The Structure and Formation Histories of Low-Mass Quiescent Galaxies in the Abell 2744 Cluster Environment

2025/04/14 by Sam E. Cutler, John R. Weaver, Cutler, Sam E. +45 · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Space Technology and Applications

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2504.10572

openalex publication_date 2025/04/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Low-mass quiescent galaxies are thought to predominantly reside in overdense regions, as environmental effects are often invoked to explain their shutdown of star formation. These longer-timescale quenching mechanisms - such as interactions with hot gas in the intracluster medium and dynamical encounters with other cluster galaxies - leave imprints on galaxy morphologies, emphasizing the importance of quantifying the structures of low-mass quiescent galaxies in galaxy clusters at z<0.5. Using spectrophotometric data from the UNCOVER and MegaScience programs, we present the first measurement of the quiescent size-mass relation between 7<log(M_⋆/M_\odot)<10 using JWST imaging, based on a sample of 1531 galaxies in the z=0.308 Abell 2744 galaxy cluster. The resulting size-mass relation has a significantly higher scatter than similar-redshift field samples, despite comparable best-fit relations in both the dwarf and intermediate-mass regimes. Both "progenitor bias", where larger, diskier low-mass galaxies enter the cluster at later epochs, and a general expansion of galaxy structure from dynamical interactions could be at play. This evolutionary framework is further supported by the tentative evidence that older low-mass quiescent galaxies in the cluster are more spheroidal. The star-formation histories derived for our cluster sample imply their formation and quenching occurs relatively late, at z<1.5. In this scenario, the progenitor population would have disky axis-ratio distributions at cosmic noon, in agreement with recent observations. While this leaves ample time for dynamical interactions to maintain quiescence and drive the observed subsequent morphological evolution post-quenching, the data disfavors an onset of quenching due to the environment.

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Cited by

• Taking a Break at Cosmic Noon: Continuum-selected Low-mass Galaxies Require Long Burst Cycles

Related

• UNCOVER/MegaScience: No Evidence of Environmental Quenching in a z∼2.6 Proto-cluster
• A proto-cluster of massive quiescent galaxies at z=4
• Accelerated Emergence of Evolved Galaxies in Early Overdensities at z∼5.7
• A Gradual Decline of Star Formation since Cluster In-fall: New Kinematic Insights into Environmental Quenching at 0.3 < z < 1.1
• The COSMOS Wall at z ~ 0.73: Quiescent galaxies and their evolution in different environments