{
  "abstract": "Observations of quenched galaxies across cosmic time have revealed systems containing substantial molecular gas reservoirs, challenging the traditional picture of gas-poor, red and dead galaxies. Using the Simba cosmological simulation, we investigate three possible hypotheses for the origin of molecular gas-rich quenched systems: (i) quiescence is temporary and the galaxy will rejuvenate, (ii) molecular gas masses are overestimated due to an underestimated CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor, or (iii) star formation is ongoing but heavily obscured by dust. Across $M_*>3\\times10^9M_\\odot$ galaxies from $z=0-2$, we find that all three mechanisms are plausible. Many seemingly quiescent, molecular gas-rich galaxies host dust-obscured star formation, with visual optical depths increasing on average from $τ_V\\sim0.5-2.3$ from $z=0-2$. Assuming a Milky Way-like CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor can overestimate molecular gas masses by a factor of $\\sim\\!5$ in non-star-forming galaxies, compared to $\\sim\\!1.45$ in star-forming galaxies. Temporary quiescence can also occur in gas-rich transitioning galaxies on timescales ranging from $100\\,\\text{Myr}-2\\,\\text{Gyr}$, although this is most prominent at high redshift and is relatively rare overall. Further work is needed to disentangle the relative contributions of these mechanisms across cosmic time.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.06680",
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "E. Savitch"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. Narayanan"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. J. Setton"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. E. Whitaker"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Bezanson"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Cenci"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Davé"
    },
    {
      "name": "V. R. D'Onofrio"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Feldmann"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. E. Greene"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Kriek"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Parente"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. S. Spilker"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. A. Suess"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. Valentín-Martínez"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. Zimmerman"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4wa0zghm71wt7.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.06680",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4wa0zghm71wt7",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.06680",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220684614",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.06680",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4wa0zghm71wt7.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:01Z",
      "native_id": "2610.06680",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.06680"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Unveiling the Origins of the Molecular Gas Reservoirs in Recently Quenched Massive Galaxies",
  "title_text": "Unveiling the Origins of the Molecular Gas Reservoirs in Recently Quenched Massive Galaxies",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4wa0zghm71wt7",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}