A Review of Galaxy Quenching -- Part II: Theoretical Solutions and Direct Observational Tests
Asa F. L. Bluck
astro-ph.GA
Submitted: 2026-08-07
Updated: 2026-08-10
Comments: Invited review article for The Astronomy & Astrophysics Review. Accepted on 24 June 2026. 177 pages; 36 figures. Rights to reproduce non-original figures are given by creative commons license or else direct permission from the publisher, journal, or original author(s) (as required by the individual publishing agreements)
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: The goal of this review article series is to provide a comprehensive overview of galactic star formation and quenching from both an observational and theoretical perspective.
Terminology
Abstract
The goal of this review article series is to provide a comprehensive overview of galactic star formation and quenching from both an observational and theoretical perspective. Drawing on a vast quantity of literature, we attempt to answer a deceptively simple question: why do galaxies cease forming stars? In Part II, we concentrate primarily on results from theory and simulations, in addition to direct observational tests of theoretically proposed quenching routes. Over the past two decades, N-body simulations, semi-analytic models, idealized hydrodynamical simulations, cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, and zoom-in hydrodynamical simulations have all provided crucial insights into the fundamental causes and specific mechanisms of galaxy quenching. Throughout this part of the review, we discuss intrinsic routes to massive galaxy quenching from strong baryonic feedback - including supernovae and active galactic nuclei (in both the ejective and preventative modes). Additionally, we discuss dynamical stabilization and the role of mergers. We go on to consider environmental routes to quenching via both ram pressure and dynamical stripping, and as a consequence of the location of satellite galaxies within the cosmic web. We review observational tests of the fundamental causes, specific mechanisms, and triggering of quenching from various techniques. Finally, we conclude this review with tentative answers to the major outstanding issues in this field.
Sources
- Ram Pressure Stripping of Spiral Galaxies in Clusters
- The Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
- Caught in the Act: Strong, Active Ram Pressure Stripping in Virgo Cluster Spiral NGC 4330
- The Mass-Independence of Specific Star Formation Rates in Galactic Disks
- Deriving a multivariate CO-to-H$_2$ conversion function using the [CII]/CO(1-0) ratio and its application to molecular gas scaling relations
- The evolution of the hard X-ray luminosity function of AGN
- The evolution of the X-ray luminosity functions of unabsorbed and absorbed AGNs out to z~5
- X-rays across the galaxy population I: tracing the main sequence of star formation
- Shocked POststarbust Galaxy Survey I: Candidate Poststarbust Galaxies with Emission Line Ratios Consistent with Shocks
- Massive post-starburst galaxies at z > 1 are compact proto-spheroids
- No evidence for excess AGN activity in recently quenched massive galaxies at cosmic noon
- Detection of anisotropic satellite quenching in galaxy clusters up to $z\sim1$
- The MIP Ensemble Simulation: Local Ensemble Statistics in the Cosmic Web
- Efficiency of gas cooling and accretion at the disc-corona interface
- A Census of Gas Outflows in Type 2 Active Galactic Nuclei
- Star formation quenching in simulated group and cluster galaxies: When, how, and why?
- The Hydrangea simulations: galaxy formation in and around massive clusters
- The Molecular-Gas Main Sequence and Schmidt-Kennicutt relation are fundamental, the Star-Forming Main Sequence is a (useful) byproduct
- The abundance and nature of high-redshift quiescent galaxies from JADES spectroscopy and the FLAMINGO simulations
- The unusual X-ray morphology of NGC4636 revealed by deep Chandra observations: cavities and shocks created by past AGN outbursts
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