Correcting for the overabundance of low-mass quiescent galaxies in semi-analytic models

We compare the L-Galaxies semi-analytic model to deep observational data from the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) across the redshift range 0.5 < z < 3. We find that the over-abundance of low-mass, passive galaxies at high redshifts in the model can be attributed solely to the properties of ‘orphan’ galaxies, i.e. satellite galaxies where the simulation has lost track of the host dark matter subhalo. We implement a simple model that boosts the star-formation rates in orphan galaxies by matching them to non-orphaned satellite galaxies at a similar evolutionary stage. This straightforward change largely addresses the discrepancy in the low-mass passive fraction across all redshifts. We find that the orphan problem is somewhat alleviated by higher resolution simulations, but the preservation of a larger gas reservoir in orphans is still required to produce a better fit to the observed space density of low-mass passive galaxies. Our findings are also robust to the precise definition of the passive galaxy population. In general, considering the vastly different prescriptions used for orphans in semi-analytic models, we recommend that they are analysed separately from the resolved satellite galaxy population, particularly with JWST observations reigniting interest in the low-mass regime in which they dominate.