The dominance of quenching through cosmic times

TL;DR

This paper analytically explores how early cosmic quenching influences the evolution of star formation, showing that quenched galaxies dominate over star-forming ones throughout cosmic history.

Contribution

It provides a new analytical framework linking the evolution of the star formation rate density and the Main Sequence to early quenching effects.

Findings

Quenching begins early in cosmic history.

Quenched fraction surpasses star-forming fraction over time.

A simple model explains the evolution of cosmic star formation rate density.

Abstract

The evolution with cosmic time of the star formation rate density (SFRD) and of the "Main Sequence" star formation rate-stellar mass relations are two well established observational facts. In this paper the implications of these two relations combined are analytically explored, showing that quenching of star formation must start already at very early cosmic times and the quenched fraction then dominates ever since over the star forming one. Thus, a simple picture of the cosmic evolution of the global SFRD is derived, in terms of the interplay between star formation and its quenching.