Speaker
Description
High-redshift ($z \gtrsim 2$) massive quiescent (MQ) galaxies offer a unique window into the physical processes that fuel and quench star formation in the early Universe. Observational evidence suggests a potential evolutionary link between MQs and dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs), another extreme population at high redshift. However, galaxy formation models have historically struggled to reproduce both populations simultaneously, limiting our understanding of their formation pathways—particularly in light of recent JWST results. In this talk, I will present results from an MCMC-based recalibration of the L-Galaxies semi-analytic model aimed at resolving this tension. I identified a model configuration that reasonably matches the number density of DSFGs while remaining consistent with observationally-derived lower limits on the number density of high-redshift MQs, though limitations remain. Using this model, I explored the potential evolutionary connection between these populations, focusing on predictions for the progenitors of MQs at $z > 2$, including the key physical mechanisms responsible for their quenching.