Gone after one orbit: How cluster environments quench galaxies

Abstract

The effect of galactic orbits on a galaxy's internal evolution within a galaxy cluster environment has been the focus of heated debate in recent years. To understand this connection, we use both the (0.5 Gpc)<SUP>3</SUP> and the Gpc<SUP>3</SUP> boxes from the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation set Magneticum Pathfinder. We investigate the velocity anisotropy, phase space, and the orbital evolution of up to ∼5 × 10<SUP>5</SUP> resolved satellite galaxies within our sample of 6776 clusters with M_{vir} > 10^{14} M_{☉ } at low redshift, which we also trace back in time. In agreement with observations, we find that star-forming satellite galaxies inside galaxy clusters are characterized by more radially dominated orbits, independent of cluster mass. Furthermore, the vast majority of star-forming satellite galaxies stop forming stars during their first passage. We find a strong dichotomy both in line-of-sight and radial phase space between star-forming and quiescent galaxies, in line with observations. The tracking of individual orbits shows that the star formation of almost all satellite galaxies drops to zero within 1 Gyr after infall. Satellite galaxies that are able to remain star forming longer are characterized by tangential orbits and high stellar mass. All this indicates that in galaxy clusters the dominant quenching mechanism is ram-pressure stripping.