Euclid preparation

Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 707, pp. A231

Abstract

Aims. We analyzed the spatially resolved and global star formation histories (SFHs) for a sample of 25 TNG50- SKIRT Atlas galaxies to assess the feasibility of reconstructing accurate SFHs from Euclid -like data. This study provides a proof of concept for extracting the spatially resolved SFHs of local galaxies with Euclid , highlighting the strengths and limitations of SFH modeling in the context of next-generation galaxy surveys. Methods. We used the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code Prospector to model both spatially resolved and global SFHs using parametric and nonparametric configurations. The input consisted of mock ultraviolet–near-infrared photometry derived from the TNG50 cosmological simulation and processed with the radiative transfer code SKIRT . Results. We show that nonparametric SFHs provide a more effective approach to mitigating the outshining effect by recent star formation, offering improved accuracy in the determination of galaxy stellar properties. Also, we find that the nonparametric SFH model at resolved scales closely recovers the stellar mass formation times (within 0.1 dex) and the ground truth values from TNG50, with an absolute average bias of 0.03 dex in stellar mass and 0.01 dex in both specific star formation rate and mass-weighted age. In contrast, larger offsets are estimated for all stellar properties and formation times when using a simple τ -model SFH, at both resolved and global scales, highlighting its limitations. Conclusions. These results emphasize the critical role of nonparametric SFHs in both global and spatially resolved analyses, as they better capture the complex evolutionary pathways of galaxies and avoid the biases inherent in simple parametric models.

Authors 16

1. A. Biviano

   Trieste Astronomical Observatory · Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   IFPU, Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe

   INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste

2. G. Castignani

   Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna

3. X. Dupac

   European Space Agency · European Space Astronomy Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   ESAC/ESA

4. R. Farinelli

   Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna

5. Fabio Finelli

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna · Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna

   INFN-Bologna

6. N. Fourmanoit

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université · Centre de physique des particules de Marseille · Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules

   Affiliation as printed

   Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM

7. K. Jahnkę

   Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

   Affiliation as printed

   Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie

8. Smaïn Kermiche

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université · Centre de physique des particules de Marseille · Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules

   Affiliation as printed

   Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM

9. M. Kilbinger

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris Cité · Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives · Université Paris-Saclay · Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation

   Affiliation as printed

   Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM

10. Hannu Kurki-Suonio

    University of Helsinki · Helsinki Institute of Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, P.O. Box 64, University of Helsinki

    Helsinki Institute of Physics, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2, University of Helsinki

11. Amandine M. C. Le Brun

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris Sciences et Lettres · Observatoire de Paris · Sorbonne Université · Laboratoire d'Étude de l'Univers et des Phénomènes Extrêmes

    Affiliation as printed

    Laboratoire d’etude de l’Univers et des phenomenes eXtremes, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS

12. N. Martinet

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université

    Affiliation as printed

    Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CNES, LAM

13. Eduardo Medinaceli

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna

14. S. Mei

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris Cité

    Affiliation as printed

    CNRS-UCB International Research Laboratory

    Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie

15. Y. Mellier

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris · Sorbonne Université

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris

    Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095, CNRS, and Sorbonne Université

16. Massimo Meneghetti

    Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna · Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna

    INFN-Sezione di Bologna