On the Mass Distribution of the Intra-Cluster Light in Galaxy Groups and Clusters

Abstract

We take advantage of a semi-analytic model with a state-of-art implementation of the formation of the intra-cluster light (ICL) to study the mass distribution of the ICL in galaxy groups and clusters, at different redshifts. We assume the ICL to follow a NFW profile with a different concentration, linked to that of the dark matter by the relation $c_{ICL}=\gamma c_{DM}$, where the parameter $\gamma$ is set to reproduce the observed relation between the stellar mass in the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) and ICL in the innermost 100 kpc and the halo mass ($M_{100}^{\ast }-M_{500}$), at $z=0$. The model is then tested against several theoretical and observational results, from the present time to $z\sim 1.5$. Our analysis shows that the fraction of stellar mass in the BCG and ICL within the innermost 100 kpc is an increasing function of redshift, parameter $\gamma$, and a decreasing function of the halo mass. The value of $\gamma$ required to match the observed $M_{100}^{\ast }-M_{500}$ is $\gamma =3$ at $z=0$, but there are hints that it might be a function of redshift and halo mass. This result indicates that the distribution of the ICL is more concentrated than the dark matter one, but less concentrated than previously found by other studies. We suggest that a modified version of the NFW is a good description of the distribution of the diffuse light in groups and clusters, which makes the ICL a reliable tracer of the dark matter, in good agreement with recent observational findings.

12 pages, 6 figures and 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ after some revision

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• Kinematics of the diffuse intragroup and intracluster light in groups and clusters of galaxies in the Local Universe within 100 Mpc distance
• Brightest Cluster Galaxies and Intra-Cluster Light: Their Mass Distribution in the Innermost Regions of Groups and Clusters
• Importance of Mock Observations in Validating Galaxy Properties for Cosmological Simulations
• Intracluster light in the core of z~2 galaxy proto-clusters
• Growth of Ex-situ Diffuse Intragroup Light in Simulated Galaxy Groups
• What goes around comes around: the fate of stars in stripped tails of gas
• The intracluster light as an estimator of the cluster mass profile
• Predicting Halo Formation Time Using Machine Learning
• Stellar halos of bright central galaxies II: Scaling relations, colors and metallicity evolution with redshift
• Tracing the evolution of brightest galaxies and diffuse light in galaxy groups