scholarly journals On the Origin and Evolution of the Intra-Cluster Light: A Brief Review of the Most Recent Developments

Galaxies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Emanuele Contini
Keyword(s):  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Large Contribution ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Galaxy Groups ◽  
Brightest Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Low Surface Brightness ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Dark Matter Distribution

Not all the light in galaxy groups and clusters comes from stars that are bound to galaxies. A significant fraction of it constitutes the so-called intracluster or diffuse light (ICL), a low surface brightness component of groups/clusters generally found in the surroundings of the brightest cluster galaxies and intermediate/massive satellites. In this review, I will describe the mechanisms responsible for its formation and evolution, considering the large contribution given to the topic in the last decades by both the theoretical and observational sides. Starting from the methods that are commonly used to isolate the ICL, I will address the remarkable problem given by its own definition, which still makes the comparisons among different studies not trivial, to conclude by giving an overview of the most recent works that take advantage of the ICL as a luminous tracer of the dark matter distribution in galaxy groups and clusters.

scholarly journals Evolution in cluster cores since z ~ 1

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S295) ◽  
pp. 172-173
Author(s):  
Claire Burke ◽  
Chris Collins ◽  
John Stott ◽  
Matt Hilton
Keyword(s):  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Late Time ◽  
Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Brightest Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Size Evolution ◽  
Low Surface Brightness ◽  
Cluster Cores ◽  
Intracluster Light ◽  
Individual Galaxy

AbstractA large fraction of the stellar mass in galaxy clusters is thought to be contained in the diffuse low surface brightness intracluster light (ICL). Being bound to the gravitational potential of the cluster rather than any individual galaxy, the ICL contains much information about the evolution of its host cluster and the interactions between the galaxies within. However due its low surface brightness it is notoriously difficult to study. We present the first detection and measurement of the flux contained in the ICL at z ~ 1. We find that the fraction of the total cluster light contained in the ICL may have increased by factors of 2–4 since z ~ 1, in contrast to recent findings for the lack of mass and scale size evolution found for brightest cluster galaxies. Our results suggest that late time build-up in cluster cores may occur more through stripping than merging and we discuss the implications of our results for hierarchical simulations.

scholarly journals The Ghosts of Galaxies: Tidal Debris in Clusters

2004 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 70-76
Author(s):  
Michael D. Gregg ◽  
Michael J. West
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Cluster Formation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Cluster Evolution ◽  
Low Surface Brightness ◽  
Intergalactic Space ◽  
Formation And Evolution

Gravitational interactions in rich clusters can strip material from the outer parts of galaxies or even completely disrupt entire systems, giving rise to large scale, low surface brightness ghostly features stretching across intergalactic space. The nearby Coma and Centaurus clusters both have striking examples of galaxy ghosts, in the form of 100 kpc-long plumes of intergalactic debris. By searching HST archival images, we have found numerous other examples of galaxy ghosts in rich clusters at low redshift, evidence that galaxy destruction and recycling are ubiquitous, important in cluster formation and evolution, and continue to mold clusters at the present epoch. Many ghosts appear in X-ray bright clusters, perhaps signaling a connection with energetic subcluster mergers.The fate of such material has important ramifications for cluster evolution. Our new HST WFPC2 V & I images of a portion of the Centaurus plume reveal that it contains an excess of discrete objects with −12 < MV < −6, consistent with being globular clusters or smaller dwarf galaxies. This tidally liberated material is being recycled directly into the intracluster population of stars, dwarf galaxies, globular clusters, and gas, which may have been built largely from a multitude of similar events over the life of the cluster.

scholarly journals Diffuse Cluster Radio Sources

1996 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 333-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Feretti ◽  
G. Giovannini
Keyword(s):  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Radio Galaxy ◽  
Radio Sources ◽  
Clusters Of Galaxies ◽  
Rare Phenomenon ◽  
Low Surface Brightness ◽  
Extended Sources ◽  
Formation And Evolution

Diffuse radio sources in clusters remain a poorly understood phenomenon. They are very extended sources (0.4-0.6 Mpc), of low surface brightness and steep spectrum, which cannot be identified with any active radio galaxy. They are a rare phenomenon, as they have been found so far in few clusters of galaxies. This paper reviews the current findings about this kind of sources, and the suggestions about their formation and evolution.

scholarly journals Star formation in bulges from GALEX

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S245) ◽  
pp. 385-390
Author(s):  
Sukyoung K. Yi
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Young Stars ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Early Type ◽  
Limited Sample ◽  
Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Brightest Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Formation History ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Bulge Formation

AbstractEarly-type galaxies, considered as large bulges, have been found to have had a much-more-than-boring star formation history in recent years by the UV satellite GALEX. The most massive bulges, brightest cluster galaxies, appear to be relatively free of young stars. But smaller bulges, normal ellipticals and lenticulars, often show unambiguous sign of recent star formation in their UV flux. The fraction of such UV-bright bulges in the volume-limited sample climbs up to the staggering 30%. The bulges of spirals follow similar trends but a larger fraction showing signs of current and recent star formation. The implication on the bulge formation and evolution is discussed.

scholarly journals Rapid early coeval star formation and assembly of the most-massive galaxies in the Universe

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (4) ◽  
pp. 4607-4621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Rennehan ◽  
Arif Babul ◽  
Christopher C Hayward ◽  
Connor Bottrell ◽  
Maan H Hani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Massive Galaxies ◽  
James Webb Space Telescope ◽  
Brightest Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Virial Mass ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Hydrodynamical Simulations ◽  
Observational Techniques ◽  
Near Future

Abstract The current consensus on the formation and evolution of the brightest cluster galaxies is that their stellar mass forms early ($z$ ≳ 4) in separate galaxies that then eventually assemble the main structure at late times ($z$ ≲ 1). However, advances in observational techniques have led to the discovery of protoclusters out to $z$ ∼ 7. If these protoclusters assemble rapidly in the early Universe, they should form the brightest cluster galaxies much earlier than suspected by the late-assembly picture. Using a combination of observationally constrained hydrodynamical and dark-matter-only simulations, we show that the stellar assembly time of a sub-set of brightest cluster galaxies occurs at high redshifts ( $z$ &gt; 3) rather than at low redshifts ($z$ &lt; 1), as is commonly thought. We find, using isolated non-cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, that highly overdense protoclusters assemble their stellar mass into brightest cluster galaxies within ∼1 Gyr of evolution – producing massive blue elliptical galaxies at high redshifts ($z$ ≳ 1.5). We argue that there is a downsizing effect on the cluster scale wherein some of the brightest cluster galaxies in the cores of the most-massive clusters assemble earlier than those in lower mass clusters. In those clusters with $z$ = 0 virial mass ≥ 5 × 1014 M⊙, we find that $9.8{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ have their cores assembly early, and a higher fraction of $16.4{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in those clusters above 1015 M⊙. The James Webb Space Telescope will be able to detect and confirm our prediction in the near future, and we discuss the implications to constraining the value of σ8.

scholarly journals Clocking the formation of today’s largest galaxies: wide field integral spectroscopy of brightest cluster galaxies and their surroundings

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (2) ◽  
pp. 2617-2638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise O V Edwards ◽  
Matthew Salinas ◽  
Steffanie Stanley ◽  
Priscilla E Holguin West ◽  
Isabella Trierweiler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Minor Component ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Cluster Galaxies ◽  
Brightest Cluster Galaxies ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Intracluster Light ◽  
A Minor

ABSTRACT The formation and evolution of local brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) is investigated by determining the stellar populations and dynamics from the galaxy core, through the outskirts and into the intracluster light (ICL). Integral spectroscopy of 23 BCGs observed out to $4\, r_{e}$ is collected and high signal-to-noise regions are identified. Stellar population synthesis codes are used to determine the age, metallicity, velocity, and velocity dispersion of stars within each region. The ICL spectra are best modelled with populations that are younger and less metal-rich than those of the BCG cores. The average BCG core age of the sample is $\rm 13.3\pm 2.8\, Gyr$ and the average metallicity is $\rm [Fe/H] = 0.30\pm 0.09$, whereas for the ICL the average age is $\rm 9.2\pm 3.5\, Gyr$ and the average metallicity is $\rm [Fe/H] = 0.18\pm 0.16$. The velocity dispersion profile is seen to be rising or flat in most of the sample (17/23), and those with rising values reach the value of the host cluster’s velocity dispersion in several cases. The most extended BCGs are closest to the peak of the cluster’s X-ray luminosity. The results are consistent with the idea that the BCG cores and inner regions formed quickly and long ago, with the outer regions and ICL forming more recently, and continuing to assemble through minor merging. Any recent star formation in the BCGs is a minor component, and is associated with the cluster cool core status.

scholarly journals The quiescent fraction of isolated low surface brightness galaxies: observational constraints

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (2) ◽  
pp. 2049-2062
Author(s):  
D J Prole ◽  
R F J van der Burg ◽  
M Hilker ◽  
L R Spitler
Keyword(s):  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Distance Information ◽  
Spatially Correlated ◽  
Low Surface Brightness ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Strategic Program ◽  
Low Surface Brightness Galaxies ◽  
Lsb Galaxies

ABSTRACT Understanding the formation and evolution of low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) is critical for explaining their wide-ranging properties. However, studies of LSBGs in deep photometric surveys are often hindered by a lack of distance estimates. In this work, we present a new catalogue of 479 LSBGs, identified in deep optical imaging data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). These galaxies are found across a range of environments, from the field to groups. Many are likely to be ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). We see clear evidence for a bimodal population in colour–Sérsic index space, and split our sample into red and blue LSBG populations. We estimate environmental densities for a sub-sample of 215 sources by statistically associating them with nearby spectroscopic galaxies from the overlapping GAMA spectroscopic survey. We find that the blue LSBGs are statistically consistent with being spatially randomized with respect to local spectroscopic galaxies, implying they exist predominantly in low-density environments. However, the red LSBG population is significantly spatially correlated with local structure. We find that $26\pm 5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of isolated, local LSBGs belong to the red population, which we interpret as quiescent. This indicates that high environmental density plays a dominant, but not exclusive, role in producing quiescent LSBGs. Our analysis method may prove to be very useful, given the large samples of LSB galaxies without distance information expected from e.g. the Vera C. Rubin observatory (aka LSST), especially in combination with upcoming comprehensive wide-field spectroscopic surveys.

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