The MOSDEF Survey: Environmental Dependence of the Gas-phase Metallicity of Galaxies at 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 2.6

Authors

• Nima Chartab, University of California, Riverside
• Bahram Mobasher, University of California, Riverside
• Alice E. Shapley, University of California, Los Angeles
• Irene Shivaei, The University of Arizona
• Ryan L. Sanders, University of California, Davis
• Alison L. Coil, University of California, San Diego
• Mariska Kriek, University of California, Berkeley
• Naveen A. Reddy, University of California, Riverside
• Brian Siana, University of California, Riverside
• William R. Freeman, University of California, Riverside
• Mojegan Azadi, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• Guillermo Barro, University of the PacificFollow
• Tara Fetherolf, University of California, Riverside
• Gene Leung, Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences
• Sedona H. Price, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
• Tom Zick, University of California, Berkeley

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Astrophysical Journal

Department

Physics

ISSN

15384357

Volume

908

Issue

2

DOI

10.3847/1538-4357/abd71f

First Page

1

Last Page

14

Publication Date

2-18-2021

Abstract

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.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Chartab, Nima; Mobasher, Bahram; Shapley, Alice E.; Shivaei, Irene; Sanders, Ryan L.; Coil, Alison L.; Kriek, Mariska; Reddy, Naveen A.; Siana, Brian; Freeman, William R.; Azadi, Mojegan; Barro, Guillermo; Fetherolf, Tara; Leung, Gene; Price, Sedona H.; and Zick, Tom, "The MOSDEF Survey: Environmental Dependence of the Gas-phase Metallicity of Galaxies at 1.4 ≤ z ≤ 2.6" (2021). Pacific Faculty Work. 295.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/all-faculty/295