Quantitative Estimates of Environmental Effects on the Star Formation Rate of Disk Galaxies in Clusters of Galaxies

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A simple model is constructed to evaluate the change of star formation rate of a disk galaxy due to environmental effects in clusters of galaxies. Three effects are investigated: (1) tidal force from the potential well of the cluster, (2) increase of external pressure when the galaxy plows into the intracluster medium, and (3) high-speed encounters between galaxies. General analysis indicates that the star formation rate increases significantly when the pressure of molecular clouds rises above ~3 × 105 cm-3 K in ~108 yr. This is because the pressure rise makes the destruction time of the majority of molecular clouds in the galaxy less than 108 yr. The tidal force from the potential well of the cluster accelerates molecular clouds in a disk galaxy infalling toward the cluster center. Thus, the kinetic pressure rises above ~3 × 105 cm-3 K. Before the galaxy reaches the cluster center, the star formation rate reaches a maximum. The peak is 3-4 times larger than the initial value. If this is the main mechanism of the Butcher-Oemler effect, blue galaxies are expected to be located within ~300 kpc from the center of the cluster. However this prediction is inconsistent with the recent observations. The increase of external pressure when the galaxy plows into the intracluster medium does not change star formation rate of a disk galaxy significantly. Thus, the increase of external pressure may not be the main mechanism of the Butcher-Oemler effect. The velocity perturbation induced by a single high-speed encounter between galaxies is too small to affect star formation rate of a disk galaxy, while successive high-speed encounters (galaxy harassment) trigger star formation activity because of the accumulation of gas in the galaxy center. Therefore, the galaxy harassment remains a candidate for a mechanism of the Butcher-Oemler effect.
All Related Versions