Publication Date:
2013-04-03
Description:
We have constructed an extended halo model (EHM) which relates the total stellar mass and star-formation rate (SFR) to halo mass ( M h ). An empirical relation between the distribution functions of total stellar mass of galaxies and host halo mass, tuned to match the spatial density of galaxies over 0 〈 z 〈 2 and the clustering properties at z ~ 0, is extended to include two different scenarios describing the variation of SFR on M h . We also present new measurements of the redshift evolution of the average SFR for star-forming galaxies of different stellar masses up to z = 2, using data from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey for infrared bright galaxies. Combining the EHM with the halo accretion histories from numerical simulations, we trace the stellar mass growth and star-formation history in haloes spanning a range of masses. We find that: (1) the intensity of the star-forming activity in haloes in the probed mass range has steadily decreased from z ~ 2 to 0; (2) at a given epoch, haloes in the mass range between a few times 10 11 M and a few times 10 12 M are the most efficient at hosting star formation; (3) the peak of SFR density shifts to lower mass haloes over time; and (4) galaxies that are forming stars most actively at z ~ 2 evolve into quiescent galaxies in today's group environments, strongly supporting previous claims that the most powerful starbursts at z ~ 2 are progenitors of today's elliptical galaxies.
Print ISSN:
0035-8711
Electronic ISSN:
1365-2966
Topics:
Physics
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