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Environmental dependence of bulge-dominated galaxy sizes in hierarchical models of galaxy formation. Comparison with the local Universe

Environmental dependence of bulge-dominated galaxy sizes in hierarchical models of galaxy formation. Comparison with the local Universe
Environmental dependence of bulge-dominated galaxy sizes in hierarchical models of galaxy formation. Comparison with the local Universe
We compare state-of-the-art semi-analytic models of galaxy formation as well as advanced subhalo abundance matching models with a large sample of early-type galaxies from Sloan Digital Sky Survey at z < 0.3. We focus our attention on the dependence of median sizes of central galaxies on host halo mass. The data do not show any difference in the structural properties of early-type galaxies with environment, at fixed stellar mass. All hierarchical models considered in this work instead tend to predict a moderate to strong environmental dependence, with the median size increasing by a factor of ~ 1.5 – 3 when moving from low- to high-mass host haloes. At face value the discrepancy with the data is highly significant, especially at the cluster scale, for haloes above log Mhalo > 14. The convolution with (correlated) observational errors reduces some of the tension. Despite the observational uncertainties, the data tend to disfavour hierarchical models characterized by a relevant contribution of disc instabilities to the formation of spheroids, strong gas dissipation in (major) mergers, short dynamical friction time-scales and very short quenching time-scales in infalling satellites. We also discuss a variety of additional related issues, such as the slope and scatter in the local size–stellar mass relation, the fraction of gas in local early-type galaxies and the general predictions on satellite galaxies.
1365-2966
3189-3212
Shankar, Francesco
b10c91e4-85cd-4394-a18a-d4f049fd9cdb
Mei, Simona
2a1ef2b5-81a2-4648-86b7-6033de92512d
Huertas-Company, Marc
6fe27f7c-356c-448b-bcb6-c21a84bab91a
Moreno, Jorge
057ed4c0-157a-4349-81f0-74b36b66c0ff
Fontanot, Fabio
5bea4477-c8fe-4dc6-b0b6-53a8497e58c2
Monaco, Pierluigi
4c584ddd-35c3-4e38-81f7-0249a220adbc
Bernardi, Mariangela
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Cattaneo, Andrea
c40e9b8b-8fe3-4ed1-a8e7-ecdf42c436d0
Sheth, Ravi
87b37c62-0b6c-44d9-a9d5-31f71605b20f
Licitra, Rossella
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Delaye, Lauriane
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Raichoor, Anand
3b536563-460f-464e-bc70-62931caa819d
Shankar, Francesco
b10c91e4-85cd-4394-a18a-d4f049fd9cdb
Mei, Simona
2a1ef2b5-81a2-4648-86b7-6033de92512d
Huertas-Company, Marc
6fe27f7c-356c-448b-bcb6-c21a84bab91a
Moreno, Jorge
057ed4c0-157a-4349-81f0-74b36b66c0ff
Fontanot, Fabio
5bea4477-c8fe-4dc6-b0b6-53a8497e58c2
Monaco, Pierluigi
4c584ddd-35c3-4e38-81f7-0249a220adbc
Bernardi, Mariangela
51f0929c-ba65-4d9c-a814-673442f48d75
Cattaneo, Andrea
c40e9b8b-8fe3-4ed1-a8e7-ecdf42c436d0
Sheth, Ravi
87b37c62-0b6c-44d9-a9d5-31f71605b20f
Licitra, Rossella
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Delaye, Lauriane
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Raichoor, Anand
3b536563-460f-464e-bc70-62931caa819d

Shankar, Francesco, Mei, Simona, Huertas-Company, Marc, Moreno, Jorge, Fontanot, Fabio, Monaco, Pierluigi, Bernardi, Mariangela, Cattaneo, Andrea, Sheth, Ravi, Licitra, Rossella, Delaye, Lauriane and Raichoor, Anand (2014) Environmental dependence of bulge-dominated galaxy sizes in hierarchical models of galaxy formation. Comparison with the local Universe. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 439 (4), 3189-3212. (doi:10.1093/mnras/stt2470).

Record type: Article

Abstract

We compare state-of-the-art semi-analytic models of galaxy formation as well as advanced subhalo abundance matching models with a large sample of early-type galaxies from Sloan Digital Sky Survey at z < 0.3. We focus our attention on the dependence of median sizes of central galaxies on host halo mass. The data do not show any difference in the structural properties of early-type galaxies with environment, at fixed stellar mass. All hierarchical models considered in this work instead tend to predict a moderate to strong environmental dependence, with the median size increasing by a factor of ~ 1.5 – 3 when moving from low- to high-mass host haloes. At face value the discrepancy with the data is highly significant, especially at the cluster scale, for haloes above log Mhalo > 14. The convolution with (correlated) observational errors reduces some of the tension. Despite the observational uncertainties, the data tend to disfavour hierarchical models characterized by a relevant contribution of disc instabilities to the formation of spheroids, strong gas dissipation in (major) mergers, short dynamical friction time-scales and very short quenching time-scales in infalling satellites. We also discuss a variety of additional related issues, such as the slope and scatter in the local size–stellar mass relation, the fraction of gas in local early-type galaxies and the general predictions on satellite galaxies.

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1401.2460v1 - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 18 December 2013
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 February 2014
Published date: 21 April 2014
Organisations: Astronomy Group

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Local EPrints ID: 394758
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/394758
ISSN: 1365-2966
PURE UUID: 0b695c7c-338d-4958-bb19-8d5ef9ad5a31

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Date deposited: 24 May 2016 08:55
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 00:32

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Contributors

Author: Simona Mei
Author: Marc Huertas-Company
Author: Jorge Moreno
Author: Fabio Fontanot
Author: Pierluigi Monaco
Author: Mariangela Bernardi
Author: Andrea Cattaneo
Author: Ravi Sheth
Author: Rossella Licitra
Author: Lauriane Delaye
Author: Anand Raichoor

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