Interconnection between galaxy mergers, AGN activity and rapid quenching of star formation in simulated post-merger galaxies.
Salvatore Quai (Unibo-DIFA , INAF-OAS)
Tuesday 13/12/2022 @ 14:00, Sala IV piano Battiferro - Presenza + remoto
Galaxy mergers have been long considered a major pathway for quenching star formation - but observational evidence for this paradigm has been elusive. However, many of the simulations that predicted this widespread merger-quenching implemented aggressive quasar-like feedback which ejected much of the galactic gas reservoir. More modern simulations, motivated by reproducing the observed properties of galaxies, implement more gentle feedback, which could potentially give very different results for mergers. In this talk, I will present new results from a study that uses a large statistical sample of mergers selected from the IllustrisTNG simulation to test whether mergers really do lead to widespread quenching. To gain more insights into the impact of mergers on quenching, I will also show results from the analysis of other cosmological simulations (Illustris and EAGLE) that implement different models to regulate black hole accretion and AGN feedback.