We study the population of backsplash galaxies at z=0 in the outskirts of
massive, isolated clusters of galaxies taken from the MDPL2-SAG semi-analytic
catalogue. We consider four types of backsplash galaxies according to whether
they are forming stars or passive at three stagesin their lifetimes: before
entering the cluster, during their first incursion through the cluster, and
after they exit the cluster. We analyse several geometric, dynamic, and
astrophysical aspects of the four types at the three stages. Galaxies that form
stars at all stages account for the majority of the backsplash population
(58%) and have stellar masses typically below M⋆∼3×1010h−1M⊙ that avoid the innermost cluster's regions and are only
mildly affected by it. In a similar mass range, galaxies that become passive
after exiting the cluster (26%) follow orbits characterised by small
pericentric distance and a strong deflection by the cluster potential well
while suffering a strong loss of both dark matter and gas content. Only a small
fraction of our sample (4%) become passive while orbiting inside the
cluster. These galaxies have experienced heavy pre-processing and the cluster's
tidal stripping and ram pressure provide the final blow to their star
formation. Finally, galaxies that are passive before entering the cluster for
the first time (12%) are typically massive and are not affected
significantly by the cluster. Using the bulge/total mass ratio as a proxy for
morphology, we find that a single incursion through a cluster do not result in
significant morphological changes in all four types.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Comments are welcom