Description
Intermediate redshift (z~0.5) galaxy clusters contain many more blue galaxies than present-day clusters (Butcher & Oemler 1978). However, it is still unclear whether the truncation of star formation in galaxies (referred to as quenching) is trigger by internal (e.g. AGN feedback) or external environmental processes. This Masters project aims to constrain the timescales and mechanisms responsible for galaxy quenching in clusters at low to intermediate redshifts and will be presented at the NAC with a poster. The projects is based on data from the WEAVE Cosmological Cluster Survey, that will observe up to 80 clusters at redshift from 0.15 to 0.45, with approximately 10 to 20 galaxies per cluster. We infer the star formation history (SFH) of galaxies by fitting their spectra with BESTA (Bayesian Estimator for STellar population Analysis), a software tool that employs Monte Carlo techniques to fit spectral energy distributions. Our model employs a delayed-tau exponentially declining SFH combined with a sudden truncation, used to estimate the time at which galaxies stopped forming stars. In this way we will hunt for the last remnants of star-formation in galaxies by exploring clusters right after the freeze out of structure formation at z~0.5. Ultimately we will shed light on its mechanism by catching environmental quenching in the act.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 1 |
|---|---|
| Preference for a talk or poster | Poster |
