Related papers: Galaxy Disruption as the Origin of Intracluster Li…
Using N-body numerical simulations, we examine possible mechanisms for the origin of the intracluster starlight features recently discovered in the Coma cluster of galaxies. We show that tidal interactions of a ``normal'' elliptical galaxy…
Not all the light in galaxy groups and clusters comes from stars that are bound to galaxies. A significant fraction of it constitutes the so-called intracluster or diffuse light (ICL), a low surface brightness component of groups/clusters…
Diffuse intracluster light (ICL) has now been observed in nearby and in intermediate redshift clusters. Individual intracluster stars have been detected in the Virgo and Coma clusters and the first color-magnitude diagram and velocity…
Intracluster stars are believed to be unbound from their progenitor galaxies and diffused throughout the galaxy cluster, creating intracluster light (ICL). However, when and how these stars form are still in debate. To directly constrain…
Deep images of the Centaurus and Coma clusters reveal two spectacular arcs of diffuse light that stretch for over 100 kpc, yet are just a few kpc wide. At a surface brightness of m_b \sim 27-28th arcsec^-2, the Centaurus arc is the most…
Clusters of galaxies are often embedded in larger-scale superclusters with dimensions of tens or perhaps even hundreds of Mpc. Observational and theoretical evidence suggest an important connection between cluster properties and their…
We present the discovery a giant low surface-brightness arc, of length luminous matrix with surface-brightness mu_B < 26.5 mag arcsec^{-2} and a number of embedded condensations. It is not associated with any giant galaxy in Coma in…
The diffuse light in clusters of galaxies, or intracluster light, has attracted a lot of attention lately due to its potential in describing the assembly history of galaxy clusters and to explain the observed growth of the brightest cluster…
The hot X-ray emitting plasma in galaxy clusters is predicted to have turbulent motions which can contribute around ten percent of the cluster's central energy density. We report deep Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of the Coma…
A satisfactory understanding of the origin of the dependence of galaxy properties on their environment has remained, so far, out of reach. In the light of numerous observational results and substantial theoretical progress obtained for…
Recent observations of the Coma cluster of galaxies in its central region have provided approximately 250 new redshifts - allowing a good membership criterion to be established for brighter galaxies - and magnitudes for 8000 objects in the…
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…
Gravitational interactions in rich clusters can strip material from the outer parts of galaxies or even completely disrupt entire systems, giving rise to large scale, low surface brightness ghostly features stretching across intergalactic…
Intracluster light is thought to originate from stars that were ripped away from their parent galaxies by gravitational tides and galaxy interactions during the build up of the cluster. The stars from such interactions will accumulate over…
Detection and study of the intracluster light in rich clusters of galaxies has been a problem of long standing challenge and interest. Using the lowest surface brightness images of the Coma cluster of galaxies in the g and r bands, from the…
The spectroscopic properties of galaxies in the Coma cluster are compared with those of galaxies in rich clusters at $z \sim 0.5$, to investigate the evolution of the star formation history in clusters. Luminous galaxies with $M_V \leq -20$…
The intracluster light (ICL) is a luminous component of galaxy clusters composed of stars that are gravitationally bound to the cluster potential but do not belong to the individual galaxies. Previous studies of the ICL have shown that its…
We study the properties of the diffuse light in galaxy clusters forming in a large hydrodynamical cosmological simulation of the Lambda-CDM cosmology. The simulation includes a model for radiative cooling, star formation in dense cold gas,…
We present here results from a deep spectroscopic survey of the Coma cluster of galaxies (29 galaxies between 18.98<m_R<21.5). Only 1 of these galaxies is within Coma compared to an expected 6.7 galaxies computed from nearby control fields.…
Clusters of galaxies are believed to be at the intersections of cosmological filaments and to grow by accreting matter from these filaments. Such continuous infall has major consequences not only on clusters but also on the physics of…