How time weathers galaxies: The temporal impact of the cluster environment on galaxy formation and evolution

Abstract

Abstract We illuminate the altered evolution of galaxies in clusters compared to central galaxies by tracking galaxies in the IllustrisTNG300 simulation as they enter isolated clusters of mass 1013 < M200, mean/M⊙ < 1015 (at z = 0). We demonstrate significant trends in galaxy properties with residence time (time since first infall) and that there is a population of galaxies that remain star-forming even many Gyrs after their infall. By comparing the properties of galaxies at their infall time to their properties at z = 0, we show how scaling relations, like the stellar-to-halo mass ratio, shift as galaxies live in the cluster environment. Galaxies with a residence time of 10 Gyr increase their stellar-to-halo mass ratio, by around 1 dex. As measurements of the steepest slope of the galaxy cluster number density profile (Rst), frequently used as a proxy for the splashback radius, have been shown to depend strongly on galaxy selection, we show how Rst depends on galaxy residence time. Using galaxies with residence times less than one cluster crossing time (≈5 Gyr) to measure Rst leads to significant offsets relative to using the entire galaxy population. Galaxies must have had the opportunity to ‘splash back’ to the first caustic to trace out a representative value of Rst, potentially leading to issues for galaxy surveys using UV-selected galaxies. Our work demonstrates that the evolution of cluster galaxies continues well into their lifetime in the cluster and departs from a typical central galaxy evolutionary path.