Effectiveness of halo and galaxy properties in reducing the scatter in the stellar-to-halo mass relation

Abstract

ABSTRACT The stellar-to-halo mass relation (SHMR) is a fundamental relationship between galaxies and their host dark matter haloes. In this study, we examine the scatter in this relation for primary galaxies in the semi-analytic l-galaxies model and two cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, EAGLE (Evolution and Assembly of Galaxies and their Environments) and TNG100-1. We find that in low-mass haloes, more massive galaxies tend to reside in haloes with higher concentration, earlier formation time, greater environmental density, earlier major mergers, and, to have older stellar populations, which is consistent with findings in various studies. Quantitative analysis reveals the varying significance of halo and galaxy properties in determining SHMR scatter across simulations and models. In EAGLE and TNG100-1, halo concentration and formation time primarily influence SHMR scatter for haloes with $M_{\rm h}\lt 10^{12}{\, \rm M_\odot }$, but the influence diminishes at high mass. Baryonic processes play a more significant role in LGal. For haloes with $M_{\rm h} \lt 10^{11}{\, \rm M_\odot }$ and $10^{12}{\, \rm M_\odot }\lt M_{\rm h}\lt 10^{13}{\, \rm M_\odot }$, the main drivers of scatter are galaxy star formation rate and age. In the $10^{11.5}{\, \rm M_\odot }\lt M_{\rm h} \lt 10^{12}{\, \rm M_\odot }$ range, halo concentration and formation time are the primary factors. And for haloes with $M_{\rm h} \gt 10^{13}{\, \rm M_\odot }$, supermassive black hole mass becomes more important. Interestingly, it is found that active galactic nucleus feedback may increase the amplitude of the scatter and decrease the dependence on halo properties at high masses.