Euclid: Early Release Observations – The star formation history of massive early-type galaxies in the Perseus cluster

Martocchia, S.; Boselli, A.; Cuillandre, J. -C.; Mondelin, M.; Bolzonella, M.; Tortora, C.; Fossati, M.; Maraston, C.; Amram, P.; Baes, M.; Boissier, S.; Boquien, M.; Bouy, H.; Durret, F.; Gutierrez, C. M.; Kluge, M.; Roehlly, Y.; Saifollahi, T.; Taylor, M. A.; Thomas, D.; Woods, T. E.; Zamorani, G.; Altieri, B.; Andreon, S.; Auricchio, N.; Baccigalupi, C.; Baldi, M.; Bardelli, S.; Battaglia, P.; Bender, R.; Biviano, A.; Branchini, E.; Brescia, M.; Camera, S.; Cañas-Herrera, G.; Capobianco, V.; Carbone, C.; Carretero, J.; Castellano, M.; Castignani, G.; Cavuoti, S.; Chambers, K. C.; Cimatti, A.; Colodro-Conde, C.; Congedo, G.; Conselice, C. J.; Conversi, L.; Copin, Y.; Costille, A.; Courbin, F.; Courtois, H. M.; Degaudenzi, H.; De Lucia, G.; Dubath, F.; Dupac, X.; Escoffier, S.; Fabricius, M.; Farina, M.; Farinelli, R.; Faustini, F.; Ferriol, S.; Finelli, F.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Franzetti, P.; Fumana, M.; Galeotta, S.; George, K.; Gillis, B.; Giocoli, C.; Gómez-Alvarez, P.; Gracia-Carpio, J.; Grazian, A.; Grupp, F.; Haugan, S. V. H.; Holmes, W.; Hook, I. M.; Hormuth, F.; Hornstrup, A.; Jahnke, K.; Jhabvala, M.; Joachimi, B.; Kermiche, S.; Kiessling, A.; Kubik, B.; Kümmel, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Le Brun, A. M. C.; Le Mignant, D.; Ligori, S.; Lilje, P. B.; Lindholm, V.; Lloro, I.; Mainetti, G.; Maino, D.; Mansutti, O.; Marggraf, O.; Martinelli, M.; Martinet, N.; Marulli, F.; Massey, R. J.; Medinaceli, E.; Mellier, Y.; Meneghetti, M.; Merlin, E.; Meylan, G.; Mora, A.; Moscardini, L.; Neissner, C.; Niemi, S. -M.; Padilla, C.; Paltani, S.; Pasian, F.; Pedersen, K.; Percival, W. J.; Pettorino, V.; Pires, S.; Polenta, G.; Poncet, M.; Popa, L. A.; Pozzetti, L.; Renzi, A.; Rhodes, J.; Riccio, G.; Romelli, E.; Roncarelli, M.; Saglia, R.; Sakr, Z.; Sánchez, A. G.; Sapone, D.; Sartoris, B.; Schneider, P.; Secroun, A.; Seidel, G.; Serrano, S.; Sihvola, E.; Simon, P.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Steinwagner, J.; Tallada-Crespí, P.; Taylor, A. N.; Tereno, I.; Tessore, N.; Toft, S.; Toledo-Moreo, R.; Torradeflot, F.; Tutusaus, I.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Vassallo, T.; Veropalumbo, A.; Wang, Y.; Weller, J.; Zinchenko, I. A.; Zucca, E.; García-Bellido, J.; Martín-Fleitas, J.; Maturi, M.; Scottez, V.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202558044

The Euclid Early Release Observations (ERO) programme targeted the Perseus galaxy cluster in its central region over 0.7 deg(2). We combined the exceptional image quality and depth of the ERO-Perseus with FUV and NUV observations from GALEX and AstroSat/UVIT, as well as ugrizH alpha data from MegaCam at the CFHT, to deliver FUV-to-NIR magnitudes of the 87 brightest galaxies within the Perseus cluster. We reconstructed the star formation history (SFH) of 59 early-type galaxies (ETGs) within the sample, through the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code CIGALE and state-of-the-art stellar population (SP) models to reproduce the galactic UV emission from hot, old, low-mass stars (i.e. the UV upturn). In addition, for the six most massive ETGs in Perseus [stellar masses log(10)(M-*/M-circle dot)>= 10.3], we analysed their spatially resolved SP and SFH through a radial SED fitting. In agreement with our previous work on Virgo ETGs, we found that (i) the majority of the analysed galaxies needs the presence of a UV upturn component to explain their FUV emission, with average temperatures < T-UV >similar or equal to 33 800 K; (ii) the ETGs of Perseus have grown their stellar masses quickly, with star formation timescales of tau less than or similar to 1500 Myr. We found that all ETGs in the sample have formed more than about 30% of their stellar masses at z similar or equal to 5, up to extreme fractions of similar or equal to 100%. At z similar or equal to 5, the stellar masses of the most massive nearby ETGs, which have present-day stellar masses of log(10)(M-*/M-circle dot)greater than or similar to 10.8, are then found to be comparable to those of the red quiescent galaxies observed by JWST at similar redshifts (z > 4.6). This study can be extended to ETGs in the 14 000 deg(2) extragalactic sky that will soon be observed by Euclid, in combination with those from other major upcoming surveys (e.g. Rubin/LSST), and UV observations, to ultimately assess whether the massive ETGs that we observe today represent the progeny of the massive high-z JWST red quiescent galaxies.