MNRAS-2013-Wilkins-2098-103.pdf (409.65 kB)
Confronting predictions of the galaxy stellar mass function with observations at high redshift
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 14:46 authored by Stephen WilkinsStephen Wilkins, Tiziana Di Matteo, Rupert Croft, Nishikanta Khandai, Yu Feng, Andrew Bunker, William CoultonWe investigate the evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function at high redshift (z = 5) using a pair of large cosmological hydrodynamical simulations: MassiveBlack and MassiveBlack-II. By combining these simulations, we can study the properties of galaxies with stellar masses greater than 108?M??h-1 and (comoving) number densities of log10(??[Mpc-3?dex-1?h3]) > -8. Observational determinations of the galaxy stellar mass function at very high redshift typically assume a relation between the observed ultraviolet (UV) luminosity and stellar mass-to-light ratio which is applied to high-redshift samples in order to estimate stellar masses. This relation can also be measured from the simulations. We do this, finding two significant differences with the usual observational assumption: it evolves strongly with redshift and has a different shape. Using this relation to make a consistent comparison between galaxy stellar mass functions, we find that at z = 6 and above the simulation predictions are in good agreement with observed data over the whole mass range. Without using the correct UV luminosity and stellar mass-to-light ratio, the discrepancy would be up to two orders of magnitude for large galaxies (>1010?M??h-1). At z = 5, however, the stellar mass function for low-mass galaxies (<109?M??h-1) is overpredicted by factors of a few, consistent with the behaviour of the UV luminosity function, and perhaps a sign that feedback in the simulation is not efficient enough for these galaxies.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyISSN
0035-8711Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellExternal DOI
Issue
3Volume
429Page range
2098-2103Department affiliated with
- Physics and Astronomy Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-04-26First Open Access (FOA) Date
2016-03-22First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-08-18Usage metrics
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