Related papers: A detection of wobbling Brightest Cluster Galaxies…
Models of Cold Dark Matter predict that the distribution of dark matter in galaxy clusters should be cuspy, centrally concentrated. Constant density cores would be strong evidence for beyond-CDM physics, such as Self-Interacting Dark Matter…
We present cosmological N-body resimulations of the assembly of the Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in rich clusters. At $z=2$ we populate dark matter subhalos with self-gravitating stellar systems whose abundance and structure match…
Contradictory results have been reported on the time evolution of the alignment between clusters and their Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG). We study this topic by analyzing cosmological hydro-simulations of 24 massive clusters with…
Galaxy clusters have a triaxial matter distribution. The weak-lensing signal, an important part in cosmological studies, measures the projected mass of all matter along the line-of-sight, and therefore changes with the orientation of the…
We present the "DARKSKIES" suite of one hundred, zoom-in hydrodynamic simulations of massive ($M_{200}>5\times10^{14}{\rm M}_\odot)$ galaxy clusters with self-interacting dark matter (SIDM). We super-sample the simulations such that $m_{\rm…
It is well established that brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), residing in the center of galaxy clusters, are typically massive and quenched galaxies with cD or elliptical morphology. An optical survey suggested that an exotic galaxy…
We have observed 433 z<=0.08 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a full-sky survey of Abell clusters. The BCG Hubble diagram is consistent to within 2% of a Omega_m=0.3, Lambda=0.7 Hubble relation. The L_m-alpha relation for BCGs, which…
We used the HST WFPC2 to obtain I-band images of the centers of 81 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), drawn from a volume-limited sample of nearby BCGs. The images show a rich variety of morphological features, including multiple or double…
Cosmological N-body simulations predict that dark matter halos should have a universal shape characterized by a steep, cuspy inner profile. Here we report on a spectroscopic study of six clusters each containing a dominant brightest cluster…
Weak-lensing measurements of the masses of galaxy clusters are commonly based on the assumption of spherically symmetric density profiles. Yet, the cold dark matter model predicts the shapes of dark matter halos to be triaxial. Halo…
Using a large N-body cosmological simulation combined with a subgrid treatment of galaxy formation, we study the formation and evolution of the galaxy and cluster population in a comoving volume (100 Mpc)^3 in a LCDM universe. At z = 0, our…
We investigate the relationship between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and their host clusters using a sample of nearby galaxy clusters from the Representative XMM Cluster Structure Survey (REXCESS). The sample was imaged with the…
Brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) are today passive and very massive galaxies at the center of their clusters, still accreting mass through swallowing companions, and flows of cold gas, regulated by radio-mode active galactic nucleus (AGN)…
We present a detailed analysis of the surface brightness distribution of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in each of 24 galaxy clusters at 0.03<z<0.13. We use two-dimensional profile fitting to model the surface brightness out to r=300…
Hubble Space Telescope images of the galaxy cluster Abell 2261, obtained as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble, show that the brightest galaxy in the cluster, A2261-BCG, has the largest core yet detected in any…
The alignment between brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and host clusters can reveal the mystery of formation and evolution for galaxy clusters. We measure cluster orientations in optical based on the projected distribution of member…
Most clusters and groups of galaxies contain a giant elliptical galaxy in their centres which far outshines and outweighs normal ellipticals. The origin of these brightest cluster galaxies is intimately related to the collapse and formation…
The central dominant galaxies in galaxy clusters constitute the most massive and luminous galaxies in the Universe. Despite this, the formation of these brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and the impact of this on the surrounding cluster…
We present new (B,I) photometry for the globular cluster systems in eight Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), obtained with the ACS/WFC camera on the Hubble Space Telescope. In the very rich cluster systems that reside within these giant…
We present here our results on a complete sample of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in nearby Abell Clusters (distance class <3). Combined with data from the literature, we provide parsec scale information for 34 BCGs. We found that also…