The phase space and stellar populations of cluster galaxies at z ∼ 1: simultaneous constraints on the location and timescale of satellite quenching
- Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada)
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada)
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montréal, QC (Canada)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States)
We investigate the velocity versus position phase space of z ∼ 1 cluster galaxies using a set of 424 spectroscopic redshifts in nine clusters drawn from the GCLASS survey. Dividing the galaxy population into three categories, that is, quiescent, star-forming, and poststarburst, we find that these populations have distinct distributions in phase space. Most striking are the poststarburst galaxies, which are commonly found at small clustercentric radii with high clustercentric velocities, and appear to trace a coherent 'ring' in phase space. Using several zoom simulations of clusters, we show that the coherent distribution of the poststarbursts can be reasonably well reproduced using a simple quenching scenario. Specifically, the phase space is best reproduced if these galaxies are quenched with a rapid timescale (0.1 <τ {sub Q} < 0.5 Gyr) after they make their first passage of R ∼ 0.5 R {sub 200}, a process that takes a total time of ∼1 Gyr after first infall. The poststarburst phase space is not well reproduced using long quenching timescales (τ {sub Q} > 0.5 Gyr) or by quenching galaxies at larger radii (R ∼ R {sub 200}). We compare this quenching timescale to the timescale implied by the stellar populations of the poststarburst galaxies and find that the poststarburst spectra are well-fit by a rapid quenching (τ {sub Q} = 0.4{sub −0.4}{sup +0.3} Gyr) of a typical star-forming galaxy. The similarity between the quenching timescales derived from these independent indicators is a strong consistency check of the quenching model. Given that the model implies satellite quenching is rapid and occurs well within R {sub 200}, this would suggest that ram-pressure stripping of either the hot or cold gas component of galaxies are the most plausible candidates for the physical mechanism. The high cold gas consumption rates at z ∼ 1 make it difficult to determine whether hot or cold gas stripping is dominant; however, measurements of the redshift evolution of the satellite quenching timescale and location may be capable of distinguishing between the two.
- OSTI ID:
- 22369985
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 796, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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