Resolved star formation in TNG100 central and satellite galaxies

TL;DR

This study analyzes the properties of galaxies in the TNG100 simulation, focusing on star formation and feedback effects, revealing inside-out quenching in high-mass galaxies and similar profiles in low-mass ones.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of local star formation properties and radial profiles in simulated galaxies, testing feedback models against observed galaxy behaviors.

Findings

High-mass galaxies quench from the inside-out.

Low-mass galaxies show flatter quenching profiles.

The simulated star-forming main sequence aligns with observations.

Abstract

Recent cosmological hydrodynamical simulations have produced populations of numerical galaxies whose global star-forming properties are in good agreement with those of observed galaxies. Proper modeling of energetic feedback from supernovae and active galactic nuclei is critical to the ability of simulations to reproduce observed galaxy properties and, historically, such modelling has proven to be a challenge. Here, we analyze local properties of central and satellite galaxies in the $z=0$ snapshot of the TNG100 simulation as a test of feedback models. We generate a face-on projection of stellar particles in TNG100 galaxies, from which we demonstrate the existence of a resolved star-forming main sequence ($\Sigma_{SFR}$--$\Sigma_*$ relation) with a slope and normalization that is in reasonable agreement with previous studies. We also present radial profiles of various galaxy populations for two parameters: the distance from the resolved main sequence line ($\Delta\Sigma_{SFR}$) and the luminosity-weighted stellar age ($age_L$). We find that, on average, high-mass central and satellite galaxies quench from the inside-out, while low-mass central and satellite galaxies have similar, flatter profiles.