preparation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Aims. We analyzed the spatially resolved and global star formation histories (SFHs) for a sample of 25 TNG50-SKIRT Atlas galaxies to assess the feasibility of reconstructing accurate SFHs from Euclid-like data. This study provides a proof of concept for extracting the spatially resolved SFHs of local galaxies with Euclid, highlighting the strengths and limitations of SFH modeling in the context of next-generation galaxy surveys. Methods. We used the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code Prospector to model both spatially resolved and global SFHs using parametric and nonparametric configurations. The input consisted of mock ultraviolet–near-infrared photometry derived from the TNG50 cosmological simulation and processed with the radiative transfer code SKIRT. Results. We show that nonparametric SFHs provide a more effective approach to mitigating the outshining effect by recent star formation, offering improved accuracy in the determination of galaxy stellar properties. Also, we find that the nonparametric SFH model at resolved scales closely recovers the stellar mass formation times (within 0.1 dex) and the ground truth values from TNG50, with an absolute average bias of 0.03 dex in stellar mass and 0.01 dex in both specific star formation rate and mass-weighted age. In contrast, larger offsets are estimated for all stellar properties and formation times when using a simple τ-model SFH, at both resolved and global scales, highlighting its limitations. Conclusions. These results emphasize the critical role of nonparametric SFHs in both global and spatially resolved analyses, as they better capture the complex evolutionary pathways of galaxies and avoid the biases inherent in simple parametric models.

Source: Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202556464/pdf

Language: English

Topic: Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, European Commission, Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, Generalitat de Catalunya, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Agenția Spațială Română, Norsk Romsenter, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, Agencia Estatal de Investigación

OpenAlex ID: W7115167255