II- A hydrodynamical CLONE of the Virgo cluster to confront observed and synthetic galaxy population twins in a dense environment

TL;DR

This study presents a high-resolution hydrodynamical simulation of the Virgo galaxy cluster, successfully reproducing key observed galaxy properties and trends, providing insights into galaxy evolution in dense environments.

Contribution

The paper introduces a detailed, realistic simulation of the Virgo cluster that matches multiple observational relations without extensive averaging or uncertainty adjustments.

Findings

Simulated galaxies show similar star formation and metallicity trends as observed.

Quenched galaxy fractions are consistent with observations across stellar masses.

Gas depletion and dark matter stripping are key quenching mechanisms.

Abstract

Galaxy clusters offer powerful laboratories for studying galaxy evolution in dense environments. In this context, the CLONE, Constrained LOcal and Nesting Environment, project provides a zoom-in hydrodynamical simulation of the Virgo cluster, including AGN and supernovae feedback, with a resolution down to 350 pc, designed to mirror Virgo's observed properties. Previous work showed that this replica and Virgo share the same history, mass and luminosity distributions including the central M87. This study examines several observational relations extending to lower stellar masses than previous synthetic-population studies: star formation density, (specific) star formation rate, metallicity and quenched fraction of galaxies as a function of stellar mass and cluster-centric distance. The aim is to assess how simulated and observed trends compare. Despite slightly low metallicity and high, but then enough, quenched fraction, simulated galaxies reproduce key observational trends even without averaging or accounting for observational uncertainties, aside from the consideration of projection effects: At fixed stellar mass, cluster galaxies form fewer stars than field counterparts. Most galaxies are quenched but for those of intermediate mass or isolated. Low-mass galaxies are highly quenched implying a sharp metallicity drop, and low metallicity does not imply youth. Quenching occurs earlier for the most massive and the smallest galaxies than for those of intermediate mass at least until they enter the cluster. Quenched galaxies have undergone dark matter stripping. Gas depletion drives quenching, especially in low-mass galaxies and the farther from the cluster center they are. Overall, the synthetic population reproduces jointly multiple observational trends, making it a valuable tool to probe processes from jellyfish galaxies to cluster-core gas dynamics. [Shorten]