A High-Caliber View of the Bullet Cluster Through JWST Strong and Weak Lensing Analyses

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cha, Sangjun, Cho, Boseong Young, Joo, Hyungjin, Lee, Wonki, HyeongHan, Kim, Scofield, Zachary P., Finner, Kyle, Jee, M. James
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911040537624576
author Cha, Sangjun
Cho, Boseong Young
Joo, Hyungjin
Lee, Wonki
HyeongHan, Kim
Scofield, Zachary P.
Finner, Kyle
Jee, M. James
author_facet Cha, Sangjun
Cho, Boseong Young
Joo, Hyungjin
Lee, Wonki
HyeongHan, Kim
Scofield, Zachary P.
Finner, Kyle
Jee, M. James
contents The Bullet Cluster (1E 0657-56) is a key astrophysical laboratory for studying dark matter, galaxy cluster mergers, and shock propagation in extreme environments. Using new JWST imaging, we present the highest-resolution mass reconstruction to date, combining 146 strong lensing constraints from 37 systems with high-density (398 sources arcmin$^{-2}$) weak lensing data, without assuming that light traces mass. The main cluster's mass distribution is highly elongated (NW-SE) and consists of at least three subclumps aligned with the brightest cluster galaxies. The subcluster is more compact but elongated along the E-W direction, with a single dominant peak. We also detect a possible mass and ICL trail extending from the subcluster's eastern side toward the main cluster. Notably, these detailed features are closely traced by the intracluster light, with a modified Hausdorff distance of $19.80 \pm 12.46$ kpc. Together with multi-wavelength data, the complex mass distribution suggests that the merger history of the Bullet Cluster may be more complex than previous binary cluster merger scenarios.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_21870
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A High-Caliber View of the Bullet Cluster Through JWST Strong and Weak Lensing Analyses
Cha, Sangjun
Cho, Boseong Young
Joo, Hyungjin
Lee, Wonki
HyeongHan, Kim
Scofield, Zachary P.
Finner, Kyle
Jee, M. James
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The Bullet Cluster (1E 0657-56) is a key astrophysical laboratory for studying dark matter, galaxy cluster mergers, and shock propagation in extreme environments. Using new JWST imaging, we present the highest-resolution mass reconstruction to date, combining 146 strong lensing constraints from 37 systems with high-density (398 sources arcmin$^{-2}$) weak lensing data, without assuming that light traces mass. The main cluster's mass distribution is highly elongated (NW-SE) and consists of at least three subclumps aligned with the brightest cluster galaxies. The subcluster is more compact but elongated along the E-W direction, with a single dominant peak. We also detect a possible mass and ICL trail extending from the subcluster's eastern side toward the main cluster. Notably, these detailed features are closely traced by the intracluster light, with a modified Hausdorff distance of $19.80 \pm 12.46$ kpc. Together with multi-wavelength data, the complex mass distribution suggests that the merger history of the Bullet Cluster may be more complex than previous binary cluster merger scenarios.
title A High-Caliber View of the Bullet Cluster Through JWST Strong and Weak Lensing Analyses
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.21870