HST/WFC3 Grism Observations of z ∼ 1 Clusters: Evidence for Rapid Outside-in Environmental Quenching from Spatially Resolved Hα Maps

Matharu, Jasleen; Muzzin, Adam; Brammer, Gabriel B.; Nelson, Erica J.; Auger, Matthew W.; Hewett, Paul C.; van der Burg, Remco; Balogh, Michael; Demarco, Ricardo; Marchesini, Danilo; Noble, Allison G.; Rudnick, Gregory; van der Wel, Arjen; Wilson, Gillian; Yee, Howard K. C.

Abstract

We present and publicly release (www.gclasshst.com ) the first spatially resolved Ha maps of star-forming cluster galaxies at z similar to 1, made possible with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) G141 grism on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Using a similar but updated method to 3D-HST in the field environment, we stack the Ha maps in bins of stellar mass, measure the half-light radius of the H alpha distribution, and compare it to the stellar continuum. The ratio of the H alpha to stellar continuum half-light radius, R[H alpha/C] = R-eff,R-H alpha/R-eff,R-Cont is smaller in the clusters by Ref, cove (6 +/- 9)%, but statistically consistent within la uncertainties. A negligible difference in R[H alpha/C] with environment is surprising, given the higher quenched fractions in the clusters relative to the field. We postulate that the combination of high quenched fractions and no change in R[H alpha/C] with environment can be reconciled if environmental quenching proceeds rapidly. We investigate this hypothesis by performing similar analysis on the spectroscopically confirmed, recently quenched cluster galaxies. 87% have Ha detections, with star formation rates 8 +/- 1 times lower than star-forming cluster galaxies of similar stellar mass. Importantly, these galaxies have an R [Ha/C] that is (81 +/- 8)% smaller than coeval star-forming field galaxies at fixed stellar mass. This suggests the environmental quenching process occurred outside-in. We conclude that disk truncation due to ram pressure stripping is occurring in cluster galaxies at z similar to 1, but more rapidly and/or efficiently than in z less than or similar to 0.5 clusters, such that the effects on R[H alpha/C] become observable just after the cluster galaxy has recently quenched.

Más información

Título según WOS: HST/WFC3 Grism Observations of z similar to 1 Clusters: Evidence for Rapid Outside-in Environmental Quenching from Spatially Resolved H alpha Maps
Título de la Revista: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volumen: 923
Número: 2
Editorial: IOP PUBLISHING LTD
Fecha de publicación: 2021
DOI:

10.3847/1538-4357/ac26c3

Notas: ISI