JWST Photometry of Globular Cluster Populations in MACS0417.5-1154

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Auteurs principaux: Harris, William E., Reina-Campos, Marta, Keatley, Kaitlyn E., Bradac, Marusa, Martis, Nicholas S., Muzzin, Adam, Noirot, Gael, Sarrouh, Ghassan T. E., Sawicki, Marcin, Willott, Chris J., Berek, Samantha C.
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Publié: 2025
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author Harris, William E.
Reina-Campos, Marta
Keatley, Kaitlyn E.
Bradac, Marusa
Martis, Nicholas S.
Muzzin, Adam
Noirot, Gael
Sarrouh, Ghassan T. E.
Sawicki, Marcin
Willott, Chris J.
Berek, Samantha C.
author_facet Harris, William E.
Reina-Campos, Marta
Keatley, Kaitlyn E.
Bradac, Marusa
Martis, Nicholas S.
Muzzin, Adam
Noirot, Gael
Sarrouh, Ghassan T. E.
Sawicki, Marcin
Willott, Chris J.
Berek, Samantha C.
contents Deep JWST imaging of the massive galaxy cluster MACS0417.5-1154, at redshift z=0.443, reveals a huge population of globular clusters (GCs) and Ultra-Compact Dwarfs (UCDs) primarily distributed around its single central giant galaxy (BCG). We present NIRCam/SWC photometry of the GC system in four bands (F090W, F115W, F150W, F200W). The spatial distribution of the system matches well in radial and ellipticity profile with the high elongation (b/a = 0.5) of the BCG halo light. The total GC population within MACS0417 is estimated to be near 1.5 x 10^5, similar to the systems in Abell 2744, Coma, and other galaxy clusters with comparable masses. With similar results for GC photometry in hand from other lensing clusters at a range of redshifts, it is now possible to trace on purely observational grounds the luminosity evolution of GC systems over many Gigayears of lookback time, as seen through their color-magnitude diagrams. We show this sequence for five systems reaching to lookback times of more than 7 Gyr. A systematic change in the GC/UCD sequence with lookback time is clearly visible, near what is expected for age-fading of a simple stellar population with time. Lastly, we evaluate the effectiveness of the various JWST NIRCam filters for broadband photometry of GC systems as a function of redshift, as an aid to planning further studies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_14473
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle JWST Photometry of Globular Cluster Populations in MACS0417.5-1154
Harris, William E.
Reina-Campos, Marta
Keatley, Kaitlyn E.
Bradac, Marusa
Martis, Nicholas S.
Muzzin, Adam
Noirot, Gael
Sarrouh, Ghassan T. E.
Sawicki, Marcin
Willott, Chris J.
Berek, Samantha C.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Deep JWST imaging of the massive galaxy cluster MACS0417.5-1154, at redshift z=0.443, reveals a huge population of globular clusters (GCs) and Ultra-Compact Dwarfs (UCDs) primarily distributed around its single central giant galaxy (BCG). We present NIRCam/SWC photometry of the GC system in four bands (F090W, F115W, F150W, F200W). The spatial distribution of the system matches well in radial and ellipticity profile with the high elongation (b/a = 0.5) of the BCG halo light. The total GC population within MACS0417 is estimated to be near 1.5 x 10^5, similar to the systems in Abell 2744, Coma, and other galaxy clusters with comparable masses. With similar results for GC photometry in hand from other lensing clusters at a range of redshifts, it is now possible to trace on purely observational grounds the luminosity evolution of GC systems over many Gigayears of lookback time, as seen through their color-magnitude diagrams. We show this sequence for five systems reaching to lookback times of more than 7 Gyr. A systematic change in the GC/UCD sequence with lookback time is clearly visible, near what is expected for age-fading of a simple stellar population with time. Lastly, we evaluate the effectiveness of the various JWST NIRCam filters for broadband photometry of GC systems as a function of redshift, as an aid to planning further studies.
title JWST Photometry of Globular Cluster Populations in MACS0417.5-1154
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14473