A Step-Like Transition Underlying the Life and Death of Galaxies
Abstract
How galaxies stop forming stars is a complex and central problem in astrophysics. Numerous physical mechanisms have been proposed, yet a simple, unified framework connecting these mechanisms remains lacking. Here, we derive a step-function quenching response from the fundamental principle of gas mass conservation, governed by the competition between gas-supply and gas-depletion timescales. This response also enables the gas-supply timescale to be inferred from the observed quenched fraction. Applying this method to approximately 350,000 galaxies, we find a characteristic gas-supply timescale of ~1 Gyr, reveal distinct inside-out and outside-in quenching signatures associated with supermassive black holes and dark matter halos, respectively, and identify galaxies with intermediate stellar surface mass densities as occupying a critical state for quenching and rejuvenation. Our work establishes a unified physical framework in which a simple step-function response captures how diverse physical processes regulate galaxy quenching and the resumption of star formation through their effects on the competition between gas-supply and gas-depletion timescales.
Related
- Stardust galaxies at z>9: A dust-origin transition behind the excess of UV-bright galaxies
- Stars Would Remember a Recent Gravitational Transition: Testing G-step Resolutions of the Hubble Tension with Red Dwarfs
- Two-Component Dark Matter and Strongly First-Order Electroweak Phase Transition via a Two-Step Mechanism in the Inert Doublet plus Real Singlet Model
- Stardust Galaxies at z>9: A Dust-Origin Transition Behind the Excess of UV-Bright Galaxies
- Boundary-supported radial layering in Hoag-like ring galaxies
BibTeX
@misc{he2026steplike,
title = {{A Step-Like Transition Underlying the Life and Death of Galaxies}},
author = {Zhicheng He and Enci Wang and Luis C. Ho and Yingjie Peng and Huiyuan Wang and Yong Shi and Tao Wang and Yongquan Xue and Tinggui Wang},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.20505},
eprint = {2610.20505},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.20505},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A Step-Like Transition Underlying the Life and Death of Galaxies
AU - Zhicheng He
AU - Enci Wang
AU - Luis C. Ho
AU - Yingjie Peng
AU - Huiyuan Wang
AU - Yong Shi
AU - Tao Wang
AU - Yongquan Xue
AU - Tinggui Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.20505
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.20505
AB - How galaxies stop forming stars is a complex and central problem in astrophysics. Numerous physical mechanisms have been proposed, yet a simple, unified framework connecting these mechanisms remains lacking. Here, we derive a step-function quenching response from the fundamental principle of gas mass conservation, governed by the competition between gas-supply and gas-depletion timescales. This response also enables the gas-supply timescale to be inferred from the observed quenched fraction. Applying this method to approximately 350,000 galaxies, we find a characteristic gas-supply timescale of ~1 Gyr, reveal distinct inside-out and outside-in quenching signatures associated with supermassive black holes and dark matter halos, respectively, and identify galaxies with intermediate stellar surface mass densities as occupying a critical state for quenching and rejuvenation. Our work establishes a unified physical framework in which a simple step-function response captures how diverse physical processes regulate galaxy quenching and the resumption of star formation through their effects on the competition between gas-supply and gas-depletion timescales.
ER -