174 research outputs found
Early-type Galaxies in the Cluster Abell 2390 at z=0.23
To examine the evolution of the early-type galaxy population in the rich
cluster Abell 2390 at z=0.23 we have gained spectroscopic data of 51 elliptical
and lenticular galaxies with MOSCA at the 3.5 m telescope on Calar Alto
Observatory. This investigation spans both a broad range in luminosity
(-19.3>M_B>-22.3) and uses a wide field of view of 10'x10', therefore the
environmental dependence of different formation scenarios can be analysed in
detail as a function of radius from the cluster centre. Here we present results
on the surface brightness modelling of galaxies where morphological and
structural information is available in the F814W filter aboard the Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) and investigate for this subsample the evolution of the
Fundamental Plane.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to appear in "Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics
Series, Vol. 3: Clusters of Galaxies: Probes of Cosmological Structure and
Galaxy Evolution", ed. J. S. Mulchaey, A. Dressler, and A. Oemler (Pasadena:
Carnegie Observatories,
http://www.ociw.edu/ociw/symposia/series/symposium3/proceedings.html
CLASH-VLT: Strangulation of cluster galaxies in MACSJ0416.1-2403 as seen from their chemical enrichment
(abridged) We explore the Frontier Fields cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 at
z=0.3972 with VIMOS/VLT spectroscopy from the CLASH-VLT survey covering a
region which corresponds to almost three virial radii. We measure fluxes of 5
emission lines of 76 cluster members enabling us to unambiguously derive O/H
gas metallicities, and also SFRs from Halpha. For intermediate massses we find
a similar distribution of cluster and field galaxies in the MZR and mass vs.
sSFR diagrams. Bulge-dominated cluster galaxies have on average lower sSFRs and
higher O/Hs compared to their disk-dominated counterparts. We use the location
of galaxies in the projected velocity vs. position phase-space to separate our
cluster sample into a region of objects accreted longer time ago and a region
of recently accreted and infalling galaxies. We find a higher fraction of
accreted metal-rich galaxies (63%) compared to the fraction of 28% of
metal-rich galaxies in the infalling regions. Intermediate mass galaxies
falling into the cluster for the first time are found to be in agreement with
predictions of the fundamental metallicity relation. In contrast, for already
accreted star-forming galaxies of similar masses, we find on average
metallicities higher than predicted by the models. This trend is intensified
for accreted cluster galaxies of the lowest mass bin, that display
metallicities 2-3 times higher than predicted by models with primordial gas
inflow. Environmental effects therefore strongly influence gas regulations and
control gas metallicities of log(M/Msun)<10.2 (Salpeter IMF) cluster galaxies.
We also investigate chemical evolutionary paths of model galaxies with and
without inflow of gas showing that strangulation is needed to explain the
higher metallicities of accreted cluster galaxies. Our results favor a
strangulation scenario in which gas inflow stops for log(M/Msun)<10.2 galaxies
when accreted by the cluster.Comment: Version better matched to the published version, including table with
observed and derived quantities for the 76 cluster galaxie
Star formation activity of intermediate redshift cluster galaxies out to the infall regions
We present a spectroscopic analysis of two galaxy clusters out to ~4Mpc at
z~0.2. The two clusters VMF73 and VMF74 identified by Vikhlinin et al. (1998)
were observed with MOSCA at the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope. Both clusters lie in
the ROSAT PSPC field R285 and were selected from the X-ray Dark Cluster Survey
(Gilbank et al. 2004) that provides optical V- and I-band data. VMF73 and VMF74
are located at respective redshifts of z=0.25 and z=0.18 with velocity
dispersions of 671 km/s and 442 km/s, respectively. The spectroscopic
observations reach out to ~2.5 virial radii. Line strength measurements of the
emission lines H_alpha and [OII]3727 are used to assess the star formation
activity of cluster galaxies which show radial and density dependences. The
mean and median of both line strength distributions as well as the fraction of
star forming galaxies increase with increasing clustercentric distance and
decreasing local galaxy density. Except for two galaxies with strong H_alpha
and [OII] emission, all of the cluster galaxies are normal star forming or
passive galaxies. Our results are consistent with other studies that show the
truncation in star formation occurs far from the cluster centre.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. A&A in pres
CLASH-VLT: Environment-driven evolution of galaxies in the z=0.209 cluster Abell 209
The analysis of galaxy properties and the relations among them and the
environment, can be used to investigate the physical processes driving galaxy
evolution. We study the cluster A209 by using the CLASH-VLT spectroscopic data
combined with Subaru photometry, yielding to 1916 cluster members down to a
stellar mass of 10^{8.6} Msun. We determine: i) the stellar mass function of
star-forming and passive galaxies; ii) the intra-cluster light and its
properties; iii) the orbits of low- and high-mass passive galaxies; and iv) the
mass-size relation of ETGs. The stellar mass function of the star-forming
galaxies does not depend on the environment, while the slope found for passive
galaxies becomes flatter in the densest region. The color distribution of the
intra-cluster light is consistent with the color of passive members. The
analysis of the dynamical orbits shows that low-mass passive galaxies have
tangential orbits, avoiding small pericenters around the BCG. The mass-size
relation of low-mass passive ETGs is flatter than that of high mass galaxies,
and its slope is consistent with that of field star-forming galaxies. Low-mass
galaxies are also more compact within the scale radius of 0.65 Mpc. The ratio
between stellar and number density profiles shows a mass segregation in the
center. The comparative analysis of the stellar and total density profiles
indicates that this effect is due to dynamical friction. Our results are
consistent with a scenario in which the "environmental quenching" of low-mass
galaxies is due to mechanisms such as harassment out to R200, starvation and
ram-pressure stripping at smaller radii, as supported by the analysis of the
mass function, of the dynamical orbits and of the mass-size relation of passive
early-types in different regions. Our analyses support the idea that the
intra-cluster light is formed through the tidal disruption of subgiant
galaxies.Comment: 17 pages, 20 figures, A&A in pres
CLASH-VLT: A Highly Precise Strong Lensing Model of the Galaxy Cluster RXC J2248.7-4431 (Abell S1063) and Prospects for Cosmography
We perform a comprehensive study of the total mass distribution of the galaxy
cluster RXCJ2248 () with a set of high-precision strong lensing
models, which take advantage of extensive spectroscopic information on many
multiply lensed systems. In the effort to understand and quantify inherent
systematics in parametric strong lensing modelling, we explore a collection of
22 models where we use different samples of multiple image families,
parametrizations of the mass distribution and cosmological parameters. As input
information for the strong lensing models, we use the CLASH HST imaging data
and spectroscopic follow-up observations, carried out with the VIMOS and MUSE
spectrographs, to identify bona-fide multiple images. A total of 16 background
sources, over the redshift range , are multiply lensed into 47 images,
24 of which are spectroscopically confirmed and belong to 10 individual
sources. The cluster total mass distribution and underlying cosmology in the
models are optimized by matching the observed positions of the multiple images
on the lens plane. We show that with a careful selection of a sample of
spectroscopically confirmed multiple images, the best-fit model reproduces
their observed positions with a rms of in a fixed flat CDM
cosmology, whereas the lack of spectroscopic information lead to biases in the
values of the model parameters. Allowing cosmological parameters to vary
together with the cluster parameters, we find (at confidence level)
and for a flat
CDM model, and and
for a universe with and free
curvature. Using toy models mimicking the overall configuration of RXCJ2248, we
estimate the impact of the line of sight mass structure on the positional rms
to be .(ABRIDGED)Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&
CLASH-VLT: Dissecting the Frontier Fields Galaxy Cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 with Spectra of Member Galaxies
We present VIMOS-VLT spectroscopy of the Frontier Fields cluster
MACS~J0416.1-2403 (z=0.397). Taken as part of the CLASH-VLT survey, the large
spectroscopic campaign provided more than 4000 reliable redshifts, including
~800 cluster member galaxies. The unprecedented sample of cluster members at
this redshift allows us to perform a highly detailed dynamical and structural
analysis of the cluster out to ~2.2 (~4Mpc). Our analysis of
substructures reveals a complex system composed of a main massive cluster
(~0.9) presenting two major features: i) a
bimodal velocity distribution, showing two central peaks separated by ~1100 km s with comparable galaxy content and velocity
dispersion, ii) a projected elongation of the main substructures along the
NE-SW direction, with a prominent subclump ~600 kpc SW of the center and an
isolated BCG approximately halfway between the center and the SW clump. We also
detect a low mass structure at z~0.390, ~10' S of the cluster center, projected
at ~3Mpc, with a relative line-of-sight velocity of ~-1700 km
s. The cluster mass profile that we obtain through our dynamical
analysis deviates significantly from the "universal" NFW, being best fit by a
Softened Isothermal Sphere model instead. The mass profile measured from the
galaxy dynamics is found to be in relatively good agreement with those obtained
from strong and weak lensing, as well as with that from the X-rays, despite the
clearly unrelaxed nature of the cluster. Our results reveal overall a complex
dynamical state of this massive cluster and support the hypothesis that the two
main subclusters are being observed in a pre-collisional phase, in line with
recent findings from radio and deep X-ray data. With this article we also
release the entire redshift catalog of 4386 sources in the field of this
cluster.Comment: Accepted for publication on ApJS. Revised to match the accepted
version; 21 pages, 18 figures, 9 tables. The CLASH-VLT spectroscopic catalogs
are publicly available at: http://sites.google.com/site/vltclashpublic
CLASH-VLT: The stellar mass function and stellar mass density profile of the z=0.44 cluster of galaxies MACS J1206.2-0847
Context. The study of the galaxy stellar mass function (SMF) in relation to
the galaxy environment and the stellar mass density profile, rho(r), is a
powerful tool to constrain models of galaxy evolution. Aims. We determine the
SMF of the z=0.44 cluster of galaxies MACS J1206.2-0847 separately for passive
and star-forming (SF) galaxies, in different regions of the cluster, from the
center out to approximately 2 virial radii. We also determine rho(r) to compare
it to the number density and total mass density profiles. Methods. We use the
dataset from the CLASH-VLT survey. Stellar masses are obtained by SED fitting
on 5-band photometric data obtained at the Subaru telescope. We identify 1363
cluster members down to a stellar mass of 10^9.5 Msolar. Results. The whole
cluster SMF is well fitted by a double Schechter function. The SMFs of cluster
SF and passive galaxies are statistically different. The SMF of the SF cluster
galaxies does not depend on the environment. The SMF of the passive population
has a significantly smaller slope (in absolute value) in the innermost (<0.50
Mpc), highest density cluster region, than in more external, lower density
regions. The number ratio of giant/subgiant galaxies is maximum in this
innermost region and minimum in the adjacent region, but then gently increases
again toward the cluster outskirts. This is also reflected in a decreasing
radial trend of the average stellar mass per cluster galaxy. On the other hand,
the stellar mass fraction, i.e., the ratio of stellar to total cluster mass,
does not show any significant radial trend. Conclusions. Our results appear
consistent with a scenario in which SF galaxies evolve into passive galaxies
due to density-dependent environmental processes, and eventually get destroyed
very near the cluster center to become part of a diffuse intracluster medium.Comment: A&A accepted, 15 pages, 13 figure
CLASH-VLT: Substructure in the galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847 from kinematics of galaxy populations
In the effort to understand the link between the structure of galaxy clusters
and their galaxy populations, we focus on MACSJ1206.2-0847 at z~0.44 and probe
its substructure in the projected phase space through the spectrophotometric
properties of a large number of galaxies from the CLASH-VLT survey. Our
analysis is mainly based on an extensive spectroscopic dataset of 445 member
galaxies, mostly acquired with VIMOS@VLT as part of our ESO Large Programme,
sampling the cluster out to a radius ~2R200 (4 Mpc). We classify 412 galaxies
as passive, with strong Hdelta absorption (red and blue galaxies, and with
emission lines from weak to very strong. A number of tests for substructure
detection are applied to analyze the galaxy distribution in the velocity space,
in 2D space, and in 3D projected phase-space. Studied in its entirety, the
cluster appears as a large-scale relaxed system with a few secondary, minor
overdensities in 2D distribution. We detect no velocity gradients or evidence
of deviations in local mean velocities. The main feature is the WNW-ESE
elongation. The analysis of galaxy populations per spectral class highlights a
more complex scenario. The passive galaxies and red strong Hdelta galaxies
trace the cluster center and the WNW-ESE elongated structure. The red strong
Hdelta galaxies also mark a secondary, dense peak ~2 Mpc at ESE. The emission
line galaxies cluster in several loose structures, mostly outside R200. The
observational scenario agrees with MACS J1206.2-0847 having WNW-ESE as the
direction of the main cluster accretion, traced by passive galaxies and red
strong Hdelta galaxies. The red strong Hdelta galaxies, interpreted as
poststarburst galaxies, date a likely important event 1-2 Gyr before the epoch
of observation. The emission line galaxies trace a secondary, ongoing infall
where groups are accreted along several directions.Comment: A&A accepted, 19 pages, 30 figures, minor language change
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