A massive quiescent galaxy confirmed in a protocluster at z=3.09

Abstract

We report a massive quiescent galaxy at $z_{\rm spec}=3.0922^{+0.008}_{-0.004}$ spectroscopically confirmed at a protocluster in the SSA22 field by detecting the Balmer and Ca {\footnotesize II} absorption features with multi-object spectrometer for infrared exploration (MOSFIRE) on the Keck I telescope. This is the most distant quiescent galaxy confirmed in a protocluster to date. We fit the optical to mid-infrared photometry and spectrum simultaneously with spectral energy distribution (SED) models of parametric and nonparametric star formation histories (SFH). Both models fit the observed SED well and confirm that this object is a massive quiescent galaxy with the stellar mass of $\log(\rm M_{\star}/M_{\odot}) = 11.26^{+0.03}_{-0.04}$ and $11.54^{+0.03}_{-0.00}$, and star formation rate of $\rm SFR/M_{\odot}~yr^{-1} <0.3$ and $=0.01^{+0.03}_{-0.01}$ for parametric and nonparametric models, respectively. The SFH from the former modeling is described as an instantaneous starburst while that of the latter modeling is longer-lived but both models agree with a sudden quenching of the star formation at $\sim0.6$ Gyr ago. This massive quiescent galaxy is confirmed in an extremely dense group of galaxies predicted as a progenitor of a brightest cluster galaxy formed via multiple mergers in cosmological numerical simulations. We newly find three plausible [O III]$\lambda$5007 emitters at $3.0791\leq z_{\rm spec}\leq3.0833$ happened to be detected around the target. Two of them just between the target and its nearest massive galaxy are possible evidence of their interactions. They suggest the future strong size and stellar mass evolution of this massive quiescent galaxy via mergers.