Reconstructing the galaxy density field with photometric redshifts: II.
  Environment-dependent galaxy evolution since $z \simeq 3$
  Although extensively investigated, the role of the environment in galaxy
formation is still not well understood. In this context, the Galaxy Stellar
Mass Function (GSMF) is a powerful tool to understand how environment relates
to galaxy mass assembly and the quenching of star-formation. In this work, we
make use of the high-precision photometric redshifts of the UltraVISTA Survey
to study the GSMF in different environments up to $z \sim 3$, on physical
scales from 0.3 to 2 Mpc, down to masses of $M \sim 10^{10} M_{\odot}$. We
witness the appearance of environmental signatures for both quiescent and
star-forming galaxies. We find that the shape of the GSMF of quiescent galaxies
is different in high- and low-density environments up to $z \sim 2$ with the
high-mass end ($M \gtrsim 10^{11} M_{\odot}$) being enhanced in high-density
environments. On the contrary, for star-forming galaxies a difference between
the GSMF in high- and low density environments is present for masses $M
\lesssim 10^{11} M_{\odot}$. Star-forming galaxies in this mass range appear to
be more frequent in low-density environments up to $z < 1.5$. Differences in
the shape of the GSMF are not visible anymore at $z > 2$. Our results, in terms
of general trends in the shape of the GSMF, are in agreement with a scenario in
which galaxies are quenched when they enter hot gas-dominated massive haloes
which are preferentially in high-density environments.
