TY - JOUR

T1 - HST/WFC3 Grism Observations of z ∼1 Clusters

T2 - Evidence for Rapid Outside-in Environmental Quenching from Spatially Resolved H α Maps

AU - Matharu, Jasleen

AU - Muzzin, Adam

AU - Brammer, Gabriel B.

AU - Nelson, Erica J.

AU - Auger, Matthew W.

AU - Hewett, Paul C.

AU - van der Burg, Remco

AU - Balogh, Michael

AU - Demarco, Ricardo

AU - Marchesini, Danilo

AU - Noble, Allison G.

AU - Rudnick, Gregory

AU - van der Wel, Arjen

AU - Wilson, Gillian

AU - Yee, Howard K. C.

PY - 2021/12/23

Y1 - 2021/12/23

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - GALAXY REDSHIFT SURVEY

KW - STAR-FORMATION RATES

KW - MORPHOLOGY-DENSITY RELATION

KW - PRESSURE STRIPPING EVENTS

KW - RAM-PRESSURE

KW - SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION

KW - STELLAR POPULATION

KW - FORMATION HISTORIES

KW - PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES

KW - RADIAL-DISTRIBUTION

U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/ac26c3

DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/ac26c3

M3 - Journal article

VL - 923

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

SN - 0004-637X

IS - 2

M1 - 222

ER -