Evolution of submillimeter galaxies in cosmic web environments

Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 713, pp. A343

Abstract

Context. Submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) are among the most intriguing and luminous objects in the high-redshift universe. These highly dusty star-forming systems provide valuable insights into galaxy formation and evolution and are likely affected by their cosmic environment. However, it is challenging to obtain large-area surveys with resolved SMGs and their spectroscopic redshifts. Aims. We quantify the environmental dependence of SMGs from z = 4 to z = 1 by assessing their preferential association with cosmic web structures (cluster-halo, filaments, and voids/walls) and evolution using the FLAMINGO simulation. Methods. We used the cosmic web finder DisPerSE to identify filamentary structures at redshifts z = 4, 3, 2, 1.5, and 1 in the highest-resolution FLAMINGO simulation using galaxies with M ∗ ≥ 10 9 M ⊙ as tracers of large-scale structure. We defined five cosmic environments (inner cluster-halo, outer cluster-halo, inner filament, outer filament, and void/wall) at each redshift considering mass evolution of cluster-halos and density evolution of filaments. Results. The fraction of SMGs in the inner cluster-halo environment declines from ∼30% at z = 4 to ∼3% by z = 1, and similar trends are observed in other environments. The abundance of SMGs within a cluster-halo increases with halo mass and mirrors the increase in the total galaxy population. Consequently, the ratio of the SMG halo occupation to that of all galaxies is largely insensitive to halo mass, but varies with redshift. In contrast, the ratio of the halo occupation of non-SMGs to that of all galaxies declines with halo mass and shows little redshift evolution because star formation is suppressed in massive halos. We further show that SMGs tend to contribute less to the massive end of the stellar mass function in low-density environments, with central and satellite SMGs forming two distinct populations in the inner cluster-halos. SMGs occupy the metal-rich side of the star-forming gas metallicity distribution, but rarely attain the very highest metallicities because ongoing enrichment is limited by gas depletion. Interestingly, the brightest SMGs (S 850 > 10 mJy) are found exclusively in inner cluster-halos, highlighting a strong connection between SMG luminosity and environmental density. Our results show that SMGs dominate star formation in dense environments, contributing up to 80% of the star formation rate in inner cluster-halos at z = 4, but less than 50% in low-density regions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that SMGs dominate the buildup of stellar mass and metals in dense environments, while their relative importance declines toward lower-redshift and lower-density regions.

Authors 15

1. Ankit Kumar

   Universidad Andrés Bello

   Affiliation as printed

   Universidad Andres Bello, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Fisica y Astronomia, Instituto de Astrofisica

2. M. Celeste-Artale

   Universidad Andrés Bello

   Affiliation as printed

   Universidad Andres Bello, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Fisica y Astronomia, Instituto de Astrofisica

3. Antonio D. Montero-Dorta

   Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María · Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María

   Affiliation as printed

   Departamento de Física, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María

4. L. Guaita

   Universidad Andrés Bello

   Affiliation as printed

   Millennium Nucleus for Galaxies (MINGAL)

   Universidad Andres Bello, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Fisica y Astronomia, Instituto de Astrofisica

5. Joop Schaye Aachen Leiden Observatory

   Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden Observatory, Leiden University

6. Kyoung-Soo Lee

   Purdue University West Lafayette

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University

7. Alexandra Pope
   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts

8. Facundo Rodríguez

   Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental

   Affiliation as printed

   CONICET. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental (IATE)

   Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental (IATE), CONICET-UNC

9. Eric Gawiser

   Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

   Affiliation as printed

   Physics and Astronomy Department, Rutgers, The State University

10. Ho Seong Hwang

    Seoul National University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University

    SNU Astronomy Research Center, Seoul National University

11. Paulina Troncoso Iribarren

    Universidad Central de Chile

    Affiliation as printed

    Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Central de Chile

12. Jaehyun Lee

    Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

13. Seong-Kook Lee

    Seoul National University

    Affiliation as printed

    SNU Astronomy Research Center, Seoul National University

14. Changbom Park

    Korea Institute for Advanced Study

    Affiliation as printed

    Korea Institute for Advanced Study

15. Yujin Yang

    Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute