The Manhattan Suite: Accelerated galaxy evolution in the early Universe

TL;DR

This paper introduces The Manhattan Suite, a set of high-resolution simulations of massive galaxy clusters at high redshift, revealing their role in galaxy evolution from early Universe to present.

Contribution

It presents a novel suite of 100 zoom-in simulations biased to match observed massive high-redshift galaxies and protoclusters, linking early galaxy formation to later evolutionary stages.

Findings

Reproduces observed star-bursting protoclusters like SPT2349-56.

Models high-redshift galaxy clusters such as XLSSC122 and JKCS0249.

Suggests a continuous evolutionary link from $z\,\sim9$ to $z\sim2$.

Abstract

Observational advances have allowed the detection of galaxies, protoclusters, and galaxy clusters at higher and higher redshifts, opening a new view into extreme galaxy evolution. I present an argument that the high redshift, massive galaxies discovered over the last decade are really the most massive galaxies within protocluster-cores of galaxy clusters at $z\sim2$, and that they are the partial descendants of same galaxies discovered by JWST at $z\sim9$. To that end, I present $\textit{The Manhattan Suite}$, a set of $100$ high resolution zoom-in simulations of the most massive galaxy clusters, out to $9\,R_\mathrm{vir}$, selected at $z = 2$ from a ($1.5\,\mathrm{cGpc})^3$ parent volume, and simulated using the $\textit{Simba}$ model. Unlike other cluster suites, my selection at $z = 2$ ensures that these systems are biased in a similar fashion to observations, in that they should be the brightest and the most massive by construction at $z \gtrsim 2$. I show that my sample is able to reproduce extremely star-bursting protoclusters such as SPT2349-56, high redshift galaxy clusters XLSSC122 and JKCS0249, and the wealth of massive (sometimes quenched) galaxies at $z \gtrsim 3$ and up to $z \sim 9$. I argue that these systems are intimately linked, and represent the same evolutionary history.