFGs using the MaNGA Pipe3D data available in the SDSS DR17. The mean age gradient is negative, with $\nabla_{\rm age}=-0.14$log Gyr/$R_{\rm e}$, consistent with the inside-out disk formation scenario. Specifically, SFGs with positive $\nabla_{\rm age}$ consist of $\sim 28\%$ at log$(M_{*}/M_{\odot})<9.5$, while this fraction rises up to its peak ($\sim 40\%$) near log$(M_{*}/M_{\odot})=10$ and then decreases to $\sim 15\%$ at log$(M_{*}/M_{\odot})=11$. At fixed $M_{*}$, SFGs with positive $\nabla_{\rm age}$ typically have more compact sizes and more centrally concentrated star formation than their counterparts, indicative of recent central mass build-up events. These results suggest that the build-up of central stellar mass concentration in local SFGs is mostly active near $M_{*}=10^{10}M_{\odot}$. Our findings provide new insights on the origin of morphological differences between low-mass and high-mass SFGs.

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arXiv2023

Sciences with the 2.5-meter Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST)

The Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST) is a dedicated photometric surveying facility being built jointly by the University of Science and Technology of China and the Purple Mountain Observatory. It is equipped with a 2.5-meter diameter primary mirror, an active optics system, and a mosaic CCD camera with 0.73 gigapixels on the primary focal plane for high-quality image capture over an FOV of 6.5-square-degree. It is anticipated that WFST will be set up at the Lenghu site in the summer of 2023 and begin to observe the northern sky in four optical bands (u, g, r, and i) with a range of cadences, from hourly/daily in the Deep High-Cadence Survey (DHS) program to semiweekly in the Wide-Field Survey (WFS) program, three months later. During a photometric night, a nominal 30 s exposure in the WFS program will reach a depth of 22.27, 23.32, 22.84, and 22.31 (AB magnitudes) in these four bands, respectively, allowing for the detection of a tremendous amount of transients in the low-z universe and a systematic investigation of the variability of Galactic and extragalactic objects. In the DHS program, intranight 90 s exposures as deep as 23 (u) and 24 mag (g), in combination with target of opportunity follow-ups, will provide a unique opportunity to explore energetic transients in demand for high sensitivities, including the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events, supernovae within a few hours of their explosions, tidal disruption events and fast, luminous optical transients even beyond a redshift of unity. In addition, the final 6-year co-added images, anticipated to reach g=25.8 mag in WFS or 1.5 mags deeper in DHS, will be of fundamental importance to general Galactic and extragalactic science. The highly uniform legacy surveys of WFST will serve as an indispensable complement to those of LSST that monitor the southern sky.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

What boost galaxy mergers in two massive galaxy protoclusters at z = 2.24

Characterizing the structural properties of galaxies in high-redshift protoclusters is key to our understanding of the environmental effects on galaxy evolution in the early stages of galaxy and structure formation. In this study, we assess the structural properties of 85 and 87 Halpha emission-line candidates (HAEs) in the densest regions of two massive protoclusters, BOSS1244 and BOSS1542, respectively, using HST H-band imaging data. Our results show a true pair fraction of 22+-5 (33+-6) percent in BOSS1244 (BOSS1542), which yields a merger rate of 0.41+-0.09 (0.52+-0.04) per Gyr for massive HAEs with log (M_*/M_sun) > 10.3. This rate is 1.8 (2.8) times higher than that of the general fields at the same epoch. Our sample of HAEs exhibits half-light radii and Sersic indices that cover a broader range than field star-forming galaxies. Additionally, about 15 percent of the HAEs are as compact as the most massive (log(M_*/M_sun) > 11) spheroid-dominated population. These results suggest that the high galaxy density and cold dynamical state (i.e., velocity dispersion of <400 km/s) are key factors that drive galaxy mergers and promote structural evolution in the two protoclusters. Our findings also indicate that both the local environment (on group scales) and the global environment play essential roles in shaping galaxy morphologies in protoclusters. This is evident in the systematic differences observed in the structural properties of galaxies between BOSS1244 and BOSS1542.

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arXiv2023

The Spatially Resolved Properties of the GW170817 Host Galaxy

GW170817 is the unique gravitational-wave (GW) event that is associated to the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart GRB 170817A. NGC 4993 is identified as the host galaxy of GW170817/GRB 170817A. In this paper, we particularly focus on the spatially resolved properties of NGC 4993. We present the photometric results from the comprehensive data analysis of the high spatial-resolution images in the different optical bands. The morphological analysis reveals that NGC 4993 is a typical early-type galaxy without significant remnants of major galaxy merger. The spatially resolved stellar population properties of NGC 4993 suggest that the galaxy center has passive evolution with the outskirt formed by gas accretion. We derive the merging rate of the compact object per galaxy by a co-evolution scenario of supermassive black hole and its host galaxy. If the galaxy formation is at redshift 1.0, the merging rate per galaxy is $3.2\times 10^{-4}$ to $7.7\times 10^{-5}$ within the merging decay time from 1.0 to 5.0 Gyr. The results provide the vital information for the ongoing GW EM counterpart detections. The HST data analysis presented in this paper can be also applied for the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) research in the future.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

A Semi-Analytical Model for the Formation and Evolution of Radio Relics in Galaxy Clusters

Radio relics are Mpc-sized synchrotron sources located in the peripheral regions of galaxy clusters. Models based on the diffuse shock acceleration (DSA) scenario have been widely accepted to explain the formation of radio relics. However, a critical challenge to these models is that most observed shocks seem too weak to generate detectable emission, unless fossil electrons, a population of mildly energetic electrons that have been accelerated previously, are included in the models. To address this issue, we present a new semi-analytical model to describe the formation and evolution of radio relics by incorporating fossil relativistic electrons into DSA theory, which is constrained by a sample of 14 observed relics, and employ the Press-Schechter formalism to simulate the relics in a $20^{\circ} \times 20^{\circ}$ sky field at 50, 158, and 1400 MHz, respectively. Results show that fossil electrons contribute significantly to the radio emission, which can generate radiation four orders of magnitude brighter than that solely produced by thermal electrons at 158 MHz, and the power distribution of our simulated radio relic catalog can reconcile the observed $P_{1400}-M_{\mathrm{vir}}$ relation. We predict that $7.1\%$ clusters with $M_{\mathrm{vir}} > 1.2\times 10^{14}\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ would host relics at 158 MHz, which is consistent with the result of $10 \pm 6\%$ given by the LoTSS DR2. It is also found that radio relics are expected to cause severe foreground contamination in future EoR experiments, similar to that of radio halos. The possibility of AGN providing seed fossil relativistic electrons is evaluated by calculating the number of radio-loud AGNs that a shock is expected to encounter during its propagation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Model: Dust Geometry of Milky-Way like Disk Galaxies

We present a new two-component dust geometry model, the \textit{Chocolate Chip Cookie} model, where the clumpy nebular regions are embedded in a diffuse stellar/ISM disk, like chocolate chips in a cookie. By approximating the binomial distribution of the clumpy nebular regions with a continuous Gaussian distribution and omitting the dust scattering effect, our model solves the dust attenuation process for both the emission lines and stellar continua via analytical approaches. Our Chocolate Chip Cookie model successfully fits the inclination dependence of both the effective dust reddening of the stellar components derived from stellar population synthesis and that of the emission lines characterized by the Balmer decrement for a large sample of Milky-Way like disk galaxies selected from the main galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our model shows that the clumpy nebular disk is about 0.55 times thinner and 1.6 times larger than the stellar disk for MW-like galaxies, whereas each clumpy region has a typical optical depth $τ_{\rm{cl,V}} \sim 0.5$ in $V$ band. After considering the aperture effect, our model prediction on the inclination dependence of dust attenuation is also consistent with observations. Not only that, in our model, the dust attenuation curve of the stellar population naturally depends on inclination and its median case is consistent with the classical Calzetti law. Since the modelling constraints are from the optical wavelengths, our model is unaffected by the optically thick dust component, which however could bias the model's prediction of the infrared emissions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

A census of optically dark massive galaxies in the early Universe from magnification by lensing galaxy clusters

We present ALMA 870um and JCMT SCUBA2 850um dust continuum observations of a sample of optically dark and strongly lensed galaxies in the cluster fields. The ALMA and SCUBA2 observations reach a median rms of about 0.11 mJy and 0.44 mJy, respectively, with the latter close to the confusion limit of the data at 850um. This represents one of the most sensitive searches for dust emission in optically dark galaxies. We detect the dust emission in 12 out of 15 galaxies at >3.8 sigma, corresponding to a detection rate of 80 per cent. Thanks to the gravitational lensing, our observations reach a deeper limiting flux than previous surveys in blank fields by a factor of 3. We estimate delensed infrared luminosities in the range log(LIR)=11.5-12.7 Lsun, which correspond to dust-obscured star formation rates (SFRs) of 30 to 520 Msun per year. Stellar population fits to the optical-to-NIR photometric data yield a median redshift z=4.26 and de-lensed stellar mass log(Mstar)=10.78 Msun. They contribute a lensing-corrected star-formation rate density at least an order of magnitude higher than that of equivalently massive UV-selected galaxies at z>3. The results suggest that there is a missing population of massive star-forming galaxies in the early Universe, which may dominate the SFR density at the massive end. Five optically dark galaxies are located within r<50 arcsec in one cluster field, representing a potential overdensity structure that has a physical origin at a confidence level >99.974% from Poisson statistics. Follow-up spectroscopic observations with ALMA and JWST are crucial to confirm whether it is associated with a protocluster at similar redshifts.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The role of HI in regulating size growth of local galaxies

We study the role of atomic hydrogen (HI) in regulating size growth of local galaxies. The size of a galaxy, $D_{\rm r,~25}$, is characterized by the diameter at which the $r-$band surface brightness reaches $μ_{\rm r}=25.0~\rm mag~arcsec^{-2}$. We find that the positions of galaxies in the size ($D_{\rm r,~25}$)$-$stellar mass ($M_{\ast}$) plane strongly depend on their HI-to-stellar mass ratio ($M_{\rm HI}/M_{\ast}$). In the HI-rich regime, galaxies that are more rich in HI tend to have larger sizes. Such a trend is not seen in the HI-poor regime, suggesting that size growth is barely affected by the HI content when it has declined to a sufficiently low level. An investigation of the relations between size, $M_{\rm HI}/M_{\ast}$ and star formation rate (SFR) suggests that size is more intrinsically linked with $M_{\rm HI}/M_{\ast}$, rather than SFR. We further examine the HI-to-stellar disk size ratio ($D_{\rm HI}/D_{\rm r,~25}$) of galaxies and find that at log($M_{\rm HI}/M_{\ast})>-0.7$, $D_{\rm HI}/D_{\rm r,~25}$ is weakly correlated with $M_{\ast}$. These findings support a picture in which the HI-rich galaxies live in an inside-out disk growing phase regulated by gas accretion and star formation. The angular momentum of the accreted materials is probably the key parameter in shaping the size of an HI-rich galaxy.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The observed cosmic star formation rate density has an evolution which resembles a Γ(a, bt) distribution and can be described successfully by only 2 parameters

A debate is emerging regarding the recent inconsistent results of different studies for the Cosmic Star Formation Rate Density (CSFRD) at high-z. We employ UV and IR datasets to investigate the star formation rate function (SFRF) at ${\rm z \sim 0-9}$. We find that the SFRFs derived from the dust corrected ${\rm UV}$ (${\rm UV_{corr}}$) data contradict those from IR on some key issues since they are described by different distributions (Schechter vs double-power law), imply different physics for galaxy formation (${\rm UV_{corr}}$ data suggest a SFR limit/strong mechanism that diminish the number density of high star forming systems with respect IR) and compare differently with the stellar mass density evolution obtained from SED fitting (${\rm UV_{corr}}$ is in agreement, while IR in tension up to 0.5 dex). However, both tracers agree on a constant CSFRD evolution at ${\rm z \sim 1-4}$ and point to a plateau instead of a peak. In addition, using both indicators we demonstrate that the evolution of the {\it observed} CSFRD can be described by only {\bf 2} parameters and a function that has the form of a Gamma distribution (${\bf Γ(a,bt)}$). In contrast to previous parameterizations used in the literature our framework connects the parameters to physical properties like the star formation rate depletion time and cosmic baryonic gas density. The build up of stellar mass occurs in $Γ(a,bt)$ distributed steps and is the result of gas consumption up to the limit that there is no eligible gas for SF at t = ${\rm \infty}$, resulting to a final cosmic stellar mass density of $\sim 0.5 \times 10^9 \, {\rm \frac{M_{\odot}}{Mpc^3}}$.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

From haloes to galaxies. III. The gas cycle of local galaxy populations

In Dou et al. (2021), we introduced the Fundamental Formation Relation (FFR), a tight relation between specific SFR (sSFR), H$_2$ star formation efficiency (SFE$_{\rm H_2}$), and the ratio of H$_2$ to stellar mass. Here we show that atomic gas HI does not follow a similar FFR as H$_2$. The relation between SFE$_{\rm HI}$ and sSFR shows significant scatter and strong systematic dependence on all of the key galaxy properties that we have explored. The dramatic difference between HI and H$_2$ indicates that different processes (e.g., quenching by different mechanisms) may have very different effects on the HI in different galaxies and hence produce different SFE$_{\rm HI}$-sSFR relations, while the SFE$_{\rm H_2}$-sSFR relation remains unaffected. The facts that SFE$_{\rm H_2}$-sSFR relation is independent of other key galaxy properties, and that sSFR is directly related to the cosmic time and acts as the cosmic clock, make it natural and very simple to study how different galaxy populations (with different properties and undergoing different processes) evolve on the same SFE$_{\rm H_2}$-sSFR $\sim t$ relation. In the gas regulator model (GRM), the evolution of a galaxy on the SFE$_{\rm H_2}$-sSFR($t$) relation is uniquely set by a single mass-loading parameter $λ_{\rm net,H_2}$. This simplicity allows us to accurately derive the H$_2$ supply and removal rates of the local galaxy populations with different stellar masses, from star-forming galaxies to the galaxies in the process of being quenched. This combination of FFR and GRM, together with the stellar metallicity requirement, provide a new powerful tool to study galaxy formation and evolution.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

The specific star formation rate function at different mass scales and quenching: A comparison between cosmological models and SDSS

We present the eddington bias corrected Specific Star Formation Rate Function (sSFRF) at different stellar mass scales from a sub-sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release DR7 (SDSS), which is considered complete both in terms of stellar mass (${\rm M_{\star}}$) and star formation rate (SFR). The above enable us to study qualitatively and quantitatively quenching, the distribution of passive/star-forming galaxies and perform comparisons with the predictions from state-of-the-art cosmological models, within the same ${\rm M_{\star}}$ and SFR limits. We find that at the low mass end (${\rm M_{\star}} = 10^{9.5} - 10^{10} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) the sSFRF is mostly dominated by star-forming objects. However, moving to the two more massive bins (${\rm M_{\star}} = 10^{10} - 10^{10.5} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$ and ${\rm M_{\star}} = 10^{10.5} - 10^{11} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) a bi-modality with two peaks emerges. One peak represents the star-forming population, while the other describes a rising passive population. The bi-modal form of the sSFRFs is not reproduced by a range of cosmological simulations (e.g. Illustris, EAGLE, Mufasa, IllustrisTNG) which instead generate mostly the star-forming population, while a bi-modality emerges in others (e.g. L-Galaxies, Shark, Simba). Our findings reflect the need for the employed quenching schemes in state-of-the-art models to be reconsidered, involving prescriptions that allow "quenched galaxies" to retain a small level of SF activity (sSFR $=$ ${\rm 10^{-11} {\rm yr^{-1}}}$-${\rm 10^{-12} {\rm yr^{-1}}}$) and generate an adequate passive population/bi-modality even at intermediate masses (${\rm M_{\star}} = 10^{10} - 10^{10.5} \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The evolution of baryonic mass function of galaxies to z=3

We combine the published stellar mass function (SMF) and gas scaling relations to explore the baryonic (stellar plus cold gas) mass function (BMF) of galaxies to redshift $z=3$. We find evidence that at log$(M_{\rm baryon}/M_{\bigodot})>11.3$, the BMF evolves little since $z\sim 2.2$. With the evolution of BMF and SMF, we investigate the baryon net accretion rate ($\dotρ_{\rm baryon}$) and stellar mass growth rate ($\dotρ_{\rm star}$) for the galaxy population of log($M_{\rm star}/M_{\bigodot}$)>10. The ratio between these two quanties, $\dotρ_{\rm baryon}$/$\dotρ_{\rm star}$, decreases from $\dotρ_{\rm baryon}$/$\dotρ_{\rm star}\sim$2 at $z\sim 2.5$ to $\dotρ_{\rm baryon}$/$\dotρ_{\rm star}<$0.5 at $z\sim 0.5$, suggesting that massive galaxies are transforming from the "accretion dominated" phase to the "depletion dominated" phase from high$-z$ to low$-z$. The transition of these two phases occurs at $z\sim1.5$, which is consistent with the onset redshift of the decline of cosmic star formation rate density. This provides evidence to support the idea that the decline of cosmic star formation rate density since $z\sim1.5$ is mainly resulted from the decline of baryon net accretion rate and star formation quenching in galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

An evolving and mass dependent ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$-${\rm M_{\star}}$ relation for galaxies

The scatter (${\rmσ_{\text{sSFR}}}$) of the specific star formation rates (sSFRs) of galaxies is a measure of the diversity in their star formation histories (SFHs) at a given mass. In this paper we employ the EAGLE simulations to study the dependence of the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$ of galaxies on stellar mass (${\rm M_{\star}}$) through the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$-${\rm M_{\star}}$ relation in $ {\rm z \sim 0-4}$. We find that the relation evolves with time, with the dispersion depending on both stellar mass and redshift. The models point to an evolving U-shape form for the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$-${\rm M_{\star}}$ relation with the scatter being minimal at a characteristic mass $M^{\star}$ of ${\rm 10^{9.5}}$ ${\rm M_{\odot}}$ and increasing both at lower and higher masses. This implication is that the diversity of SFHs increases towards both at the low- and high-mass ends. We find that active galactic nuclei feedback is important for increasing the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$ for high mass objects. On the other hand, we suggest that SNe feedback increases the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$ of galaxies at the low-mass end. We also find that excluding galaxies that have experienced recent mergers does not significantly affect the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$-${\rm M_{\star}}$ relation. Furthermore, we employ the combination of the EAGLE simulations with the radiative transfer code SKIRT to evaluate the effect of SFR/stellar mass diagnostics in the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$-${\rm M_{\star}}$ relation and find that the ${\rm SFR/M_{\star}}$ methodologies (e.g. SED fitting, UV+IR, UV+IRX-$β$) widely used in the literature to obtain intrinsic properties of galaxies have a large effect on the derived shape and normalization of the ${\rm σ_{\text{sSFR}}}$-${\rm M_{\star}}$ relation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The inflow and outflow rate evolution of local Milky Way-mass star-forming galaxies since z=1.3

We study the gas inflow rate ($ζ_{\rm inflow}$) and outflow rate ($ζ_{\rm outflow}$) evolution of local Milky Way-mass star-forming galaxies (SFGs) since $z=1.3$. The stellar mass growth history of Milky Way-mass progenitor SFGs is inferred from the evolution of the star formation rate (SFR)$-$stellar mass ($M_{\ast}$) relation, and the gas mass ($M_{\rm gas}$) is derived using the recently established gas scaling relations. With the $M_{\ast}+M_{\rm gas}$ growth curve, the net inflow rate $κ$ is quantified at each cosmic epoch. At $z\sim 1.3$, $κ$ is comparable with the SFR, whereas it rapidly decreases to $\sim 0.15\times$SFR at $z=0$. We then constrain the average outflow rate $ζ_{\rm outflow}$ of progenitor galaxies by modeling the evolution of their gas-phase metallicity. The best-fit $ζ_{\rm outflow}$ is found to be $(0.5-0.8)\times$SFR. Combining $κ$ and $ζ_{\rm outflow}$, we finally investigate the evolution of $ζ_{\rm inflow}$ since $z=1.3$. We find that $ζ_{\rm inflow}$ rapidly decreases by $\sim$80\% from $z=1.3$ to $z=0.5$. At $z<0.5$, $ζ_{\rm inflow}$ continuously decreases but with a much lower decreasing rate. Implications of these findings on galaxy evolution are discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗