Multiscale exploration of SMACS J0723.3--7327's intracluster light and past dynamical history
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866912397122338816 |
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| author | Ellien, Amaël |
| author_facet | Ellien, Amaël |
| contents | In this work an analysis of the intracluster light (ICL) in the galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 (hereafter, SMACS J0723) using JWST/NIRCam deep imaging in six filters (F090W to F444W) is presented. The images were processed for low surface brightness (LSB) science, with additional correction for instrumental scattering in the short-wavelength channels, and analysed using wavelet-based decomposition. The ICL, brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), and satellite galaxies were extracted and modelled, with 2D maps for each component. ICL and ICL+BCG fractions, computed across all filters within a 400 kpc radius, exhibit a flat trend with wavelength, averaging 28% and 34%, respectively. Flux ratios between the BCG and the next brightest members (M$_{12}$, M$_{13}$ and M$_{14}$) also display minimal wavelength dependence. These results indicate that SMACS J0723 is a dynamically evolved cluster with a dominant BCG and well-developed ICL. Five prominent ICL substructures are analysed, contributing to 10-12% of the total ICL+BCG flux budget, slightly exceeding simulation predictions. Their short dynamical timescales suggest an instantaneous ICL injection rate of several $10^3 L_{\odot}\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$, consistent with active dynamical assembly. These findings support a scenario where SMACS J0723's ICL growth is currently driven by galaxy mergers involving the BCG and other bright satellites, rather than by the accretion of pre-processed ICL from a recent cluster merger. However, extrapolating the current injection rate to the cluster's lifetime indicates that additional mechanisms are required to match the growth observed in other clusters over cosmic times. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_01456 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Multiscale exploration of SMACS J0723.3--7327's intracluster light and past dynamical history Ellien, Amaël Astrophysics of Galaxies In this work an analysis of the intracluster light (ICL) in the galaxy cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 (hereafter, SMACS J0723) using JWST/NIRCam deep imaging in six filters (F090W to F444W) is presented. The images were processed for low surface brightness (LSB) science, with additional correction for instrumental scattering in the short-wavelength channels, and analysed using wavelet-based decomposition. The ICL, brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), and satellite galaxies were extracted and modelled, with 2D maps for each component. ICL and ICL+BCG fractions, computed across all filters within a 400 kpc radius, exhibit a flat trend with wavelength, averaging 28% and 34%, respectively. Flux ratios between the BCG and the next brightest members (M$_{12}$, M$_{13}$ and M$_{14}$) also display minimal wavelength dependence. These results indicate that SMACS J0723 is a dynamically evolved cluster with a dominant BCG and well-developed ICL. Five prominent ICL substructures are analysed, contributing to 10-12% of the total ICL+BCG flux budget, slightly exceeding simulation predictions. Their short dynamical timescales suggest an instantaneous ICL injection rate of several $10^3 L_{\odot}\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$, consistent with active dynamical assembly. These findings support a scenario where SMACS J0723's ICL growth is currently driven by galaxy mergers involving the BCG and other bright satellites, rather than by the accretion of pre-processed ICL from a recent cluster merger. However, extrapolating the current injection rate to the cluster's lifetime indicates that additional mechanisms are required to match the growth observed in other clusters over cosmic times. |
| title | Multiscale exploration of SMACS J0723.3--7327's intracluster light and past dynamical history |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01456 |