Dependence of the bright end of galaxy luminosity function on cluster dynamical state

Abstract

Luminosity function of cluster galaxies provides a fundamental constraint on galaxy evolution in cluster environments. By using the bright member galaxies of a large sample of rich clusters identified from Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we obtain the bright end of composite luminosity functions of cluster galaxies, and study their dependence on cluster dynamical state. After a redshift-evolution correction of absolute magnitude, the luminosity function of member galaxies can be well fitted by a Schechter function when the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) are excluded. The absolute magnitudes of BCGs follow a Gaussian function with a characteristic width of about 0.36 mag. We find that the luminosity function of galaxies in more relaxed clusters has a fainter characteristic absolute magnitude (M_{\ast}), and these clusters have fewer bright non-BCG member galaxies but a brighter BCG. Our results suggest the co-evolution of galaxy population with cluster dynamical state and somewhat support the hierarchical formation scenario of the BCGs.

7 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• The Evolution of Brightest Cluster Galaxies in the Nearby Universe I: Colours and Stellar Masses from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Wide Infrared Survey Explorer
• The Clusters Hiding in Plain Sight (CHiPS) survey: Complete sample of extreme BCG clusters
• AMICO galaxy clusters in KiDS-DR3: Evolution of the luminosity function between z=0.1 and z=0.8
• The Evolution of Brightest Cluster Galaxies in the Nearby Universe II: The star-formation activity and the Stellar Mass from Spectral Energy Distribution
• Pixel Color-Magnitude Diagram Analysis of the Brightest Cluster Galaxies in Dynamically Young and Old Clusters, Abell 1139 and Abell 2589