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Jellyfish galaxies with the IllustrisTNG simulations – citizen-science results towards large distances, low-mass hosts, and high redshifts.

Authors :
Zinger, Elad
Joshi, Gandhali D
Pillepich, Annalisa
Rohr, Eric
Nelson, Dylan
Source :
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Jan2024, Vol. 527 Issue 3, p8257-8289. 33p.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

We present the 'Cosmological Jellyfish' project – a citizen-science classification program to identify jellyfish (JF) galaxies within the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulations. JF are satellite galaxies that exhibit long trailing gas features – 'tails' – extending from their stellar body. Their distinctive morphology arises due to ram-pressure stripping (RPS) as they move through the background gaseous medium. Using the TNG50 and TNG100 simulations, we construct a sample of |$\sim 80\, 000$| satellite galaxies spanning an unprecedented range of stellar masses, |$10^{8.3}{-}10^{12.3}\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$|⁠ , and host masses, |$M_\mathrm{200,c}=10^{10.4}{-}10^{14.6}\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$| back to z  = 2. Based on this sample, |$\sim 90\, 000$| galaxy images were presented to volunteers in the citizen-science Zooniverse platform, who were asked to determine whether the galaxy image resembles a JF. Based on volunteer votes, each galaxy received a score determining if it is a JF or not. This paper describes the project, the inspected satellite sample, the methodology, and the classification process that resulted in a data set of 5307 visually identified JF galaxies. We find that JF is common in nearly all group- and cluster-sized systems, with the JF fraction increasing with host mass and decreasing with satellite stellar mass. We highlight JF galaxies in three relatively unexplored regimes: low-mass hosts of |$M_\mathrm{200,c}\sim 10^{11.5}{-}10^{13}\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$|⁠ , radial positions within hosts exceeding the virial radius R 200, c, and at high redshift up to z  = 2. The full data set of our JF scores is publicly available and can be used to select and study JF galaxies in the IllustrisTNG simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00358711
Volume :
527
Issue :
3
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
175059640
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3716