The migration of nearby spirals from the blue to red sequence: AGN feedback or environmental effects?

TL;DR

This study investigates how nearby spiral galaxies transition from blue to red, highlighting the roles of environmental effects and AGN feedback, with findings suggesting environment influences quenching more than AGN activity.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis combining multi-wavelength data across environments, emphasizing the environmental impact on galaxy color migration over AGN feedback.

Findings

Quenched, HI-deficient spirals are mainly in Virgo cluster.

High fraction of AGN hosts in transition region.

Environmental effects significantly influence galaxy migration.

Abstract

We combine ultraviolet to near-infrared photometry with HI 21cm line observations for a complete volume-limited sample of nearby galaxies in different environments (from isolated galaxies to Virgo cluster members), to study the migration of spirals from the blue to the red sequence. Although our analysis confirms that, in the transition region between the two sequences, a high fraction of spirals host active galactic nuclei (AGN), it clearly shows that late-types with quenched star formation are mainly HI deficient galaxies preferentially found in the Virgo cluster. This not only suggests that environmental effects could play a significant role in driving the migration of local galaxies from the blue sequence, but it also implies that a physical link between AGN feedback and quenching may not be assumed from a correlation between nuclear activity and colour.