Dark Matter in the Galaxy Cluster CL J1226+3332 at Z=0.89

TL;DR

This study uses weak-lensing analysis with Hubble data to reveal that the galaxy cluster CL J1226+3332 at z=0.89 is the most massive known at its redshift, showing a relaxed large-scale dark matter distribution with complex core substructures.

Contribution

First weak-lensing analysis of CL J1226+3332 at high redshift confirming its mass and structure, revealing detailed dark matter and gas distribution features.

Findings

Cluster mass: (1.4±0.2) x 10^15 solar masses

Dark matter profile fits NFW with c200=2.7±0.3

Core contains two mass clumps with distinct properties

Abstract

We present a weak-lensing analysis of the galaxy cluster CL J1226+3332 at z=0.89 using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys images. The cluster is the hottest (>10 keV), most X-ray luminous system at z>0.6 known to date. The relaxed X-ray morphology, as well as its high temperature, is unusual at such a high redshift. Our mass reconstruction shows that on a large scale the dark matter distribution is consistent with a relaxed system with no significant substructures. However, on a small scale the cluster core is resolved into two mass clumps highly correlated with the cluster galaxy distribution. The dominant mass clump lies close to the brightest cluster galaxy whereas the other less massive clump is located ~40" (~310 kpc) to the southwest. Although this secondary mass clump does not show an excess in the X-ray surface brightness, the gas temperature of the region is much higher (12~18 keV) than those of the rest. We propose a scenario in which the less massive system has already passed through the main cluster and the X-ray gas has been stripped during this passage. The elongation of the X-ray peak toward the southwestern mass clump is also supportive of this possibility. We measure significant tangential shears out to the field boundary (~1.5 Mpc), which are well described by an Navarro-Frenk-White profile with a concentration parameter of c200=2.7+-0.3 and a scale length of rs=78"+-19" (~600 kpc) with chi^2/d.o.f=1.11. Within the spherical volume r200=1.6 Mpc, the total mass of the cluster becomes M(r<r200)=(1.4+-0.2) x 10^15 solar mass. Our weak-lensing analysis confirms that CL1226+3332 is indeed the most massive cluster known to date at z>0.6.