On stellar mass loss from galaxies in groups and clusters

Understand

We estimate the stellar mass that satellite galaxies lose once they enter groups (and clusters) by identifying groups in a high-resolution cosmological N-body simulation, assigning entry masses to satellite galaxies with halo abundance matching at the entry time, and comparing the predicted conditional stellar mass function of satellite galaxies at $z\simeq0$ with observations.

• Our results depend on the mass of the stars that form in satellite galaxies after the entry time.
• A model in which star formation shuts down completely as soon a galaxy enters a group environment is ruled out because it underpredicts the stellar masses of satellite galaxies even in the absence of tidal stripping.
• The greater is the stellar mass that is allowed to form, the greater the fraction that needs to be tidally stripped.