Unveiling the small-scale web around galaxies with miniJPAS and DESI
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present the first statistical observational study detecting filaments in the immediate surroundings of galaxies, i.e. the local web of galaxies. Simulations predict that cold gas, the fuel for star formation, is channeled through filamentary structures into galaxies. Yet, direct observational evidence for this process has been limited by the challenge of mapping the cosmic web at small scales. Using miniJPAS spectro-photometric data combined with spectroscopic DESI redshifts when available, we constructed a high-density observational galaxy sample spanning 0.2 < z < 0.8. Local filaments are detected within a 3 Mpc physical radius of each galaxy with stellar mass M ★ > 10 10 M ⊙ using all nearby galaxies as tracers, combined with a probabilistic adaptation of the DisPerSE algorithm designed to overcome limitations due to photometric redshift uncertainties. Our methodology was tested and validated using mock catalogues built with random forest models applied to a simulated lightcone. Besides recovering the expected increase in galaxy connectivity (defined as the number of filaments attached to a galaxy) with stellar mass, we show that our connectivity measurements agree with 3D reference estimates from the mock galaxies. Thanks to these filament reconstructions, we explore the relation between small-scale connectivity and galaxy star formation rate, finding a mild positive trend which needs to be confirmed by follow-up studies with larger sample sizes. We propose galaxy connectivity to local filaments as a powerful and physically motivated metric of environment, offering new insights into the role of cosmic structure in galaxy evolution.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: Daniela Galárraga-Espinosa, Guinevere Kauffmann, Silvia Bonoli, Luisa Lucie-Smith, Rosa M. González Delgado, Elmo Tempel, Raul Abramo, Siddharta Gurung-López, Valerio Marra, Jailson Alcaniz, Narciso Benitez, Saulo Carneiro, Javier Cenarro, David Cristóbal-Hornillos, Renato Dupke, Alessandro Ederoclite, Antonio Hernán-Caballero, Carlos Hernández-Monteagudo, Carlos López-Sanjuan, Antonio Marín-Franch, Claudia Mendes de Oliveira, Mariano Moles, Laerte Sodré, Keith Taylor, Jesús Varela, Hector Vázquez Ramió
Institutions: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, The University of Tokyo, Ikerbasque, Donostia International Physics Center, Universität Hamburg, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Estonian Academy of Sciences, Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, Universidade de São Paulo, Universitat de València, Parc Científic de la Universitat de València, Trieste Astronomical Observatory, Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, National Institute for Astrophysics, National Observatory, Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón, Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
Funders: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Eesti Teadusagentuur, Generalitat Valenciana, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, NextGenerationEU
Awards: G1105844351, G1381791653, G1422035950, G1855990336, G2133090609, G2262748287, G2309174360, G2601397997, G2660406951, G300979063, G3220251042, G3281880673, G3480869486, G3518538256, G3559729648, G3681454997, G373897614, G3817602061, G3857581125, G4010091782, G4042783231, G410571670, G425668148, G430777504, G432818845, G4473005422, G4498661648, G451917667, G463062595, G464105488, G4772278335, G5080475149, G5421974903, G5815677580, G5894067328, G5932926020, G5967599077, G6033112984, G7011812729, G7084143925, G7289685117, EXC 2121: Quantum Universe, Building excellence in the study of galaxies and cosmology at the University of Tartu, G7751403103, G7805626310, G7863371703, Co-evolution of galaxies and the cosmic web, G8497050386, G8733234872, G8784550270, G8920101981, G8920660035
OpenAlex ID: W4415333690