Red sequence modal colour gradients across intermediate X-ray luminosity galaxy clusters

TL;DR

This study analyzes how the modal colour of the red sequence in intermediate X-ray luminosity galaxy clusters varies with environment, revealing systematic blueward shifts at larger radii and lower densities, indicating younger stellar populations at the outskirts.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of red sequence colour gradients across a sizable sample of galaxy clusters, highlighting environmental effects on galaxy evolution.

Findings

Red sequence modal colours become bluer with increasing radius and decreasing local density.

The width of the red sequence increases towards the outskirts of clusters.

Gradients in colour vary with redshift, suggesting hierarchical build-up over time.

Abstract

[Abridged] We assemble a sample of 45 intermediate X-ray luminosity galaxy clusters at low redshifts using SDSS data to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the photometric variation of red sequence modal galaxy colours with environment. The clusters span a range of Bautz-Morgan types and evolutionary stages and are representative of the global underlying intermediate L_X cluster sample. We define cluster membership using SDSS spectroscopic data and characterize the clusters by deriving new recession velocities, velocity dispersions and other parameters for each. We construct colour-magnitude diagrams for each of these clusters and obtain the position of the red sequence using a robust line fitting algorithm with a Lorentzian merit function. In doing so, we describe a population of discordant points on the colour-magnitude plane which are the result of photometric blending, dust and other causes. By fitting the clusters with Schechter functions to derive M* values in each SDSS passband, we combine the red sequence of the galaxy clusters together to form a composite sample. We detail how the modal colour value of the red sequence varies with radius from the centre of this composite cluster and local galaxy density for all SDSS colours. In agreement with previous studies, these colours are shown to systematically move blueward with increasing distance from the cluster centres, or equivalently lower local galaxy density, whilst the width of the red sequence increases. This supports the idea that the galaxies at the outskirts of these clusters have younger luminosity-weighted ages than those at the core indicating their star formation has been quenched more recently than in the core. A comparison of our derived gradients in (g-r) with earlier works tentatively suggests that these gradients vary with redshift which would reflect the hierarchical build-up of the red sequence over time.