The impact of environment on size: Galaxies are 50% smaller in the Fornax Cluster compared to the field

¹ The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

Received: 9 November 2023
Accepted: 30 May 2024

Abstract

Size is a fundamental parameter for measuring the growth of galaxies and the role of the environment on their evolution. However, the conventional size definitions used for this purpose are often biased and miss the diffuse, outermost signatures of galaxy growth, including star formation and gas accretion. We address this issue by examining low surface brightness truncations or galaxy ‘edges’ as a physically motivated tracer of size based on star formation thresholds. Our total sample consists of ∼900 galaxies with stellar masses ranging from 10⁵ M_⊙ < M_⋆ < 10¹¹ M_⊙. This sample of nearby cluster, group satellite, and nearly isolated field galaxies was compiled using multi-band imaging from the Fornax Deep Survey, deep IAC Stripe 82, and Dark Energy Camera Legacy Surveys. We find that the edge radii scale as R_edge ∝ M_⋆^0.42, with a very small intrinsic scatter (∼0.07 dex). The scatter is driven by the morphology and environment of galaxies. In both the cluster and field, early-type dwarfs are systematically smaller by approximately 20% compared to late-type dwarfs. However, galaxies in the Fornax cluster are the most impacted. At a fixed stellar mass, edges in the cluster can be found at about 50% smaller radii, and the average stellar surface density at the edges is a factor of two higher, ∼1 M_⊙/pc². Our findings support the rapid removal of loosely bound neutral hydrogen (H I) in hot, crowded environments, which truncates galaxies outside-in earlier, preventing the formation of more extended sizes and lower density edges. Our results highlight the importance of deep imaging surveys to the study of low surface brightness imprints of the large-scale structure and environment on galaxy evolution.