Ram-pressure-induced star formation in low-mass galaxies infalling on-to the Coma cluster: insights from DESI

TL;DR

This study shows that in low-mass galaxies falling into the Coma cluster, ram-pressure-induced starbursts are more likely on tangential orbits with high angular momentum, providing insights into galaxy evolution in clusters.

Contribution

It reveals that the angular momentum of low-mass galaxies determines the efficiency of ram-pressure-induced starbursts in cluster environments.

Findings

Starburst galaxies tend to have high angular momentum.

Ram-pressure-induced star formation is more efficient on tangential orbits.

Most post-starburst galaxies in the sample favor high angular momentum.

Abstract

Ram-pressure stripping is a key driver of galaxy morphological transformation in clusters, contributing to the formation of quenched, especially dwarf, populations. Ram-pressure compression can also induce a starburst prior to quenching and build up significant stellar mass in an initially gas-rich galaxy. The detailed physics of these processes remains poorly understood, especially in the low-mass regime. Here we demonstrate that the key factor for a ram-pressure induced starburst in a low-mass galaxy is its angular momentum within a host cluster. In this study, we select a sample of 41 post-starburst galaxies (PSGs) in the Coma cluster using the DESI EDR spectroscopic data, extending to low luminosities ($M_g < -14$). This sample is at least 90% complete down to $M_g \approx -14.8$, which enabled us a systematic analysis of their properties. For each galaxy, we use projected cluster-centric distances and line-of-sight velocities to constrain the normalized orbital angular momentum and a 3D radial coordinate to the cluster center, assuming zero orbital energy. The resulting probability distributions show that while star-forming galaxies are split into two populations favoring intermediate and high angular momentum, almost all PSGs prefer high angular momentum. Our analysis statistically demonstrates that ram-pressure-induced starbursts are more efficient on tangential orbits, where gas stripping proceeds slowly enough to allow substantial star formation before gas removal.