Brightest Cluster Galaxies Research Articles

An extended cold gas absorber in a central cluster galaxy

Abstract We present the serendipitous discovery of an extended cold gas structure projected close to the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of the z = 0.045 cluster Abell 3716, from archival integral field spectroscopy. The gas is revealed through narrow Na D line absorption, seen against the stellar light of the BCG, which can be traced for ∼25 kpc, with a width of 2–4 kpc. The gas is offset to higher velocity than the BCG (by ∼100 km s−1), showing that it is infalling rather than outflowing; the intrinsic linewidth is ∼80 km s−1 (FWHM). Very weak H α line emission is detected from the structure, and a weak dust absorption feature is suggested from optical imaging, but no stellar counterpart has been identified. We discuss some possible interpretations for the absorber: as a projected low-surface-brightness galaxy, as a stream of gas that was stripped from an infalling cluster galaxy or as a ‘retired’ cool-core nebula filament.

A remarkably large depleted core in the Abell 2029 BCG IC 1101

We report the discovery of an extremely large (R_b ~ 2"77 ~ 4.2 kpc) core in the brightest cluster galaxy, IC 1101, of the rich galaxy cluster Abell 2029. Luminous core-S\'ersic galaxies contain depleted cores---with sizes (R_b) typically 20 - 500 pc---that are thought to be formed by coalescing black hole binaries. We fit a (double nucleus) + (spheroid) + (intermediate-scale component) + (stellar halo) model to the HST surface brightness profile of IC 1101, finding the largest core size measured in any galaxy to date. This core is an order of magnitude larger than those typically measured for core-S\'ersic galaxies. We find that the spheroid's V-band absolute magnitude (M_V) of -23.8 mag (~ 25% of the total galaxy light, i.e., including the stellar halo) is faint for the large R_b, such that the observed core is 1.02 dex ~ 3.4 sigma_s (rms scatter) larger than that estimated from the R_ b -M_V relation. The suspected scouring process has produced a large stellar mass deficit (M_def) ~ 4.9 X 10^11 M_sun, i.e., a luminosity deficit ~ 28% of the spheroid's luminosity prior to the depletion. Using IC 1101's black hole mass (M_BH) estimated from the M_BH-$\sigma$, M_BH-L and M_BH-M_* relations, we measure an excessive and unrealistically high number of dry major mergers for IC 1101 (i.e., $\mathcal{N} \ga 76$) as traced by the large M_def/M_ BH ratios of 38-101. The large core, high mass deficit and oversized M_def/M_ BH ratio of IC 1101 suggest that the depleted core was scoured by overmassive SMBH binaries with a final coalesced mass M_BH ~ (4 -10) X 10^10 M_sun, i.e., ~ (1.7- 3.2) X sigma_s larger than the black hole masses estimated using the spheroid's $\sigma$, L and M_*. The large core might be partly due to oscillatory core passages by a gravitational radiation-recoiled black hole.

Stellar dynamics in the strong-lensing central galaxy of Abell 1201: a low stellar mass-to-light ratio, a large central compact mass and a standard dark matter halo

We analyse the stellar kinematics of the z=0.169 brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in Abell 1201, using integral field observations with VLT/MUSE. This galaxy has a gravitationally-lensed arc located at unusually small radius ($\sim$5 kpc), allowing us to constrain the mass distribution using lensing and stellar dynamical information over the same radial range. We measure a velocity dispersion profile which is nearly flat at $\sigma$ $\approx$ 285 km/s in the inner $\sim$5 kpc, and then rises steadily to $\sigma$ $\approx$ 360 km/s at $\sim$30 kpc. We analyse the kinematics using axisymmetric Jeans models, finding that the data require both a significant dark matter halo (to fit the rising outer profile) and a compact central component, with mass $M_{\rm cen}$ $\approx$ 2.5$\times$10$^{10}$ $M_\odot$ (to fit the flat {\sigma} in the inner regions). The latter component could represent a super-massive black hole, in which case it would be among the largest known to date. Alternatively $M_{\rm cen}$ could describe excess mass associated with a gradient in the stellar mass-to-light ratio. Imposing a standard NFW dark matter density profile, we recover a stellar mass-to-light ratio $\Upsilon$ which is consistent with a Milky-Way-like initial mass function (IMF). By anchoring the models using the lensing mass constraint, we break the degeneracy between $\Upsilon$ and the inner slope $\gamma$ of the dark matter profile, finding $\gamma$=1.0$\pm$0.1, consistent with the NFW form. We show that our results are quite sensitive to the treatment of the central mass in the models. Neglecting $M_{\rm cen}$ biases the results towards both a heavier-than-Salpeter IMF and a shallower-than-NFW dark matter slope ($\gamma$ $\approx$ 0.5).

Ten billion years of brightest cluster galaxy alignments

A galaxy's orientation is one of its most basic observable properties. Astronomers once assumed that galaxies are randomly oriented in space, however it is now clear that some have preferred orientations with respect to their surroundings. Chief among these are giant elliptical galaxies found in the centers of rich galaxy clusters. Numerous studies have shown that the major axes of these galaxies often share the same orientation as the surrounding matter distribution on larger scales. Using Hubble Space Telescope observations of 65 distant galaxy clusters, we show for the first time that similar alignments are seen at earlier epochs when the universe was only one-third its current age. These results suggest that the brightest galaxies in clusters are the product of a special formation history, one influenced by development of the cosmic web over billions of years.

Dynamical Friction and the Evolution of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries: The Final Hundred-parsec Problem

Abstract The supermassive black holes originally in the nuclei of two merging galaxies will form a binary in the remnant core. The early evolution of the massive binary is driven by dynamical friction before the binary becomes “hard” and eventually reaches coalescence through gravitational-wave emission. We consider the dynamical friction evolution of massive binaries consisting of a secondary hole orbiting inside a stellar cusp dominated by a more massive central black hole. In our treatment, we include the frictional force from stars moving faster than the inspiralling object, which is neglected in the standard Chandrasekhar treatment. We show that the binary eccentricity increases if the stellar cusp density profile rises less steeply than . In cusps shallower than , the frictional timescale can become very long due to the deficit of stars moving slower than the massive body. Although including fast stars increases the decay rate, low mass-ratio binaries ( ) in sufficiently massive galaxies have decay timescales longer than one Hubble time. During such minor mergers, the secondary hole stalls on an eccentric orbit at a distance of order one-tenth the influence radius of the primary hole (i.e., for massive ellipticals). We calculate the expected number of stalled satellites as a function of the host galaxy mass and show that the brightest cluster galaxies should have of such satellites orbiting within their cores. Our results could provide an explanation for a number of observations, which include multiple nuclei in core ellipticals, off-center AGNs, and eccentric nuclear disks.

Bimodal morphologies of massive galaxies at the core of a protocluster at z = 3.09 and the strong size growth of a brightest cluster galaxy

We present the near-infrared high resolution imaging of an extremely dense group of galaxies at the core of the protocluster at $z=3.09$ in the SSA22 field by using the adaptive optics AO188 and the Infrared Camera and Spectrograph (IRCS) on Subaru Telescope. Wide morphological variety of them suggests their on-going dramatic evolutions. One of the two quiescent galaxies (QGs), the most massive one in the group, is a compact elliptical with an effective radius $r_{e} = 1.37\pm0.75$ kpc. It supports the two-phase formation scenario of giant ellipticals today that a massive compact elliptical is formed at once and evolves in the size and stellar mass by series of mergers. Since this object is a plausible progenitor of a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of one of the most massive clusters today, it requires strong size ($\ga10$) and stellar mass ($\sim$ four times by $z=0$) growths. Another QG hosts an AGN(s) and is fitted with a model composed from an nuclear component and S\'ersic model. It shows spatially extended [O{\footnotesize III}]$\lambda$5007 emission line compared to the continuum emission, a plausible evidence of outflows. Massive star forming galaxies (SFGs) in the group are two to three times larger than the field SFGs at similar redshift. Although we obtained the $K$-band image deeper than the previous one, we found no candidate new members. This implies a physical deficiency of low mass galaxies with stellar mass $M_{\star}\la4\times10^{10}~M_{\odot}$ and/or poor detection completeness of them owing to their diffuse morphologies.

In the wake of dark giants: new signatures of dark matter self-interactions in equal-mass mergers of galaxy clusters

Merging galaxy clusters have been touted as one of the best probes for constraining self-interacting dark matter, but few simulations exist to back up this claim. We simulate equal mass mergers of 10$^{15}$ M$_\odot$ halos, like the El Gordo and Sausage clusters, with cosmologically-motivated halo and merger parameters, and with velocity-independent dark-matter self-interactions. Although the standard lore for merging clusters is that self-interactions lead to large separations between the galaxy and dark-matter distributions, we find that maximal galaxy-dark matter offsets of $\lesssim~20$~kpc form for a self-interaction cross section of $\sigma_\text{SI}/m_\chi$ = 1 cm$^2$/g. This is an order of magnitude smaller than those measured in observed equal mass and near equal mass mergers, and is likely to be even smaller for lower-mass systems. While competitive cross-section constraints are thus unlikely to emerge from offsets, we find other signatures of self-interactions which are more promising. Intriguingly, we find that after dark matter halos coalesce, the collisionless galaxies (and especially the Brightest Cluster Galaxy [BGC]) oscillate around the center of the merger remnant on stable orbits of 100 kpc for $\sigma_\text{SI}/m_\chi = 1$~cm$^2$/g for at least several Gyr, well after the clusters have relaxed. If BCG miscentering in relaxed clusters remains a robust prediction of SIDM under the addition of gas physics, substructure, merger mass ratios (e.g., 10:1 like the Bullet Cluster), and complex cosmological merger histories, the observed BCG offsets may constrain $\sigma_\text{SI}/m_\chi \lesssim$ 0.1 cm$^2$/g---the tightest constraint yet.

Red but not dead: unveiling the star-forming far-infrared spectral energy distribution of SpARCS brightest cluster galaxies at 0 < z < 1.8

We present the results of a Spitzer/Herschel infrared photometric analysis of the largest (716) and highest-redshift (z=1.8) sample of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), those from the Spitzer Adaptation of the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (SpARCS). Given the tension that exists between model predictions and recent observations of BCGs at z<2, we aim to uncover the dominant physical mechanism(s) guiding the stellar-mass buildup of this special class of galaxies, the most massive in the Universe uniquely residing at the centres of galaxy clusters. Through a comparison of their stacked, broadband, infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) to a variety of SED model templates in the literature, we identify the major sources of their infrared energy output, in multiple redshift bins between 0 < z < 1.8. We derive estimates of various BCG physical parameters from the stacked {\nu}L{\nu} SEDs, from which we infer a star-forming, as opposed to a 'red and dead' population of galaxies, producing tens to hundreds of solar masses per year down to z=0.5. This discovery challenges the accepted belief that BCGs should only passively evolve through a series of gas-poor, minor mergers since z~4 (De Lucia & Blaizot 2007), but agrees with the improved semi-analytic model of hierarchical structure formation of Tonini et al. (2012), which predicts star-forming BCGs throughout the epoch considered. We attribute the star formation inferred from the stacked infrared SEDs to both major and minor 'wet' (gas-rich) mergers, based on a lack of key signatures (to date) of the cluster cooling flows to which BCG star formation is typically attributed, as well as a number of observational and simulation-based studies that support this scenario.

Scalar field dark matter in clusters of galaxies

One alternative to the cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm is the scalar field dark matter (SFDM) model, which assumes dark matter is a spin-0 ultra-light scalar field (SF) with a typical mass $m\sim10^{-22}\mathrm{eV}/c^2$ and positive self-interactions. Due to the ultra-light boson mass, the SFDM could form Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in the very early Universe, which are interpreted as the dark matter haloes. Although cosmologically the model behaves as CDM, they differ at small scales: SFDM naturally predicts fewer satellite haloes, cores in dwarf galaxies and the formation of massive galaxies at high redshifts. The ground state (or BEC) solution at zero temperature suffices to describe low-mass galaxies but fails for larger systems. A possible solution is adding finite-temperature corrections to the SF potential which allows combinations of excited states. In this work, we test the finite-temperature multistate SFDM solution at galaxy cluster scales and compare our results with the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) and BEC profiles. We achieve this by fitting the mass distribution of 13 \textit{Chandra} X-ray clusters of galaxies, excluding the region of the brightest cluster galaxy. We show that the SFDM model accurately describes the clusters' DM mass distributions offering an equivalent or better agreement than the NFW profile. The complete disagreement of the BEC model with the data is also shown. We conclude that the theoretically motivated multistate SFDM profile is an interesting alternative to empirical profiles and ad hoc fitting-functions that attempt to couple the asymptotic NFW decline with the inner core in SFDM.

HIFLUGCS: X-ray luminosity-dynamical mass relation and its implications for mass calibrations with the SPIDERS and 4MOST surveys

We present the relation of X-ray luminosity versus dynamical mass for 63 nearby clusters of galaxies in a flux-limited sample, the HIghest X-ray FLUx Galaxy Cluster Sample (HIFLUGCS, consisting of 64 clusters). The luminosity measurements are obtained based on ~ 1.3 Ms of clean XMM-Newton data and ROSAT pointed observations. The masses are estimated using optical spectroscopic redshifts of 13647 cluster galaxies in total. We classify clusters into disturbed and undisturbed based on a combination of the X-ray luminosity concentration and the offset between the brightest cluster galaxy and X-ray flux-weighted center. Given sufficient numbers (i.e., ≥45) of member galaxies when the dynamical masses are computed, the luminosity versus mass relations agree between the disturbed and undisturbed clusters. The cool-core clusters still dominate the scatter in the luminosity versus mass relation even when a core-corrected X-ray luminosity is used, which indicates that the scatter of this scaling relation mainly reflects the structure formation history of the clusters. As shown by the clusters with only few spectroscopically confirmed members, the dynamical masses can be underestimated and thus lead to a biased scaling relation. To investigate the potential of spectroscopic surveys to follow up high-redshift galaxy clusters or groups observed in X-ray surveys for the identifications and mass calibrations, we carried out Monte Carlo resampling of the cluster galaxy redshifts and calibrated the uncertainties of the redshift and dynamical mass estimates when only reduced numbers of galaxy redshifts per cluster are available. The resampling considers the SPIDERS and 4MOST configurations, designed for the follow-up of the eROSITA clusters, and was carried out for each cluster in the sample at the actual cluster redshift as well as at the assigned input cluster redshifts of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8. To follow up very distant clusters or groups, we also carried out the mass calibration based on the resampling with only ten redshifts per cluster, and redshift calibration based on the resampling with only five and ten redshifts per cluster, respectively. Our results demonstrate the power of combining upcoming X-ray and optical spectroscopic surveys for mass calibration of clusters. The scatter in the dynamical mass estimates for the clusters with at least ten members is within 50%.

Velocity Segregation and Systematic Biases in Velocity Dispersion Estimates with the SPT-GMOS Spectroscopic Survey

Abstract The velocity distribution of galaxies in clusters is not universal; rather, galaxies are segregated according to their spectral type and relative luminosity. We examine the velocity distributions of different populations of galaxies within 89 Sunyaev Zel’dovich (SZ) selected galaxy clusters spanning . Our sample is primarily draw from the SPT-GMOS spectroscopic survey, supplemented by additional published spectroscopy, resulting in a final spectroscopic sample of 4148 galaxy spectra—2868 cluster members. The velocity dispersion of star-forming cluster galaxies is 17 ± 4% greater than that of passive cluster galaxies, and the velocity dispersion of bright ( ) cluster galaxies is 11 ± 4% lower than the velocity dispersion of our total member population. We find good agreement with simulations regarding the shape of the relationship between the measured velocity dispersion and the fraction of passive versus star-forming galaxies used to measure it, but we find a small offset between this relationship as measured in data and simulations, which suggests that our dispersions are systematically low by as much as 3% relative to simulations. We argue that this offset could be interpreted as a measurement of the effective velocity bias that describes the ratio of our observed velocity dispersions and the intrinsic velocity dispersion of dark matter particles in a published simulation result. Measuring velocity bias in this way suggests that large spectroscopic surveys can improve dispersion-based mass-observable scaling relations for cosmology even in the face of velocity biases, by quantifying and ultimately calibrating them out.

The close pair fraction of BCGs since z = 0.5: major mergers dominate recent BCG stellar mass growth

Using the redMaPPer (red-sequence Matched-filter Probabilistic Percolation) cluster catalogue based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry, we investigate the importance of major mergers in the stellar mass build-up of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) between 0.08 ≤ z ≤ 0.50. We use the SDSS spectroscopy, supplemented with spectroscopic observations from the Southern African Large Telescope at higher redshifts, to identify which BCGs and nearby companions are potential major merger candidates. We use the pair fraction as a proxy for the merger fraction in order to determine how much stellar mass growth the BCGs have experienced due to major mergers. We observe a weak trend of the BCG pair fraction increasing with decreasing redshift, suggesting that major mergers may become more important towards the present day. Major mergers are found to contribute, on average, 24 ± 14 (29 ± 17) per cent towards the stellar mass of a present-day BCG since z = 0.32 (0.45), assuming that half of the companion's stellar mass is accreted on to the BCG. Furthermore, using our merger results in conjunction with predictions from two recent semi-analytical models along with observational measurements from the literature, we find that major mergers have sufficient stellar material to account for the stellar mass growth of the intracluster light between z = 0.3 and 0.

The Dependence of Cluster Galaxy Properties on the Central Entropy of Their Host Cluster

Abstract We present a study of the connection between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and their host galaxy clusters. Using galaxy clusters at from the Hectospec Cluster Survey (HeCS) with X-ray information from the Archive of Chandra Cluster Entropy Profile Tables (ACCEPT), we confirm that BCGs in low central entropy clusters are well aligned with the X-ray center. Additionally, the magnitude difference between BCG and the second brightest galaxy also correlates with the central entropy of the intracluster medium. From the red-sequence (RS) galaxies, we cannot find significant dependence of RS color scatter and stellar population on the central entropy of the intracluster medium of their host cluster. However, BCGs in low-entropy clusters are systematically less massive than those in high-entropy clusters, although this is dependent on the method used to derive the stellar mass of BCGs. In contrast, the stellar velocity dispersion of BCGs shows no dependence on BCG activity and cluster central entropy. This implies that the potential of the BCG is established earlier and the activity leading to optical emission lines is dictated by the properties of the intracluster medium in the cluster core.

A counter-image to the gravitational arc in Abell 1201:Evidence for IMF variations, or a 10 10 M ⊙ black hole?

Abell 1201 is a massive galaxy cluster at z=0.169 with a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) that acts as a gravitational lens to a background source at z=0.451. The lensing configuration is unusual, with a single bright arc formed at small radius $\sim$2 arcsec), where stars and dark matter are both expected to contribute substantially to the total lensing mass. Here, we present deep spectroscopic observations of the Abell 1201 BCG with MUSE, which reveal emission lines from a faint counter-image, opposite to the main arc, at a radius of 0.6 arcsec. We explore models in which the lensing mass is described by a combination of stellar mass and a standard dark-matter halo. The counter-image is not predicted in such models, unless the dark-matter component is negligible, which would imply an extremely heavy stellar initial mass function (IMF) in this galaxy. We consider two modifications to the model which can produce the observed configuration without resorting to extreme IMFs. Imposing a radial gradient in the stellar mass-to-light ratio, $\Upsilon$, can generate a counter-image close to the observed position if $\Upsilon$ increases by $\gtrsim$60 per cent within the inner $\sim$1 arcsec (e.g. variation from a Milky-Way-like to a Salpeter-like IMF). Alternatively, the counter-image can be produced by introducing a central super-massive black hole. The required mass is $M_{\rm BH}$ = (1.3$\pm$0.6)$\times$10$^{10}$ M$_\odot$, which is comparable to the largest black holes known to date, several of which are also hosted by BCGs. We comment on future observations which promise to distinguish between these alternatives.

A NEARLY NAKED SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

ABSTRACT During a systematic search for supermassive black holes (SMBHs) not in galactic nuclei, we identified the compact, symmetric radio source B3 1715+425 with an emission-line galaxy offset ≈ 8.5 kpc from the nucleus of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the redshift z = 0.1754 cluster ZwCl 8193. B3 1715+425 is too bright (brightness temperature T b ∼ 3 × 10 10 K at observing frequency ν = 7.6 GHz ) and too luminous (1.4 GHz luminosity L 1.4 GHz ∼ 10 25 W Hz − 1 ) to be powered by anything but an SMBH, but its host galaxy is much smaller ( ∼ 0.9 kpc × 0.6 kpc full width between half-maximum points) and optically fainter (R-band absolute magnitude M r ≈ − 18.2 ) than any other radio galaxy. Its high radial velocity v r ≈ 1860 km s − 1 relative to the BCG, continuous ionized wake extending back to the BCG nucleus, and surrounding debris indicate that the radio galaxy was tidally shredded passing through the BCG core, leaving a nearly naked SMBH fleeing from the BCG with space velocity v ≳ 2000 km s − 1 . The radio galaxy has mass M ≲ 6 × 10 9 M ⊙ and infrared luminosity L IR ∼ 3 × 10 11 L ⊙ close to its dust Eddington limit, so it is vulnerable to further mass loss from radiative feedback.

MASSIVE GALAXIES ARE LARGER IN DENSE ENVIRONMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF MASS–SIZE RELATION OF EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES

ABSTRACT Under the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological models, massive galaxies are expected to be larger in denser environments through frequent hierarchical mergers with other galaxies. Yet, observational studies of low-redshift early-type galaxies have shown no such trend, standing as a puzzle to solve during the past decade. We analyzed 73,116 early-type galaxies at 0.1 ≤ z &lt; 0.15, adopting a robust nonparametric size measurement technique and extending the analysis to many massive galaxies. We find for the first time that local early-type galaxies heavier than 1011.2 M ⊙ show a clear environmental dependence in mass–size relation, in such a way that galaxies are as much as 20%–40% larger in the densest environments than in underdense environments. Splitting the sample into the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and non-BCGs does not affect the result. This result agrees with the ΛCDM cosmological simulations and suggests that mergers played a significant role in the growth of massive galaxies in dense environments as expected in theory.

STAR FORMATION IN INTERMEDIATE REDSHIFT 0.2 &lt; z &lt; 0.7 BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES

ABSTRACT We present a multi-wavelength photometric and spectroscopic study of 42 Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in two samples of galaxy clusters chosen for a gravitational lensing study. The study’s initial sample combines 25 BCGs from the Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble sample and 37 BCGs from the Sloan Giant Arcs Survey with a total redshift range of Using archival GALEX, Hubble Space Telescope, Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, Herschel, and Very Large Array data we determine the BCGs’ stellar mass, radio power, and star formation rates. The radio power is higher than expected if due to star formation, consistent with the BCGs being active galactic nucleus (AGN)-powered radio sources. This suggests that the AGN and star formation are both fueled by cold gas in the host galaxy. The specific star formation rate (sSFR) is low and constant with redshift. The mean sSFR is 9.42 × 10−12 yr−1, which corresponds to a mass doubling time of 105 billion years. These findings are consistent with models for hierarchical formation of BCGs, which suggest that star formation is no longer a significant channel for galaxy growth for z 1. Instead, stellar growth (of the order of a factor of at least two) during this period is expected to occur mainly via minor dry mergers.

The merger history of the complex cluster Abell 1758: a combined weak lensing and spectroscopic view

We present a weak-lensing and dynamical study of the complex cluster Abell 1758 (A1758, z = 0.278) supported by hydrodynamical simulations. This cluster is composed of two main structures, called A1758N and A1758S. The Northern structure is composed of A1758NW & A1758NE, with lensing determined masses of 7.90_{-1.55}^{+1.89} X 10^{14} M_\odot and 5.49_{-1.33}^{+1.67} X 10^{14} M_\odot, respectively. They show a remarkable feature: while in A1758NW there is a spatial agreement among weak lensing mass distribution, intracluster medium and its brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in A1758NE the X-ray peak is located 96_{-15}^{+14} arcsec away from the mass peak and BCG positions. Given the detachment between gas and mass we could use the local surface mass density to estimate an upper limit for the dark matter self-interaction cross section: \sigma/m<5.83 cm^2 g^{-1}. Combining our velocity data with hydrodynamical simulations we have shown that A1758 NW \& NE had their closest approach 0.27 Gyr ago and their merger axis is 21+-12 degrees from the plane of the sky. In the A1758S system we have measured a total mass of 4.96_{-1.19}^{+1.08} X 10^{14} M_\odot and, using radial velocity data, we found that the main merger axis is located at 70+-4 degrees from the plane of the sky, therefore closest to the line-of-sight.

STRONG-LENSING ANALYSIS OF THE POWERFUL LENSING CLUSTER MACS J2135.2-0102 (z = 0.33)

ABSTRACT We present a light-traces-mass (LTM) strong-lensing model of the massive lensing cluster MACS J2135.2-0102 (z = 0.33; hereafter MACS2135), known in part for hosting the cosmic eye galaxy lens. MACS2135 is also known to multiply lens a z = 2.3 sub-millimeter galaxy near the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), as well as a prominent, triply imaged system at a large radius of ∼37″ south of the BCG. We use the latest available Hubble imaging to construct an accurate lensing model for this cluster, identifying six new multiply imaged systems with the guidance of our LTM method, so that we have roughly quadrupled the number of lensing constraints. We determine that MACS2135 is among the top lensing clusters known, comparable in size to the Hubble Frontier Fields. For a source at , we find an effective Einstein radius of , enclosing . We make our lens model, including mass and magnification maps, publicly available, in anticipation of searches for high-z galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope, for which this cluster is a compelling target.

MOLECULAR GAS ALONG A BRIGHT Hα FILAMENT IN 2A 0335+096 REVEALED BY ALMA

ABSTRACT We present ALMA CO(1–0) and CO(3–2) observations of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the 2A 0335+096 galaxy cluster (z = 0.0346). The total molecular gas mass of 1.13 ± 0.15 × 109 M ⊙ is divided into two components: a nuclear region and a 7 kpc long dusty filament. The central molecular gas component accounts for 3.2 ± 0.4 × 108 M ⊙ of the total supply of cold gas. Instead of forming a rotationally supported ring or disk, it is composed of two distinct, blueshifted clumps south of the nucleus and a series of low-significance redshifted clumps extending toward a nearby companion galaxy. The velocity of the redshifted clouds increases with radius to a value consistent with the companion galaxy, suggesting that an interaction between these galaxies &lt;20 Myr ago disrupted a pre-existing molecular gas reservoir within the BCG. Most of the molecular gas, 7.8 ± 0.9 × 108 M ⊙, is located in the filament. The CO emission is co-spatial with a 104 K emission-line nebula and soft X-rays from 0.5 keV gas, indicating that the molecular gas has cooled out of the intracluster medium over a period of 25–100 Myr. The filament trails an X-ray cavity, suggesting that the gas has cooled from low-entropy gas that has been lifted out of the cluster core and become thermally unstable. We are unable to distinguish between inflow and outflow along the filament with the present data. Cloud velocities along the filament are consistent with gravitational free-fall near the plane of the sky, although their increasing blueshifts with radius are consistent with outflow.