Tramp Novae Between Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster: Tracers of Intracluster Light

Abstract

We report the results of a survey for novae in and between the galaxies of the Fornax cluster. Our survey provides strong evidence that intracluster novae exist and that they provide a useful, independent measure of the intracluster light in Fornax. We discovered six strong nova candidates in six distinct epochs spanning eleven years from 1993 to 2004. The data were taken with the 4m and the 1.5m telescopes at CTIO. The spatial distribution of the nova candidates is consistent with $\sim$16-41% of the total light in the cluster being in the intracluster light, based on the ratio of the number of novae we discovered in intracluster space over the total number of novae discovered plus a simple completeness correction factor. This estimate is consistent with independent measures of intracluster light in Fornax and Virgo using intracluster planetary nebulae. The accuracy of the intracluster light measurement improves with each survey epoch as more novae are discovered.

arXiv comment30 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Sep 9, 2004). Version 2: Added references. Full resolution versions of figures 1-7 and 10 can be found at http://astrowww.phys.uvic.ca/~neill/fnx/

References in corpus (15)

• Gamma-Ray Bursts: Progress, Problems & Prospects
• The Luminosity Function of the Coma Cluster Core for -25<M_R<-11
• The Diffuse Light in Simulations of Galaxy Clusters
• Intracluster Red Giant Stars in the Virgo Cluster
• A Population of Intergalactic Supernovae in Galaxy Clusters
• Detection of intergalactic red-giant-branch stars in the Virgo cluster
• The Origin and Properties of Intracluster Stars in a Rich Cluster
• The orbital structure and potential of NGC 1399
• Narrow band imaging in [OIII] and Halpha to search for ICPNe in the Virgo cluster
• Intergalactic stars in the Fornax Cluster
• Intracluster Planetary Nebulae in the Virgo Cluster I. Initial Results
• Towards an Understanding of the Globular Cluster Over--abundance around the Central Giant Elliptical NGC 1399
• Long-term Optical Variability of Radio-Selected Quasars from the FIRST Survey
• Microlensing Candidates in M87 and the Virgo Cluster with the Hubble Space Telescope
• The H-alpha Light Curves and Spatial Distribution of Novae in M81

Cited by in corpus (28)

• The Burrell Schmidt Deep Virgo Survey: Tidal Debris, Galaxy Halos, and Diffuse Intracluster Light in the Virgo Cluster
• The Formation and Evolution of Intracluster Light
• Intracluster light and the extended stellar envelopes of cD galaxies: An analytical description
• The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey IV. Intergalactic Globular Clusters and the Massive Globular Cluster System at the Core of the Coma Galaxy Cluster
• Downsizing by Shutdown in Red Galaxies
• Tidal Streams of Intracluster Light
• Diffuse stellar component in galaxy clusters and the evolution of the most massive galaxies at z<~1
• Optical Colors of Intracluster Light in the Virgo Cluster Core
• Intra-group diffuse light in compact groups of galaxies. HCG 79, HCG 88 and HCG 95
• Tidal Disruption of Satellite Galaxies in a Semi-Analytic Model of Galaxy Formation
• The Chandra Fornax Survey - I: The Cluster Environment
• The unmixed kinematics and origins of diffuse stellar light in the core of the Hydra I cluster (Abell 1060)
• The effect of dwarf galaxies disruption in semi-analytic models
• A Hubble Space Telescope Survey for Novae in M87. I. Light and Color Curves, Spatial Distributions and the Nova Rate
• Wandering Stars: an Origin of Escaped Populations
• On the dynamics of the satellite galaxies in NGC 5044
• Confirmation of Hostless Type Ia Supernovae Using Hubble Space Telescope Imaging
• Exploring the Role of Globular Cluster Specific Frequency on the Nova Rates in Three Virgo Elliptical Galaxies
• The Survival of Planetary Nebulae in the Intracluster Medium
• Intra-cluster Globular Clusters in a Simulated Galaxy Cluster
• Quantifying the Origin and Distribution of Intracluster Light in a Fornax-like Cluster
• Merging of Elliptical Galaxies as Possible Origin of the Intergalactic Stellar Population
• Detection of the Stellar Intracluster Medium in Perseus (Abell 426)
• Chandra Detection of Intra-cluster X-ray Sources in Fornax
• A Hubble Space Telescope Survey for Novae in the Globular Clusters of M87
• AT 2016dah and AT 2017fyp: the first classical novae discovered within a tidal stream
• Discovering novae in early-type galaxies with MUSE: A chance find in NGC 1404, and twelve more candidates from an archival search
• AT 2023prq: A Classical Nova in the Halo of the Andromeda Galaxy