Journal
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Volume 444, Issue 3, Pages 2637-2664Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu1639
Keywords
galaxies: evolution; galaxies: formation; galaxies: star formation
Categories
Funding
- Science and Technology Facilities Council [ST/J501013/1, ST/F001166/1]
- BIS National E-infrastructure capital grant [ST/K00042X/1]
- STFC capital grant [ST/H008519/1]
- STFC DiRAC Operations grant [ST/K003267/1]
- Durham University
- STFC [ST/M007006/1, ST/L00075X/1, ST/I001166/1, ST/H008519/1, ST/F002300/1, ST/J501013/1, ST/I00162X/1, ST/K00042X/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Science and Technology Facilities Council [ST/K00042X/1, ST/L00075X/1, ST/J501013/1, ST/I001166/1, ST/H008519/1, ST/I00162X/1, ST/M007006/1, ST/F002300/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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It has been argued that the specific star formation rates of star-forming galaxies inferred from observational data decline more rapidly below z = 2 than is predicted by hierarchical galaxy formation models. We present a detailed analysis of this problem by comparing predictions from the GALFORM semi-analytic model with an extensive compilation of data on the average star formation rates of star-forming galaxies. We also use this data to infer the form of the stellar mass assembly histories of star-forming galaxies. Our analysis reveals that the currently available data favour a scenario where the stellar mass assembly histories of star-forming galaxies rise at early times and then fall towards the present day. In contrast, our model predicts stellar mass assembly histories that are almost flat below z = 2 for star-forming galaxies, such that the predicted star formation rates can be offset with respect to the observational data by factors of up to 2-3. This disagreement can be explained by the level of coevolution between stellar and halo mass assembly that exists in contemporary galaxy formation models. In turn, this arises because the standard implementations of star formation and supernova feedback used in the models result in the efficiencies of these process remaining approximately constant over the lifetime of a given star-forming galaxy. We demonstrate how a modification to the time-scale for gas ejected by feedback to be reincorporated into galaxy haloes can help to reconcile the model predictions with the data.
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