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We determine the main drivers that cause a galaxy to rapidly transition from star forming to red and dead. Populations of galaxies undergoing a rapid (less than 100 Myr) truncation of star formation have often been observed, for example post starburst galaxies, however the reasons for such a rapid transformation remain unclear.
We investigate the role of group environment in causing a rapid cessation of star formation in the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We create large (200 galaxy) samples of transitioning galaxies separated by quench time, determined using UV-optical photometry and optical spectra, and compare those to samples of known rapidly transitioning galaxies (e.g. E+A galaxies).
We find that rapidly quenching galaxies do not show any significant group or local density differences compared to other galaxies of similar mass and colour, suggesting that environment is not the main driver of a rapid quench of star formation. We therefore explore alternate scenarios, including gravitational interactions, to determine the mechanisms responsible for a rapid truncation of star formation.