A Highly Consistent Framework for the Evolution of the Star-Forming "Main Sequence" from z~0-6

Abstract: Using a compilation of 25 studies from the literature, we investigate the evolution of the star-forming galaxy (SFG) Main Sequence (MS) in stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) out to $z \sim 6$. These studies encompass both stacked and non-stacked data as well as many SFR indicators/timescales and selection methods. After converting all observations to a common set of calibrations, we find a remarkable consensus among MS observations ($\sim 0.1$ dex 1$\sigma$ interpublication scatter). By fitting for time evolution of the MS in bins of constant mass, we are able to deconvolve the observed scatter about the MS within each observed redshift bins. After accounting for observed scatter between different SFR indicators, we find the width of the MS distribution is $\sim 0.2$ dex and remains constant over cosmic time. Our fits indicate the slope of the MS is likely time-dependent, with our best fit $\log\textrm{SFR}(M_*,t) = \left(0.83 \pm 0.03 - 0.027 \pm 0.004 \times t\right) \log M_* - \left(6.38 \pm 0.27 - 0.12 \pm 0.04 \times t\right)$, with $t$ the age of the Universe in Gyr. We use our fits to create empirical evolutionary tracks in order to constrain MS galaxy star formation histories, and use them to show that (1) the most accurate representations of MS star formation histories are those of delayed-$\tau$ models, (2) fractional stellar mass growth for a "typical" MS galaxy today is approximately linear for a good portion of its lifetime, and (3) scatter about the MS can be generated by galaxies evolving along identical evolutionary tracks assuming an initial $1\sigma$ spread in formation times of $\sim 1.4$ Gyr. In addition, we observe evolution in radio SFRs as compared to other SFR indicators $\propto (1+z)^{\sim 1}$ (i.e. over-luminous radio sources), and find that $sBzK$-selection generates systematically smaller scatter relative to other selection methods.