The XMM Cluster Survey: The build up of stellar mass in Brightest Cluster Galaxies at high redshift

TL;DR

This study finds that the stellar mass of Brightest Cluster Galaxies has remained nearly constant since redshift 1.5, challenging hierarchical merging models and suggesting early formation with minimal subsequent growth.

Contribution

It provides robust observational evidence that BCG stellar mass has not significantly increased over the last 9-10 Gyr, contrasting with theoretical predictions.

Findings

BCG stellar mass remains constant since z~1.5

Dry merging has little effect on BCG mass over 9-10 Gyr

Potential reconciliation with models if intracluster light growth is considered

Abstract

We present deep J and Ks band photometry of 20 high redshift galaxy clusters between z=0.8-1.5, 19 of which are observed with the MOIRCS instrument on the Subaru Telescope. By using near-infrared light as a proxy for stellar mass we find the surprising result that the average stellar mass of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) has remained constant at ~9e11MSol since z~1.5. We investigate the effect on this result of differing star formation histories generated by three well known and independent stellar population codes and find it to be robust for reasonable, physically motivated choices of age and metallicity. By performing Monte Carlo simulations we find that the result is unaffected by any correlation between BCG mass and cluster mass in either the observed or model clusters. The large stellar masses imply that the assemblage of these galaxies took place at the same time as the initial burst of star formation. This result leads us to conclude that dry merging has had little effect on the average stellar mass of BCGs over the last 9-10 Gyr in stark contrast to the predictions of semi-analytic models, based on the hierarchical merging of dark matter haloes, which predict a more protracted mass build up over a Hubble time. We discuss however that there is potential for reconciliation between observation and theory if there is a significant growth of material in the intracluster light over the same period.