Mapping the spatial distribution of star formation in cluster galaxies at z ~ 0.5 with the Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space (GLASS)

Abstract

AbstractWe present the first study of the spatial distribution of star formation in z ~ 0.5 cluster galaxies. The analysis is based on data taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 as part of the Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space (GLASS). We illustrate the methodology by focusing on two clusters (MACS0717.5+3745 and MACS1423.8+2404) with different morphologies (one relaxed and one merging) and use foreground and background galaxies as field control sample. The cluster+field sample consists of 42 galaxies with stellar masses in the range 108-1011M⊙, and star formation rates in the range 1-20 M⊙yr−1. In both environments, Hα is more extended than the rest-frame UV continuum in 60% of the cases, consistent with diffuse star formation and inside out growth. The Hα emission appears more extended in cluster galaxies than in the field, pointing perhaps to ionized gas being stripped and/or star formation being enhanced at large radii. The peak of the Hα emission and that of the continuum are offset by less than 1 kpc. We investigate trends with the hot gas density as traced by the X-ray emission, and with the surface mass density as inferred from gravitational lens models and find no conclusive results. The diversity of morphologies and sizes observed in Hα illustrates the complexity of the environmental process that regulate star formation.