TY - JOUR
T1 - The MOSDEF Survey
T2 - Environmental Dependence of the Gas-phase Metallicity of Galaxies at 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 2.6
AU - Chartab, Nima
AU - Mobasher, Bahram
AU - Shapley, Alice E.
AU - Shivaei, Irene
AU - Sanders, Ryan L.
AU - Coil, Alison L.
AU - Kriek, Mariska
AU - Reddy, Naveen A.
AU - Siana, Brian
AU - Freeman, William R.
AU - Azadi, Mojegan
AU - Barro, Guillermo
AU - Fetherolf, Tara
AU - Leung, Gene
AU - Price, Sedona H.
AU - Zick, Tom
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/2/20
Y1 - 2021/2/20
N2 - Using the near-IR spectroscopy of the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field survey, we investigate the role of the local environment in the gas-phase metallicity of galaxies. The local environment measurements are derived from accurate and uniformly calculated photometric redshifts with well-calibrated probability distributions. Based on rest-frame optical emission lines, [N ii]λ6584 and Hα, we measure gas-phase oxygen abundances of 167 galaxies at 1.37 ≤ z ≤ 1.7 and 303 galaxies at 2.09 ≤ z ≤ 2.61, located in diverse environments. We find that at z ∼ 1.5, the average metallicity of galaxies in overdensities with M ∗ ∼ 109.8 M o˙, 1010.2 M o˙, and 1010.8 M o˙ is higher relative to their field counterparts by 0.094 ± 0.051, 0.068 ± 0.028, and 0.052 ± 0.043 dex, respectively. However, this metallicity enhancement does not exist at higher redshift, z ∼ 2.3, where, compared to the field galaxies, we find 0.056 ± 0.043, 0.056 ± 0.028, and 0.096 ± 0.034 dex lower metallicity for galaxies in overdense environments with M ∗ ∼ 109.8 M o˙, 1010.2 M o˙ and 1010.7 M o˙, respectively. Our results suggest that, at 1.37 ≤ z ≤ 2.61, the variation of mass-metallicity relation with local environment is small (<0.1 dex), and reverses at z ∼ 2. Our results support the hypothesis that, at the early stages of cluster formation, owing to efficient gas cooling, galaxies residing in overdensities host a higher fraction of pristine gas with prominent primordial gas accretion, which lowers their gas-phase metallicity compared to their coeval field galaxies. However, as the universe evolves to lower redshifts (z ≲ 2), the shock-heated gas in overdensities cannot cool down efficiently, and galaxies become metal-rich rapidly due to the suppression of pristine gas inflow and re-accretion of metal-enriched outflows in overdensities.
AB - Using the near-IR spectroscopy of the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field survey, we investigate the role of the local environment in the gas-phase metallicity of galaxies. The local environment measurements are derived from accurate and uniformly calculated photometric redshifts with well-calibrated probability distributions. Based on rest-frame optical emission lines, [N ii]λ6584 and Hα, we measure gas-phase oxygen abundances of 167 galaxies at 1.37 ≤ z ≤ 1.7 and 303 galaxies at 2.09 ≤ z ≤ 2.61, located in diverse environments. We find that at z ∼ 1.5, the average metallicity of galaxies in overdensities with M ∗ ∼ 109.8 M o˙, 1010.2 M o˙, and 1010.8 M o˙ is higher relative to their field counterparts by 0.094 ± 0.051, 0.068 ± 0.028, and 0.052 ± 0.043 dex, respectively. However, this metallicity enhancement does not exist at higher redshift, z ∼ 2.3, where, compared to the field galaxies, we find 0.056 ± 0.043, 0.056 ± 0.028, and 0.096 ± 0.034 dex lower metallicity for galaxies in overdense environments with M ∗ ∼ 109.8 M o˙, 1010.2 M o˙ and 1010.7 M o˙, respectively. Our results suggest that, at 1.37 ≤ z ≤ 2.61, the variation of mass-metallicity relation with local environment is small (<0.1 dex), and reverses at z ∼ 2. Our results support the hypothesis that, at the early stages of cluster formation, owing to efficient gas cooling, galaxies residing in overdensities host a higher fraction of pristine gas with prominent primordial gas accretion, which lowers their gas-phase metallicity compared to their coeval field galaxies. However, as the universe evolves to lower redshifts (z ≲ 2), the shock-heated gas in overdensities cannot cool down efficiently, and galaxies become metal-rich rapidly due to the suppression of pristine gas inflow and re-accretion of metal-enriched outflows in overdensities.
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U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/abd71f
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/abd71f
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85101502585
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 908
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 2
M1 - 120
ER -