Environments of galaxies in groups within the supercluster-void network

TL;DR

This study investigates how local group properties and large-scale environments influence galaxy evolution, revealing that denser environments promote earlier galaxy development and alter galaxy type distributions.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the combined effects of local group richness and large-scale density on galaxy types and luminosity, highlighting environment-dependent evolutionary pathways.

Findings

Passive elliptical galaxies increase with group richness.

Large-scale density influences galaxy type fractions.

Galaxies in superclusters evolve earlier than in voids.

Abstract

Majority of all galaxies reside in groups of less than 50 member galaxies. These groups are distributed in various large-scale environments from voids to superclusters. Evolution of galaxies is affected by the environment in which they reside. Our aim is to study the effects that the local group scale and the supercluster scale environment have on galaxies. We use a luminosity-density field to determine density of the large-scale environment of galaxies in groups of various richness. We calculate fractions of different types of galaxies in groups with richnesses up to 50 member galaxies and in different large-scale environments from voids to superclusters. The fraction of passive elliptical galaxies rises and the fraction of star-forming spiral galaxies declines when the richness of a group of galaxies rises from two to approximately ten galaxies. On the large scale, the passive elliptical galaxies become more numerous than star-forming spirals when the environmental density grows to the density level typical for superclusters. The large-scale environment affects the level of these fractions in groups: galaxies in equally rich groups are more likely to be elliptical in supercluster environments than in lower densities. The crossing point, where the number of passive and star-forming galaxies is equal, happens in groups with lower richness in superclusters than in voids. Galaxies in low-density areas require richer groups to evolve from star-forming to passive. Groups in superclusters are on average more luminous than groups in large-scale environments with lower density. Our results suggest that the evolution of galaxies is affected by both, by the group in which the galaxy resides, and by its large-scale environment. Galaxies in lower-density regions develop later than galaxies in similar mass groups in high-density environments.