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

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

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

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number222
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume923
Issue number2
Number of pages16
ISSN0004-637X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Dec 2021

    Research areas

  • GALAXY REDSHIFT SURVEY, STAR-FORMATION RATES, MORPHOLOGY-DENSITY RELATION, PRESSURE STRIPPING EVENTS, RAM-PRESSURE, SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION, STELLAR POPULATION, FORMATION HISTORIES, PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES, RADIAL-DISTRIBUTION

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