Structural evolution of quiescent galaxies at intermediate redshifts at UV and red rest-frame wavelengths

Abstract

We model the wavelength dependence of structural parameters for a mass-limited sample ($M_\star>10^{10}M_\odot$) of $\sim27,000$ quiescent galaxies with $0.2 < z < 0.6$ using $grizy$ photometry from Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam and dense spectroscopy from the HectoMAP survey. Based on S\'ersic profile fits in all five bands, we estimate the circularized half-light radius $R_{e,c}$ and S\'ersic index $n$ in two rest-frames: UV (3500 \r{A}) and red (7000 \r{A}). Combined with $M_\star$, $z$, and D$_n4000$, $R_{e,c}$ and $n$ enable exploration of the evolution in the structural properties - stellar mass correlations for quiescent galaxies with different stellar population ages. At intermediate redshift, quiescent galaxies at all stellar masses show a systematic decline in $R_{e,c}$ and rise in $n$ with rest-frame wavelength. These structural variations are stronger for galaxies that recently joined the quiescent population (newcomers) than for the descendants of galaxies that are already quiescent at the survey limit, $z \sim 0.6$ (aging population). The combined evidence supports inside-out quenching as the dominant mechanism halting star formation during this epoch. The typical size of a $M_\star\sim10^{11}M_\odot$ quiescent galaxy increases by $\sim30\%$ between $z \sim 0.6$ and $z \sim 0.2$ in the red and remains constant in the UV; newcomers are $\sim20\%$ larger than the aging population. In the UV, quiescent galaxies maintain a constant $n\sim4$ for the aging population and $n\sim2$ for newcomers; in the red, both subpopulations have de Vaucouleurs profiles. Our findings link newcomers to their direct progenitors in the star-forming population. For the aging population, we suggest minor mergers with progressively redder satellites at lower redshifts as the primary driver of quiescent galaxy evolution. Forthcoming sensitive large-area imaging surveys will allow testing this prediction.