Testing the Recovery of Intrinsic Galaxy Sizes and Masses of z ∼ 2 Massive Galaxies Using Cosmological Simulations

Abstract

Accurate measurements of galaxy masses and sizes are key to tracing galaxy evolution over time. Cosmological zoom-in simulations provide an ideal test bed for assessing the recovery of galaxy properties from observations. Here, we utilize galaxies with {M}_* ∼ {10}¹⁰{--}{10}^11.5 {M}_⊙ at z ∼ 1.7-2 from the MassiveFIRE cosmological simulation suite, part of the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. Using mock multi-band images, we compare intrinsic galaxy masses and sizes to observational estimates. We find that observations accurately recover stellar masses, with a slight average underestimate of ∼ 0.06 {dex} and {{a}}∼ 0.15 {dex} scatter. Recovered half-light radii agree well with intrinsic half-mass radii when averaged over all viewing angles, with a systematic offset of ∼ 0.1 {dex} (with the half-light radii being larger) and a scatter of ∼ 0.2 {dex}. When using color gradients to account for mass-to-light variations, recovered half-mass radii also exceed the intrinsic half-mass radii by ∼ 0.1 {dex}. However, if not properly accounted for, aperture effects can bias size estimates by ∼ 0.1 {dex}. No differences are found between the mass and size offsets for star-forming and quiescent galaxies. Variations in viewing angle are responsible for ∼25% of the scatter in the recovered masses and sizes. Our results thus suggest that the intrinsic scatter in the mass-size relation may have previously been overestimated by ∼25%. Moreover, orientation-driven scatter causes the number density of very massive galaxies to be overestimated by ∼ 0.5 {dex} at {M}_* ∼ {10}^11.5 {M}_⊙ .