WFC3 grism confirmation of the distant cluster Cl J1449+0856 at z=2.00: Quiescent and star-forming galaxy populations

TL;DR

This study uses deep HST WFC3 slitless spectroscopy to confirm the galaxy populations of the distant cluster Cl J1449+0856 at z=2, revealing both quiescent and star-forming members and clarifying its redshift and structure.

Contribution

First spectroscopic confirmation of passive galaxies in a z=2 cluster environment, refining the cluster's redshift and structure using HST WFC3 data.

Findings

Confirmed 12 early-type galaxies at z~3, 6 in the cluster core.

Revised cluster redshift to z=2.00, identifying a chance alignment of structures.

Detected a mix of quiescent and star-forming galaxies in the cluster.

Abstract

We present deep Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 slitless spectroscopic observations of the distant cluster Cl J1449+0856. These cover a single pointing with 18 orbits of G141 spectroscopy and F140W imaging, allowing us to derive secure redshifts down to m_140~25.5 AB and 3sigma line fluxes of 5*10^(-18) erg/s/cm^2. In particular, we were able to spectroscopically confirm 12 early-type galaxies in the field up to z~3, 6 of which in the cluster core, which represents the first direct spectroscopic confirmation of passive galaxies in a z=2 cluster environment. With 140 redshifts in a ~6 arcmin^2 field, we can trace the spatial and redshift galaxy distribution in the cluster core and background field. We find two strong peaks at z=2.00 and z=2.07, where only one was seen in our previously published ground-based data. Thanks to the spectroscopic confirmation of the cluster ETGs, we can now re-evaluate the redshift of Cl J1449+0856 at z=2.00, rather than z=2.07, with the background overdensity being revealed to be sparse and "sheet"-like. This presents an interesting case of chance alignment of two close yet unrelated structures, each one preferentially selected by different observing strategies. With 6 quiescent or early-type spectroscopic members and 20 star-forming ones, Cl J1449+0856 is now reliably confirmed to be at z=2.00. The identified members can now allow for a detailed study of galaxy properties in the densest environment at z=2.