Halo Clusters Research Articles

Stellar stripping efficiencies of satellites in numerical simulations: the effect of resolution, satellite properties and numerical disruption

Abstract The stellar stripping of satellites in cluster haloes is understood to play an important role in the production of intracluster light. Increasingly, cosmological simulations have been utilised to investigate its origin and assembly. However, such simulations typically model individual galaxies at relatively coarse resolutions, raising concerns about their accuracy. Although there is a growing literature on the importance of numerical resolution for the accurate recovery of the mass loss rates of dark matter (DM) haloes, there has been no comparable investigation into the numerical resolution required to accurately recover stellar mass loss rates in galaxy clusters. Using N-body simulations of satellite galaxies orbiting in a cluster halo represented by a static external potential, we conduct a set of convergence tests in order to explore the role of numerical resolution and force softening length on stellar stripping efficiency. We consider a number of orbital configurations, satellite masses and satellite morphologies. We find that stellar mass resolution is of minor importance relative to DM resolution. Resolving the central regions of satellite DM halos is critical to accurately recover stellar mass loss rates. Poorly resolved DM haloes develop cored inner profiles and, if this core is of comparable size to the stellar component of the satellite galaxy, this leads to significant over-stripping. To prevent this, relatively high DM mass resolutions of around MDM ∼ 106 M⊙, better than those achieved by many contemporary cosmological simulations, are necessary.

Origin and Full Characterization of the Secondary (Assembly) Halo Bias

The clustering of dark matter halos depends not only on their mass, the so-called primary bias, but also on their internal properties, the so-called secondary bias. While the former effect is well understood within the Press–Schechter and excursion set models of structure formation, the latter is not. In those models, protohalos are fully characterized by their height and scale, which determine the halo mass and collapse time, so there is no room for any other halo property. This is why the secondary bias was believed not to be innate but due to the distinct merger rate of halos lying in different backgrounds, and dubbed assembly bias. However, it has now been determined that mergers leave no imprint in the inner halo properties. In fact, the innate origin of the secondary bias cannot be discarded because, in the more realistic peak model of structure formation, halo seeds are characterized by one additional property: the peak curvature. Here, we use the confluent system of peak trajectory formalism to show that peaks lying in different backgrounds have different mean curvatures, which in turn cause them to evolve into halos with different typical inner properties. The dependence we find of the properties on halo background (or halo clustering) reproduces the results of simulations.

Reversing arrested development: a new method to address halo assembly bias

ABSTRACT Halo assembly bias is a phenomenon whereby the clustering of dark matter haloes is dependent on halo properties, such as age, at fixed mass. Understanding the origin of assembly bias is important for interpreting the clustering of galaxies and constraining cosmological models. One proposed explanation for the origin of assembly bias is the truncation of mass accretion in low-mass haloes in the presence of more massive haloes, called ‘arrested development’. Haloes undergoing arrested development would have older measured ages and exhibit stronger clustering than equal mass haloes that have not undergone arrested development. We propose a new method to test the validity of this explanation for assembly bias and correct for it in cosmological N-body simulations. The method is based on the idea that the early mass accretion history of a halo, before arrested development takes effect, can be used to predict the late-time evolution of the halo in the absence of arrested development. We implement this idea by fitting a model to the early portion of halo accretion histories and extrapolating to late times. We then calculate ‘corrected’ masses and ages for haloes based on this extrapolation and investigate how this impacts the assembly bias signal. We find that correcting for arrested development this way leads to a factor of two reduction in the strength of the assembly bias signal across a range of low-halo masses. This result provides new evidence that arrested development is a cause of assembly bias and validates our approach to mitigating the effect.

ZTF SN Ia DR2: Impact of the galaxy cluster environment on the stretch distribution of Type Ia supernovae

Understanding the impact of the astrophysical environment on Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) properties is crucial to minimize systematic uncertainties in cosmological analyses based on this probe. We investigate the dependence of the SN Ia SALT2.4 light-curve stretch on the distance from their nearest galaxy cluster to study the potential effect of the intracluster medium (ICM) environment on the intrinsic properties of SN Ia. We used the largest SN Ia sample to date and cross-matched it with existing X-ray, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich, and optical cluster catalogs in order to study the relation between the stretch and the distance to the nearest detected cluster from each SN Ia. We modeled the underlying stretch distribution with a Gaussian mixture with relative amplitudes that depended on redshift and clustercentric distance. We find that the fit quality of the stretch distribution improves significantly when we included the distance-dependant term in the model with a variation of the Akaike information criterion $ AIC = -10.2$. Because of the known correlation between galaxy age and distance from the cluster center, this supports previous evidence that the age of the stellar population is the underlying driver of the bimodal shape of the SN Ia stretch distribution. We further computed the evolution of the fraction of quenched galaxies as a function of distance with respect to cluster center from our best-fit model of the SNe Ia stretch distribution and compared it to previous results obtained from $H line measurements, optical broadband photometry, and simulations. We find our estimate to be compatible with these results. The results of this work indicate that SNe Ia searches at high redshift targeted toward clusters to maximize detection probability should be considered with caution as the stretch distribution of the detected sample would be strongly biased toward the old subpopulation of SNe Ia. Furthermore, the effect of the ICM environment on the SN Ia properties appears to be significant from the center of the clusters up to their splashback radius. This is compatible with previous works based on observations and simulations of a galaxy age gradient with respect to clustercentric distance in massive cluster halos. The next generation of large-area surveys will provide an increase of an order of magnitude in the size of SN Ia and cluster catalogs. This will enable us to analyze the impact of cluster mass on the intrinsic properties of SNe Ia and of the fraction of quenched galaxies in the outskirts of clusters in more detail, where direct measurements are challenging.

Constructing a Galaxy Cluster Catalog in IllustrisTNG300 Using the Mulguisin Algorithm

We present a new simulated galaxy cluster catalog based on the IllustrisTNG simulation. We use the Mulguisin (MGS) algorithm to identify galaxy overdensities. Our cluster identification differs from the previous friends-of-friends (FoF) cluster identification in two aspects: (1) we identify cluster halos based on the galaxy subhalos instead of unobservable dark matter particles, and (2) we use the MGS algorithm, which separates galaxy overdensities hosted by massive galaxies. Our approach provides a cluster catalog constructed in a way similar to the construction of observed cluster catalogs using spectroscopic surveys. The MGS cluster catalog lists 303 halos with M 200 > 1014 M ⊙, including ∼10% more than the FoF catalog. The MGS catalog includes more systems because we separate some independent massive MGS cluster halos that are bundled into a single FoF halo. These independent MGS halos are apparently distinguishable in the galaxy spatial distribution and the phase-space diagram. Because we construct a refined cluster catalog that identifies local galaxy overdensities, we evaluate the effect of MGS clusters on the evolution of galaxies better than when using the FoF cluster catalog. The MGS halo identification also enables effective identifications of merging clusters by selecting systems with neighboring galaxy overdensities. We thus highlight the fact that the MGS cluster catalog is a useful tool for studying clusters in cosmological simulations and for comparing with observed cluster samples.

A coherent microscopic picture for the exotic structure of 11Be

The neutron-rich nucleus 11Be is one of the most enigmatic exotic nuclei in the periodic table. It exhibits a multitude of unique and intriguing phenomena within a single nucleus, including the halo phenomenon, clustering structure, and parity inversion. A unified description of these exotic properties represents a significant challenge for the nuclear physics field. By employing the axially deformed relativistic Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (D-RHFB) model, we have successfully reproduced the parity inversion and the one-neutron halo in 11Be, and revealed the underlying cluster structure. It is found that the intrusion of the sd-shell, which results in the parity inversion, is coherently connected with the halo and cluster structures. In particular, the s-wave is responsible for the halo formation, and the mixing of 2s1/2- and 1d5/2-waves enhances the cluster structure. This work elucidates the coherence between the parity inversion and the halo/cluster structures of 11Be, and addresses the long-standing challenge of providing a unified explanation for the multiple exotic phenomena observed in 11Be.

Spatial Clustering of Primary Geochemical Halos Using Unsupervised Machine Learning in Sari Gunay Gold Deposit, Iran

Spatial Clustering of Primary Geochemical Halos Using Unsupervised Machine Learning in Sari Gunay Gold Deposit, Iran

PNG-UNITsims: Halo clustering response to primordial non-Gaussianities as a function of mass

This paper presents the PNG-UNITSIMS suite, which includes the largest full N-body simulation to date with local primordial non-Gaussianities (local PNG), the PNG-UNIT. The amplitude of the PNGs is given by f localNL=100. The simulation follows the evolution of 40963 particles in a periodic box with Lbox = 1 h−1 Gpc, resulting in a mass resolution of mp = 1.24 × 109 h−1 M⊙, enough to finely resolve the galaxies targeted by stage-IV spectroscopic surveys. The PNG-UNIT has fixed initial conditions with phases also matching the pre-existing UNIT simulation with Gaussian initial conditions. The fixed and matched initial conditions reduce the simulation uncertainty significantly. In this first study of the PNG-UNITSIMS, we measure the PNG response parameter, p, as a function of the halo mass. halos with masses between 1 × 1012 and 5 × 1013 h−1 M⊙ are well described by the universality relation, given by p = 1. For halos with masses between 2 × 1010 and 1 × 1012 h−1 M⊙ we find that p < 1, at a significance between 1.5 and 3.1σ. Combining all the halos between 2 × 1010 and 5 × 1013 h−1 M⊙, we find p consistent with a value of 0.955 ± 0.013, which is 3σ away from the universality relation. We demonstrate that these findings are robust to mass resolution, scale cuts and uncertainty estimation. We also compare our measurements to separate universe simulations, finding that the PNG-UNITSIMS constraints outperform the former for the setup considered. Using a prior on p as tight as the one reported here for DESI-like forecast can result in fNL constraints comparable to fixing p. At the same time, fixing p to a wrong value (p = 1) may result in up to 2σ biases on fNL.

Star-forming and Quiescent Central Galaxies Cluster Similarly: Implications for the Galaxy–Halo Connection

Abstract We measure the clustering of low-redshift SDSS galaxies as a function of stellar mass (10.0 < log (M*/M⊙) < 11.5) and specific star formation rate (sSFR) and compare the results to models of the galaxy–halo connection. We find that the auto-correlation functions of central galaxies exhibit little dependence on sSFR, with the well-known stronger clustering of quiescent galaxies mainly attributable to satellites. Because halo assembly history is known to affect distinct halo clustering, this result implies that there is little net correlation between halo assembly history and central galaxy sSFR. However, cross-correlations with satellites are stronger for quiescent centrals than star-forming centrals, consistent with quiescent centrals having more satellites in their haloes at fixed M*, as found in SDSS group catalogues. We model the galaxy–halo connection in an N-body simulation by assigning sSFRs to central galaxies in three different ways. Two of the models depend on halo assembly history (being based on halo accretion rate or concentration), while the third is independent of halo assembly history (being based on peak halo circular velocity, Vpeak, a proxy for halo mass). All three models replicate the observed auto-correlations of central galaxies, while only the Vpeak model reproduces the observed cross-correlations with satellites. This further suggests that the effects of halo assembly history may not be easily seen in auto-correlations of centrals and implies that a more complete understanding of central galaxy clustering may require more than auto-correlations of centrals alone. Additionally, the good agreement with the Vpeak model supports the idea that quiescent galaxies reside in more massive haloes than star-forming galaxies at fixed M*.

Assembly history and internal structure of cluster cold dark matter haloes

ABSTRACT We use the Phoenix simulations to study the mass assembly history and internal structures of cluster dark matter haloes ($M_{200} \gtrsim 5\times 10^{14} h^{-1}{\rm M}_\odot$). We confirm that cluster haloes grow inside-out, similar to galactic haloes. Major merger events dominate the growth of the internal region and minor mergers/diffuse accretion shape the outskirts. However, compared to galactic haloes, cluster haloes tend to have a younger and more actively evolving inner region. On average, the majority of mass ($\gtrsim 80$ per cent) in the inner region ($R\lt 0.1 r_{200}$) of Phoenix haloes is accreted after $z = 3$, while for galactic haloes, most mass in the central region has already been accreted before $z=6$. The density profiles of cluster haloes are less stable than those of galactic haloes over different radii. The enclosed mass within 50 or 150 kpc of all Phoenix haloes evolves substantially in the past ${\sim } 7$ Gyr, while galactic haloes remained stable during the same period. We suggest that the relatively younger and more active state explains the various observations of cluster haloes, especially in central regions.

The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: Exploring halo assembly bias with X-ray-selected superclusters

Numerical simulations indicate that the clustering of dark matter halos is not only dependent on the halo masses but has a secondary dependence on other properties, such as the assembly history of the halo. This phenomenon, known as the halo assembly bias (HAB), has been found mostly on galaxy scales; observational evidence on larger scales is scarce. In this work, we propose a novel method for exploring HAB on cluster scales using large samples of superclusters. Leveraging the largest-ever X-ray galaxy cluster and supercluster samples obtained from the first SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey, we constructed two subsamples of galaxy clusters that consist of supercluster members and isolated clusters, respectively. After correcting for the selection effects on redshift, mass, and survey depth, we computed the excess in the concentration of the intracluster gas of isolated clusters with respect to supercluster members, defined as δcgas ≡ cgas, ISO/cgas, SC − 1, to investigate the environmental effect on the concentration of clusters, a sign of HAB on cluster scales. We find that the average gas mass concentration of isolated clusters is a few percent higher than that of supercluster members, with a maximum significance of 2.8σ. The result for δcgas varies with the overdensity ratio, f, in supercluster identification, cluster mass proxies, and mass and redshift ranges but remains positive in almost all the measurements. We measure slightly larger δcgas when adopting a higher f for supercluster identification. The δcgas is also higher for low-mass and low-redshift clusters. We performed weak lensing analyses to compare the total mass concentration of the two classes and find a similar trend in total mass concentration as obtained from the gas mass concentration. Our results are consistent with the prediction of HAB on cluster scales, where halos located in denser environments are less concentrated; this trend is stronger for halos with lower masses and at lower redshifts. These phenomena can be explained by the fact that clusters in denser environments, such as superclusters, have experienced more mergers than isolated clusters in their assembling history. This work paves the way to explore HAB with X-ray superclusters and demonstrates that large samples of superclusters with X-ray and weak-lensing data can advance our understanding of the evolution of the large-scale structure.

New Observational Recipes for Measuring Dynamical States of Galaxy Clusters

During cluster assembly, a cluster’s virialization process leaves behind signatures that can provide information on its dynamical state. However, no clear consensus yet exists on the best way to achieve this. Therefore, we attempt to derive improved recipes for classifying the dynamical states of clusters in observations using cosmological simulations. The cluster halo mass and their subhalos’ mass are used to 1014 M ⊙ h −1 and 1010 M ⊙ h −1 to calculate five independent dynamical state indicators. We experiment with recipes by combining two to four indicators for detecting specific merger stages, like recent and ancient mergers. These recipes are made by plotting merging clusters and a control sample of relaxed clusters in multiple-indicator parameter space, then applying a rotation matrix method to derive the best way to separate mergers from the control sample. The success of the recipe is quantified using the success rate and overlap percentage of the merger and control histograms along the newly rotated x-axis. This provides us with recipes using different numbers of combined indicators and for different merger stages. Among the recipes, the stellar mass gap and center offset are the first and second most dominant of the indicators, and using more indicators improves the effectiveness of the recipe. When applied to observations, our results show good agreement with literature values of cluster dynamical states.

Ultra-low-frequency LOFAR spectral indices of cluster radio halos

A fraction of galaxy clusters harbor diffuse radio sources known as radio halos. The prevailing theory regarding their formation is based on second-order Fermi reacceleration of seed electrons caused by merger-driven turbulence in the intra-cluster medium. This mechanism is expected to be inefficient, which implies that a significant fraction of halos should have very steep energy spectra ($ We start investigating the potential and current limitations of the combination of the two surveys conducted by LOFAR, LoTSS (144 MHz) and LoLSS (54 MHz), to probe the origin of radio halos. We followed up the 20 radio halos detected in Data Release 1 of LoTSS, which covers the HETDEX field, with the LoLSS survey, and we studied their spectral properties between 54 and 144 MHz. After removing compact sources, nine halos were excluded due to unreliable halo flux density measurements at 54 MHz. Our main finding is that 7 out of 11 (sim 64<!PCT!>) exhibit an ultra-steep spectrum ($ < -1.5$), which is a key prediction of turbulent reacceleration models. We also note a tentative trend for more massive systems to host flatter halos, although the currently poor statistics do not allow for a deeper analysis. Our sample suffers from low angular resolution at 54 MHz, which limits the accuracy of the compact-source subtraction. Nevertheless, this study is the first step toward providing compelling evidence for the existence of a large fraction of radio halos with a very steep spectrum, which is a fundamental prediction of turbulent reacceleration models. In this regard, the forthcoming second data release of LoLSS, along with the integration of LOFAR international stations and the instrumental upgrade to LOFAR2.0, will improve both the statistics and the low-frequency angular resolution, allowing us to determine the origin of radio halos in galaxy clusters conclusively.

Improving the accuracy of halo mass based statistics for fast approximate N-body simulations

ABSTRACT Approximate N-body methods, such as fastpm and cola, have been successful in modelling halo and galaxy clustering statistics, but their low resolution on small scales is a limitation for applications that require high precision. Full N-body simulations can provide better accuracy but are too computationally expensive for a quick exploration of cosmological parameters. This paper presents a method for correcting distinct haloes identified in fast N-body simulations, so that various halo statistics improve to a percent level accuracy. The scheme seeks to find empirical corrections to halo properties such that the virial mass is the same as that of a corresponding halo in a full N-body simulation. The modified outer density contour of the corrected halo is determined on the basis of the fastpm settings and the number of particles inside the halo. This method only changes some parameters of the halo finder, and does not require any extra CPU-cost. We demonstrate that the adjusted halo catalogues of fastpm simulations significantly improve the precision of halo mass-based statistics from redshifts $z=0.0$ to 1.0, and that our calibration can be applied to different cosmologies without needing to be recalibrated.

Euclid preparation. XLIV. Modelling spectroscopic clustering on mildly nonlinear scales in beyond-LCDM models

The space satellite mission will measure the large-scale clustering of galaxies at an unprecedented precision, providing a unique probe of modifications to the Lambda CDM model. We investigated the approximations needed to efficiently predict the large-scale clustering of matter and dark matter halos in the context of modified gravity and exotic dark energy scenarios. We examined the normal branch of the Dvali--Gabadadze--Porrati model, the Hu--Sawicki $f(R)$ model, a slowly evolving dark energy model, an interacting dark energy model, and massive neutrinos. For each, we tested approximations for the perturbative kernel calculations, including the omission of screening terms and the use of perturbative kernels based on the Einstein--de Sitter universe; we explored different infrared-resummation schemes, tracer bias models and a linear treatment of massive neutrinos; we investigated various approaches for dealing with redshift-space distortions and modelling the mildly nonlinear scales, namely the Taruya--Nishimishi--Saito prescription and the effective field theory of large-scale structure. This work provides a first validation of the various codes being considered by for the spectroscopic clustering probe in beyond-Lambda CDM scenarios. We calculated and compared the $ statistic to assess the different modelling choices. This was done by fitting the spectroscopic clustering predictions to measurements from numerical simulations and perturbation theory-based mock data. We compared the behaviour of this statistic in the beyond-Lambda CDM cases, as a function of the maximum scale included in the fit, to the baseline Lambda CDM case. We find that the Einstein--de Sitter approximation without screening is surprisingly accurate for the modified gravity cases when comparing to the halo clustering monopole and quadrupole obtained from simulations and mock data. Further, we find the same goodness-of-fit for both cases -- the one including and the one omitting non-standard physics in the predictions. Our results suggest that the inclusion of multiple redshift bins, higher-order multipoles, higher-order clustering statistics (such as the bispectrum), and photometric probes such as weak lensing, will be essential to extract information on massive neutrinos, modified gravity and dark energy. Additionally, we show that the three codes used in our analysis, namely PBJ Pybird and MG-Copter exhibit sub-percent agreement for $k Mpc $ across all the models. This consistency underscores their value as reliable tools.

CHEX-MATE: A LOFAR pilot X-ray – radio study on five radio halo clusters

The connection between the thermal and non-thermal properties in galaxy clusters hosting radio halos seems fairly well established. However, a comprehensive analysis of such a connection has only been done for integrated quantities (e.g. LX − Pradio relation). In recent years, new-generation radio telescopes have enabled the unprecedented possibility to study the non-thermal properties of galaxy clusters on a spatially resolved basis. In this work, we performed a pilot study to investigate the mentioned properties on five targets by combining X-ray data from the CHEX-MATE project with the second data release from the LOFAR Two meter Sky survey. We find a strong correlation (rs ∼ 0.7) with a slope less than unity between the radio and X-ray surface brightness. We also report differences in the spatially resolved properties of the radio emission in clusters that show different levels of dynamical disturbance. In particular, less perturbed clusters (according to X-ray parameters) show peaked radio profiles in the centre, with a flattening in the outer regions, while the three dynamically disturbed clusters have steeper profiles in the outer regions. We fitted a model to the radio emission in the context of turbulent re-acceleration with a constant ratio between thermal and non-thermal particles’ energy densities and a magnetic field profile linked to the thermal gas density as B(r) ∝ nth0.5. We found that this simple model cannot reproduce the behaviour of the observed radio emission.

Clustering of dark matter in the cosmic web as a probe of massive neutrinos

ABSTRACT The large-scale structure of the Universe is distributed in a cosmic web. Studying the distribution and clustering of dark matter particles and haloes may open up a new horizon for studying the physics of the dark Universe. In this work, we investigate the nearest neighbour statistics and spherical contact function in cosmological models with massive neutrinos. For this task, we use the relativistic N-body code, gevolution, and study particle snapshots at three different redshifts. In each snapshot, we find the haloes and evaluate the letter functions for them. We show that a generic behaviour can be found in the nearest neighbour, G(r), and spherical contact functions, F(r), which makes these statistics promising tools to constrain the total neutrino mass.

Mass reconstruction and noise reduction with cosmic-web environments

ABSTRACT The clustering of galaxies and their connections to their initial conditions is a major means by which we learn about cosmology. However, the stochasticity between galaxies and their underlying matter field is a major limitation for precise measurements of galaxy clustering. Efforts have been made with an optimal weighting scheme to reduce this stochasticity using the mass-dependent clustering of dark matter haloes. Here, we show that this is not optimal. We demonstrate that the cosmic-web environments (voids, sheets, filaments, and knots) of haloes, when combined linearly with the linear bias, provide extra information for reducing stochasticity in terms of two-point statistics. Using the environmental information alone can increase the signal-to-noise of clustering by a factor of 3 better than the white-noise level at the scales of the baryon acoustic oscillations. The information about the environment and halo mass are complementary. Their combination increases the signal-to-noise by another factor of 2-3. The information about the cosmic web correlates with other properties of haloes, including halo concentrations and tidal forces – all are related to the assembly bias of haloes.

LOFAR detection of extended emission around a mini halo in the galaxy cluster Abell 1413

Context. The relation between giant radio halos and mini halos in galaxy clusters is not understood. The former are usually associated with merging clusters, while the latter are found in relaxed systems. In recent years, the advent of low-frequency radio observations has challenged this dichotomy by finding intermediate objects with a hybrid radio morphology. Aims. We aim to investigate the presence of diffuse radio emission in the cluster Abell 1413 and determine its dynamical status to explore the relation between mini halos and giant radio halos. Methods. We used LOFAR observations centred at 144 MHz to study the diffuse radio emission. To investigate the dynamical state of the system, we used newly analysed XMM-Newton archival data. Abell 1413 shows features that are typically present in both relaxed (e.g., peaked X-ray surface brightness distribution and some large-scale inhomogeneities) and disturbed (e.g., flatter temperature and metallicity profiles) clusters. Results. This suggests that Abell 1413 is neither disturbed nor fully relaxed, and we argue that it is an intermediate-phase cluster. At 144 MHz, we discover a wider diffuse component surrounding the previously known mini halo at the cluster center. By fitting the radio surface-brightness profile with a double-exponential model, we can disentangle the two components. We find an inner mini halo with an e-folding radius, re, 1 = 28 ± 5 kpc, and an extended component with re, 2 = 290 ± 60 kpc. We also evaluated the point-to-point correlation between the radio and X-ray surface brightness, finding a sublinear relation for the outer emission and a superlinear relation for the mini halo. The mini halo and the diffuse emission extend over different scales and show different features, confirming the double nature of the radio emission and suggesting that the mechanisms responsible for the re-acceleration of the radio-emitting particle might be different.

Characterising the intra-cluster light in The Three Hundred simulations

We characterise the intra-cluster light (ICL) in ensembles of full-physics cluster simulations from THE THREE HUNDRED project, a suite of 324 hydrodynamical resimulations of cluster-sized halos. We identify the ICL as those stellar particles bound to the potential of the cluster itself, but not to any of its substructures, and separate the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) by means of a fixed 50 kpc aperture. We find the total BCG+ICL mass to be in agreement with state-of-the-art observations of galaxy clusters. The ICL mass fraction of our clusters is between 30 and 50% of the total stellar mass within R500, while the BCG represents around 10%. We further find no trend of the ICL fraction with cluster halo mass, at least not in the range [0.2, 3] 1015 h−1 M⊙ considered here. For the dynamical state, characterised both by theoretical estimators and by the recent merging history of the cluster, there is a clear correlation, such that more relaxed clusters and those that have undergone fewer recent mergers have a higher ICL fraction. Finally, we investigate the possibility of using the ICL to explore the dark matter (DM) component of galaxy clusters. We compute the volumetric density profile for the DM and ICL components and show that, up to R500, the ratio between the two can be described by a power law. Working with the velocity dispersion profiles instead, we show that the ratio can be fit by a straight line. Providing the parameters of these fits, we show how the ICL can be used to infer DM properties.