Quenching Through Tidal Gas Removal: Molecular Gas and Star Formation in Tidal Tails of z ~ 0.7 Post-Starburst Galaxies

TL;DR

This study investigates how galaxy mergers at z ~ 0.7 lead to quenching of star formation by removing molecular gas into tidal tails, revealing complex gas dynamics and star formation activity in post-starburst galaxies.

Contribution

It provides high-resolution multiwavelength observations showing tidal gas removal and diverse star formation outcomes, advancing understanding of quenching mechanisms at intermediate redshifts.

Findings

Approximately 50% of molecular gas removed into tidal tails

One galaxy shows ongoing star formation in tidal tail

The other galaxy lacks detectable star formation outside the core

Abstract

The active suppression of star formation in galaxies is critical in preventing the growth of overly massive systems and explaining the formation of present-day elliptical galaxies. We present a high-resolution, spatially-resolved multiwavelength study of two z ~ 0.7 massive post-starburst galaxies, SDSS J1448+1010 and SDSS J2258+2313, from the SQuIGGLE survey (Studying Quenching in Intermediate-z Galaxies: Gas, anguLar momentum, and Evolution), providing new insights into the role of mergers in driving quenching. ALMA CO(2-1) observations show that both galaxies removed ~50% of their molecular gas into extended tidal tails, spanning up to 65 kpc, following recent mergers. HST WFC3 imaging and grism spectroscopy show that while SDSS J1448+1010 exhibits Halpha emission in its northern tidal tail consistent with ongoing star formation, SDSS J2258+2313 lacks detectable star-forming activity outside the central galaxy. VLA 6 GHz continuum data reveal compact radio emission in SDSS J2258+2313, while SDSS J1448+1010 hosts small radio jets indicative of AGN activity. Both galaxies retain substantial molecular gas reservoirs in their central regions that appear more turbulent than 'normal' star-forming galaxies, likely contributing to the observed low star formation rates in the hosts. Despite similarities in their cold gas content and tidal features the galaxies are distinct from each other in their star formation, gas-star alignment, and radio morphology, highlighting the complexity of tidal gas removal as a quenching mechanism at intermediate redshifts.