Abstract
We investigate the properties of satellite galaxies that surroundisolated hosts within the redshift range 0.01 <z <0.15, usingdata taken as part of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly survey. Making use ofisolation and satellite criteria that take into account stellar massestimates, we find 3514 isolated galaxies of which 1426 host a total of2998 satellites. Separating the red and blue populations of satellitesand hosts, using colour-mass diagrams, we investigate the radialdistribution of satellite galaxies and determine how the red fraction ofsatellites varies as a function of satellite mass, host mass and theprojected distance from their host. Comparing the red fraction ofsatellites to a control sample of small neighbours at greater projectedradii, we show that the increase in red fraction is primarily a functionof host mass. The satellite red fraction is about 0.2 higher than thecontrol sample for hosts with ?, while the red fractions show nodifference for hosts with ?. For the satellites of more massive hosts,the red fraction also increases as a function of decreasing projecteddistance. Our results suggest that the likely main mechanism for thequenching of star formation in satellites hosted by isolated galaxies is strangulation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1374-1386 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Volume | 417 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Oct 2011 |