Can supernovae quench star formation in high-\(z\) galaxies?

• Published in: arXiv.org 2023-10
• Main Authors: Gelli, Viola, Salvadori, Stefania, Ferrara, Andrea, Pallottini, Andrea
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Feedback; Metallicity; Quenching; Red shift; Star & galaxy formation; Star formation rate; Starburst galaxies; Supernovae
• ISSN: 2331-8422

JWST is providing the unique opportunity to directly study feedback processes regulating star formation (SF) in early galaxies. The two \(z>5\) quiescent systems (JADES-GS-z7-01-QU and MACS0417-z5BBG) detected so far show a recent starburst after which SF is suppressed. To clarify whether such quenching is due to supernova (SN) feedback, we have developed a minimal physical model. We derive a condition on the minimum star formation rate, \(\rm SFR_{min}\), lasting for a time interval \(\Delta t_{b}\), required to quench SF in a galaxy at redshift \(z\), with gas metallicity \(Z\), and hosted by a halo of mass \(M_h\). We find that lower \((z, Z, M_h)\) systems are more easily quenched. We then apply the condition to JADES-GS-z7-01-QU (\(z=7.3\), \(M_\star=10^{8.6} M_\odot\)) and MACS0417-z5BBG (\(z=5.2\), \(M_\star=10^{7.6} M_\odot\)), and find that SN feedback largely fails to reproduce the observed quenched SF history. Alternatively, we suggest that SF is rapidly suppressed by radiation-driven dusty outflows sustained by the high specific SFR (43 and 25 Gyr\(^{-1}\), respectively) of the two galaxies. Our model provides a simple tool to interpret the SF histories of post-starburst galaxies, and unravel quenching mechanisms from incoming JWST data.