Large-scale and local environmental drivers of quenching: tracing H$α$ concentration in X-ray and optical galaxy groups

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Authors: Stefania Barsanti, Di Wang, Matthew Colless, Ang Liu, Esra Bülbül, Matt S. Owers, S. M. Croom, Benedetta Vulcani, Julia J. Bryant, Yifan Mai, Sree Oh, Andrei Ristea
+2 more Sarah M. Sweet, Jesse van de Sande
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Abstract

To explore the environmental mechanisms causing quenching in nearby star-forming galaxies, we study the variation with local and large-scale environments of a star formation concentration index, C-index $\equiv\log{(r_{50,{\rm H}α}/r_{50,\rm cont}})$, that traces the spatially-resolved distribution of H$α$ emission. Our analysis combines (i) GAMA spectroscopic redshift survey data to optically select galaxy groups and reconstruct the cosmic web, (ii) eROSITA data to identify X-ray-emitting groups, and (iii) SAMI Galaxy Survey data to characterise spatially-resolved star formation. We find that galaxies in X-ray+optical groups exhibit the lowest median C-index and the highest fraction of centrally-concentrated star-forming galaxies relative to optical groups and the field (independently of group or stellar mass). Star-forming galaxies in more X-ray luminous groups at fixed dynamical mass show more concentrated star formation. At large scales, nodes show the lowest median C-index and the highest fraction of centrally-concentrated star-forming galaxies relative to filaments and voids, which have similar C-index distributions. C-index correlates most strongly with the distance to the closest node, leaving no significant role for other local or large-scale environment metrics. Finally, regular star-forming galaxies tend to have spins aligned parallel to filaments, consistent with smooth gas accretion, while centrally-concentrated galaxies tend have spins aligned perpendicular to filaments, likely driven by mergers and associated with bulge growth. These results suggest that multi-scale environmental processes, i.e. locally and at large-scale, act to concentrate star formation toward galaxy centres, via gas-related mechanisms in nodes and ram-pressure stripping in X-ray+optical groups.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Stellar planetary and galactic studies

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
16 February 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint