Chronos and Kairos: Mosfire Observations of Post-Starburst Galaxies in z~1 Clusters and Groups

TL;DR

This study uses MOSFIRE spectroscopy to identify and analyze post-starburst galaxies at z~1, revealing environment-dependent differences in their properties and evolution, especially highlighting a new class called KAIROS galaxies.

Contribution

It introduces a MOSFIRE-based selection method that doubles the post-starburst galaxy sample and uncovers younger, feedback-influenced post-starbursts, expanding understanding of galaxy quenching.

Findings

MOSFIRE selection yields more post-starbursts than traditional methods.

Post-starburst fraction is environment-independent in the field, group, and cluster.

KAIROS galaxies are younger and show signs of feedback activity.

Abstract

In this study we present the exploration of $\sim$500 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies in and around two large scale structures at $z\sim1$ drawn from the ORELSE survey. A sub-sample of these galaxies ($\sim$150) were targeted for the initial phases of a near-infrared MOSFIRE spectroscopic campaign investigating the differences in selections of galaxies which had recently ended a burst of star formation or had rapidly quenched (i.e., post-starburst or K+A galaxies). Selection with MOSFIRE resulted in a post-starburst sample more than double that selected by traditional $z\sim1$ (observed-frame optical) methods even after the removal of the relatively large fraction of dusty starburst galaxies selected through traditional methods. While the traditional post-starburst fraction increased with increased global density, the MOSFIRE-selected post-starburst fraction was found to be constant in field, group, and cluster environments. However, this fraction relative to the number of galaxies with ongoing star formation was observed to elevate in the cluster environment. Post-starbursts selected with MOSFIRE were predominantly found to exhibit moderately strong [OII] emission originating from activity other than star formation. Such galaxies, termed K+A with ImposteR [OII]-derived Star formation (KAIROS) galaxies, were found to be considerably younger than traditionally-selected post-starbursts and likely undergoing some form of feedback absent or diminished in traditional post-starbursts. A comparison between the environments of the two types of post-starbursts suggests a picture in which the evolution of a post-starburst galaxy is considerably different in cluster environments than in the more rarefied environments of a group or the field.