Resolved UV and Optical Color Gradients Reveal Environmental Influence on Galaxy Evolution at Redshift z ∼ 1.6

W. J. Cramer; A. G. Noble; G. Rudnick; A. Pigarelli; G. Wilson; Y. M. Bahé; M. C. Cooper; R. Demarco; J. Matharu; T. B. Miller; A. Muzzin; J. Nantais; W. Sportsman; E. van Kampen; T. M. A. Webb; H. K. C. Yee

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad7798

The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)

Resolved UV and Optical Color Gradients Reveal Environmental Influence on Galaxy Evolution at Redshift z ∼ 1.6

W. J. Cramer,
A. G. Noble,
G. Rudnick,
A. Pigarelli,
G. Wilson,
Y. M. Bahé,
M. C. Cooper,
R. Demarco,
J. Matharu,
T. B. Miller,
A. Muzzin,
J. Nantais,
W. Sportsman,
E. van Kampen,
T. M. A. Webb,
H. K. C. Yee

Affiliations

W. J. Cramer: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Notre Dame University , South Bend, IN 46617, USA; School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
A. G. Noble: School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-1404, USA
G. Rudnick: ORCiD; Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas , 1251 Wescoe Hall Drive, Malott room 1082, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
A. Pigarelli: School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
G. Wilson: ORCiD; Department of Physics, University of California Merced , 5200 Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
Y. M. Bahé: ORCiD; Laboratory of Astrophysics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Observatoire de Sauverny, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland; Leiden Observatory, Leiden University , P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
M. C. Cooper: ORCiD; Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California , Irvine, 4129 Reines Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
R. Demarco: ORCiD; Institute of Astrophysics, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andrés Bello , Sede Concepción, Talcahuano, Chile
J. Matharu: ORCiD; Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) , Denmark; Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen , Jagtvej 128, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
T. B. Miller: ORCiD; Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University , 1800 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
A. Muzzin: Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University , 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
J. Nantais: Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Físicas, Instituto de Astrofísica, Universidad Andrés Bello , Fernández Concha 700, Las Condes, RM 7591538, Chile
W. Sportsman: Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kansas , 1251 Wescoe Hall Drive, Malott room 1082, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
E. van Kampen: ORCiD; European Southern Observatory , Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
T. M. A. Webb: Department of Physics, McGill Space Institute , McGill University, 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
H. K. C. Yee: ORCiD; The David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7798
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 975, no. 1
p. 144

Abstract

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The changes in colors across a galaxy are intimately connected to the galaxy’s formation, growth, quenching history, and dust content. A particularly important epoch in the growth of galaxies is near z ∼ 2, often referred to as “cosmic noon,” where galaxies on average reach the peak of their star formation. We study a population of 125 cluster galaxies at z ∼ 1.6 in three Hubble Space Telescope filters, F475W, F625W, and F160W, roughly corresponding to the rest-frame far-ultraviolet, near-ultraviolet, and r band, respectively. By comparing to a control sample of 200 field galaxies at similar redshift, we reveal clear, statistically significant differences in the overall spatially resolved colors and color gradients in galaxies across these two different environments. On average, cluster galaxies have redder ultraviolet colors in both the inner and outer regions bounded by r _50 , as well as an overall wider dispersion of outside-in color gradients. The presence of these observed differences, along with evidence from ancillary data from previous studies, strongly suggests that the environment drives these population-level color differences, by affecting the stellar populations and/or dust content.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal

ISSN: 1538-4357 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X

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