Journal
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Volume 424, Issue 1, Pages 232-243Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21188.x
Keywords
methods: statistical; galaxies: clusters: general; galaxies: evolution; galaxies: groups: general; galaxies: haloes; galaxies: star formation
Categories
Funding
- NSF
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Japanese Monbukagakusho
- Max Planck Society
- Higher Education Funding Council for England
- American Museum of Natural History
- Astrophysical Institute Potsdam
- University of Basel
- University of Cambridge
- Case Western Reserve University
- University of Chicago
- Drexel University
- Fermilab
- Institute for Advanced Study
- Japan Participation Group
- Johns Hopkins University
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics
- Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Korean Scientist Group
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (LAMOST)
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA)
- Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA)
- New Mexico State University
- Ohio State University
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Portsmouth
- Princeton University
- United States Naval Observatory
- University of Washington
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Using galaxy group/cluster catalogues created from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, we examine in detail the specific star formation rate (SSFR) distribution of satellite galaxies and its dependence on stellar mass, host halo mass and halo-centric radius. All galaxies, regardless of central satellite designation, exhibit a similar bimodal SSFR distribution, with a strong break at SSFR approximate to 10-11 yr-1 and the same high SSFR peak; in no regime is there ever an excess of galaxies in the green valley. Satellite galaxies are simply more likely to lie on the quenched (red sequence) side of the SSFR distribution. Furthermore, the satellite quenched fraction excess above the field galaxy value is nearly independent of galaxy stellar mass. An enhanced quenched fraction for satellites persists in groups with halo masses down to 3 x 1011 M? and increases strongly with halo mass and towards halo centre. We find no detectable quenching enhancement for galaxies beyond similar to 2 Rvir around massive clusters once these galaxies have been decomposed into centrals and satellites. These trends imply that (1) galaxies experience no significant environmental effects until they cross within similar to Rvir of a more massive host halo; (2) after this, star formation in active satellites continues to evolve in the same manner as active central galaxies for several Gyr; and (3) once begun, satellite star formation quenching occurs rapidly. These results place strong constraints on satellite-specific quenching mechanisms, as we will discuss further in companion papers.
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