Galaxy Ecosystems: gas contents, inflows and outflows

We use a set of observational data for galaxy cold gas mass fraction and gas phase metallicity to constrain the content, inflow and outflow of gas in central galaxies hosted by halos with masses between $10^{11} M_{\odot}$ to $10^{12} M_{\odot}$. The gas contents in high redshift galaxies are obtained by combining the empirical star formation histories of Lu et al. (2014) and star formation models that relate star formation rate with the cold gas mass in galaxies. We find that the total baryon mass in low-mass galaxies is always much less than the universal baryon mass fraction since $z = 2$, regardless of star formation model adopted. The data for the evolution of the gas phase metallicity require net metal outflow at $z\lesssim 2$, and the metal loading factor is constrained to be about $0.01$, or about $60\%$ of the metal yield. Based on the assumption that galactic outflow is more enriched in metal than both the interstellar medium and the material ejected at earlier epochs, we are able to put stringent constraints on the upper limits for both the net accretion rate and the net mass outflow rate. The upper limits strongly suggest that the evolution of the gas phase metallicity and gas mass fraction for low-mass galaxies at $z < 2$ is not compatible with strong outflow. We speculate that the low star formation efficiency of low-mass galaxies is owing to some preventative processes that prevent gas from accreting into galaxies in the first place.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, submitted to MNRA

An empirical approach to understanding of star formation in dark matter halos

We present a data-driven approach to understand the star formation in dark matter halos over cosmic time. With a simple empirical model and advanced tools for Bayesian inference, we try to constrain how galaxies have assembled their stars across cosmic time using stellar mass functions (SMFs) and the luminosity function of cluster galaxies. The key ingredients of the empirical model include dark halo merger trees and a generic function that links star formation rate (SFR) to the host halos. We found a new characteristic redshift zc ~ 2 above which the SFR in low mass halos \u3c 1011 solar mass must be enhanced relative to that at lower z. This leads to some interesting predictions, for instance, a signicant old stellar population in present-day dwarf galaxies with mass of 108 solar mass and steep low-mass end slopes of high redshift SMFs. The constrained empirical model can be combined with other other observational constraints to infer the physics behind the evolution of galaxies. The classical bulge mass could be derived from the major mergers of the host galaxies. Applying the central black hole (BHs) - classical bulge relation, it predicts all galaxies with stellar mass less than 1010.5 solar mass host intermediate mass BHs (MBH \u3c 107solar mass). Using the gas phase metallicity we study the evolution of gas and metal content of star forming galaxies and the infow and outfow rates. About 60% of the metals produced have been lost. At low redshift (z \u3c 1) the accretion of pristine gas should be lower by a factor of few than expected and the loading factor of gas outfow that is not recycled is of order of unity. The empirical model also serves as basis to study the evolution of satellite galaxies. The progenitors of present-day satellites can be initialized using this empirical model. The physically motivated models of quenching of star formation in satellites, including strangulation, ram pressure stripping of cold gas disks, and tidally triggered starburst, are tested against statistics of the group catalogs

Bayesian inferences of galaxy formation from the K-band luminosity and HI mass functions of galaxies: constraining star formation and feedback

We infer mechanisms of galaxy formation for a broad family of semi-analytic models (SAMs) constrained by the K-band luminosity function and HI mass function of local galaxies using tools of Bayesian analysis. Even with a broad search in parameter space the whole model family fails to match to constraining data. In the best fitting models, the star formation and feedback parameters in low-mass haloes are tightly constrained by the two data sets, and the analysis reveals several generic failures of models that similarly apply to other existing SAMs. First, based on the assumption that baryon accretion follows the dark matter accretion, large mass-loading factors are required for haloes with circular velocities lower than 200 km/s, and most of the wind mass must be expelled from the haloes. Second, assuming that the feedback is powered by Type-II supernovae with a Chabrier IMF, the outflow requires more than 25% of the available SN kinetic energy. Finally, the posterior predictive distributions for the star formation history are dramatically inconsistent with observations for masses similar to or smaller than the Milky-Way mass. The inferences suggest that the current model family is still missing some key physical processes that regulate the gas accretion and star formation in galaxies with masses below that of the Milky Way.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRA

Constraining the Star Formation Histories in Dark Matter Halos: I. Central Galaxies

Using the self-consistent modeling of the conditional stellar mass functions across cosmic time by Yang et al. (2012), we make model predictions for the star formation histories (SFHs) of {\it central} galaxies in halos of different masses. The model requires the following two key ingredients: (i) mass assembly histories of central and satellite galaxies, and (ii) local observational constraints of the star formation rates of central galaxies as function of halo mass. We obtain a universal fitting formula that describes the (median) SFH of central galaxies as function of halo mass, galaxy stellar mass and redshift. We use this model to make predictions for various aspects of the star formation rates of central galaxies across cosmic time. Our main findings are the following. (1) The specific star formation rate (SSFR) at high $z$ increases rapidly with increasing redshift [$\propto (1+z)^{2.5}$] for halos of a given mass and only slowly with halo mass ($\propto M_h^{0.12}$) at a given $z$, in almost perfect agreement with the specific mass accretion rate of dark matter halos. (2) The ratio between the star formation rate (SFR) in the main-branch progenitor and the final stellar mass of a galaxy peaks roughly at a constant value, $\sim 10^{-9.3} h^2 {\rm yr}^{-1}$, independent of halo mass or the final stellar mass of the galaxy. However, the redshift at which the SFR peaks increases rapidly with halo mass. (3) More than half of the stars in the present-day Universe were formed in halos with 10^{11.1}\msunh < M_h < 10^{12.3}\msunh in the redshift range $0.4 < z < 1.9$. (4) ... [abridged]Comment: 15 figures, 22 pages, Accepted for publication in Ap

Star Formation and Stellar Mass Assembly in Dark Matter Halos: From Giants to Dwarfs

The empirical model of Lu et al. 2014 is updated with recent data and used to study galaxy star formation and assembly histories. At $z > 2$, the predicted galaxy stellar mass functions are steep, and a significant amount of star formation is hosted by low-mass haloes that may be missed in current observations. Most of the stars in cluster centrals formed earlier than $z\approx 2$ but have been assembled much later. Milky Way mass galaxies have had on-going star formation without significant mergers since $z\approx 2$, and are thus free of significant (classic) bulges produced by major mergers. In massive clusters, stars bound in galaxies and scattered in the halo form a homogeneous population that is old and with solar metallicity. In contrast, in Milky Way mass systems the two components form two distinct populations, with halo stars being older and poorer in metals by a factor of $\approx 3$. Dwarf galaxies in haloes with $M_{\rm h} < 10^{11}h^{-1}M_{\odot}$ have experienced a star formation burst accompanied by major mergers at $z > 2$, followed by a nearly constant star formation rate after $z = 1$. The early burst leaves a significant old stellar population that is distributed in spheroids.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figure

Galactic Coronae in the Intracluster Environment: Semi-confined Stellar-feedback-driven Outflows

Recently X-ray observations have shown the common presence of compact galactic coronae around intermediate-mass spheroid galaxies embedded in the intracluster/intragroup medium (ICM). We conduct 2-D hydrodynamic simulations to study the quasi-steady-state properties of such coronae as the natural products of the ongoing distributed stellar feedback semi-confined by the thermal and ram pressures of the ICM. We find that the temperature of a simulated corona depends primarily on the specific energy of the feedback, consistent with the lack of the correlation between the observed hot gas temperature and K-band luminosity of galaxies. The simulated coronae typically represent subsonic outflows, chiefly because of the semi-confinement. As a result, the hot gas density increases with the ICM thermal pressure. The ram pressure, on the other hand, chiefly affects the size and lopsidedness of the coronae. The density increase could lead to the compression of cool gas clouds, if present, and hence the formation of stars. The increase also enhances radiative cooling of the hot gas, which may fuel central supermassive black holes, explaining the higher frequency of active galactic nuclei observed in clusters than in the field. The radiation enhancement is consistent with a substantially higher surface brightness of the X-ray emission detected from coronae in cluster environment. The total X-ray luminosity of a corona, however, depends on the relative importance of the surrounding thermal and ram pressures. These environment dependences should at least partly explain the large dispersion in the observed diffuse X-ray luminosities of spheroids with similar stellar properties. Furthermore, we show that an outflow powered by the distributed feedback can naturally produce a positive radial gradient in the hot gas entropy, mimicking a cooling flow.Comment: accepted by MNRAS, comments are welcom

An Empirical Model for the Star Formation History in Dark Matter Halos

We develop an empirical approach to infer the star formation rate in dark matter haloes from the galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) at different redshifts and the local cluster galaxy luminosity function (CGLF), which has a steeper faint end relative to the SMF of local galaxies. As satellites are typically old galaxies which have been accreted earlier, this feature can cast important constraint on the formation of low-mass galaxies at high redshift. The evolution of the SMFs suggests the star formation in high-mass haloes (\u3e1012 h−1 M⊙) has to be boosted at high redshift beyond what is expected from a simple scaling of the dynamical time. The faint end of the CGLF implies a characteristic redshift zc ≈ 2 above which the star formation rate in low-mass haloes with masses \u3c1011 h−1 M⊙ must be enhanced relative to that at lower z. This is not directly expected from the standard stellar feedback models. Also, this enhancement leads to some interesting predictions, for instance, a significant old stellar population in present-day dwarf galaxies with M⋆ ≤ 108 h−2 M⊙ and steep slopes of high-redshift stellar mass and star formation rate functions

8-Br-cGMP activates HSPB6 and increases the antineoplastic activity of quinidine in prostate cancer

Abstract Heat shock protein family B [small] member 6 (HSPB6), widely found in various muscles, has been recently identified as a tumor suppressor gene. However, its role in prostate cancer remains unexplored. Herein, we investigated the expression of HSPB6 in prostate cancer and its association with prognosis. Our findings revealed that HSPB6 downregulation in prostate cancer correlated with a poor prognosis. Moreover, we discovered that HSPB6 can be phosphorylated and activated by 8-Br-cGMP, leading to apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by activating Cofilin. Additionally, we demonstrated that knocking down E2F1 by quinidine administration enhances the transcriptional level of HSPB6. Furthermore, we evaluated the combination of quinidine and 8-Br-cGMP as a potential therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer. Our results revealed that the combined treatment was more effective than either treatment alone in inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer through the HSPB6 pathway, both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our study provides compelling evidence that HSPB6 suppresses malignant behavior in prostate cancer by inducing apoptosis. The combination of quinidine and 8-Br-cGMP emerges as a promising approach for the treatment of prostate cancer