Photometric Dissection of Intracluster Light and Its Correlations with Host Cluster Properties

Abstract

Abstract We explore several ways to dissect brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and their surrounding intracluster light (ICL) using a surface brightness (SB) cut, a luminosity cut, excess light above a de Vaucouleurs profile, or a double Sérsic decomposition. Assuming that all light above is attributable to the ICL, we find that an average fraction of of all diffuse light centered on the BCG belongs to the ICL. Likewise, if we assume that all light fainter than mag arcsec−2 belongs to the ICL, the average ICL fraction is . After fitting a de Vaucouleurs profile to the inner parts of the SB profile, we detect excess light at large radii, corresponding to an average ICL fraction of . Finally, by decomposing the SB profile into two Sérsic functions, we find an average ICL fraction of associated with the outer Sérsic component. Our measured ICL and BCG+ICL luminosities agree well with predictions from high-resolution simulations where the outer Sérsic component traces the unrelaxed, accreted stellar material. BCG and ICL properties defined in this way are correlated with cluster parameters to study the coevolution of BCGs, ICL, and their host clusters. We find positive correlations between BCG+ICL brightness and cluster mass, cluster velocity dispersion, cluster radius, and integrated satellite brightness, confirming that BCG/ICL growth is indeed coupled with cluster growth. On average, the ICL is better aligned than the BCG with the host cluster in terms of position angle, ellipticity, and centering. That makes it a potential dark-matter tracer.