"Constraining the Physics of Satellite Quenching"

 

 

 

Despite remarkable success at modeling the evolution of massive galaxies over cosmic time, modern hydrodynamic and semi-analytic models of galaxy formation fail to reproduce the properties of low-mass galaxies. This shortcoming in our theoretical picture is largely driven by an inability to understand the physical mechanisms by which star formation is suppressed (or “quenched”) in satellite galaxies. Using observations of galaxy groups identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey as well as detailed studies of dwarfs in the Local Volume, I will present recent work to constrain the satellite quenching timescale measured relative to group infall. By bringing together data across a broad range in satellite and host mass, our analysis has established a coherent physical picture of satellite quenching that address the most glaring deficiencies of current galaxy formation models. As time allows, I will conclude by discussing ongoing work to study the spatial anisotropy in satellite distributions as a test of the Lambda-CDM paradigm.