Push it to the limit: Local Group constraints on high-redshift stellar mass functions for M_⋆ ≥ 10⁵ M_⊙

Abstract

We constrain the evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function from 2 < z < 5 for galaxies with stellar masses as low as 10⁵ M_⊙ by combining star formation histories of Milky Way satellite galaxies derived from deep Hubble Space Telescope observations with merger trees from the ELVIS suite of N-body simulations. This approach extends our understanding more than two orders of magnitude lower in stellar mass than is currently possible by direct imaging. We find the faint end slopes of the mass functions to be α = 1.42^{+0.07}_{-0.05} at z = 2 and α = 1.57^{+0.06}_{-0.06} at z = 5, and show the slope only weakly evolves from z = 5 to z = 0. Our findings are in stark contrast to a number of direct detection studies that suggest slopes as steep as α = -1.9 at these epochs. Such a steep slope would result in an order of magnitude too many luminous Milky Way satellites in a mass regime that is observationally complete (M_⋆ > 2 × 10⁵ M_⊙ at z = 0). The most recent studies from ZFOURGE and CANDELS also suggest flatter faint end slopes that are consistent with our results, but with a lower degree of precision. This work illustrates the strong connections between low and high-z observations when viewed through the lens of lambda cold dark matter numerical simulations.