Galaxy properties in the cosmic web of EAGLE simulation

Abstract

ABSTRACT We investigate the dependence of the galaxy properties on cosmic web environments using the most up-to-date hydrodynamic simulation: Evolution and Assembly of Galaxies and their Environments (EAGLE). The baryon fractions in haloes and the amplitudes of the galaxy luminosity function decrease going from knots to filaments to sheets to voids. Interestingly, the value of L* varies dramatically in different cosmic web environments. At z = 0, we find a characteristic halo mass of $10^{12}\, {\rm h}^{-1}\rm M_{\odot }$, below which the stellar-to-halo mass ratio is higher in knots, while above which it reverses. This particular halo mass corresponds to a characteristic stellar mass of $1.8\times 10^{10} \,{\rm h}^{-1}\rm M_{\odot }$. Below the characteristic stellar mass, central galaxies have redder colours, lower sSFRs, and higher metallicities in knots than those in filaments, sheets and voids, while above this characteristic stellar mass, the cosmic web environmental dependences either reverse or vanish. Such dependences can be attributed to the fact that the active galaxy fraction decreases along voids, sheets, filaments, and knots. The cosmic web dependences get weaker towards higher redshifts for most of the explored galaxy properties and scaling relations, except for the gas metallicity versus stellar mass relation.