Discovery of nine extended ionized gas clouds in a z=0.4 cluster

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of nine extended ionized gas clouds in the z=0.4 cluster Abell 851, highlighting environmental effects like ram pressure stripping and galaxy interactions influencing gas removal and galaxy evolution.

Contribution

First detection of multiple EIGs in a z=0.4 cluster, linking their presence to cluster environment and subcluster interactions, expanding understanding of galaxy evolution at intermediate redshifts.

Findings

EIGs are found only near the cluster center.

Parent galaxies show signs of interaction or ram pressure stripping.

EIGs are more prevalent in the subcluster region.

Abstract

From deep H-alpha imaging data of Suprime-Cam/Subaru, we discovered nine extended ionized gas clouds (EIG) around galaxies in Abell 851 cluster (A851) at z=0.4. We surveyed 30 x 25 arcmin region, and the EIGs were found only near the cluster center (<2.3 arcmin ~ 750 kpc). The parent galaxies of the EIGs are star-forming or post-starburst galaxies, all of which are spectroscopically confirmed members of the cluster. Four out of the nine parent galaxies show distortion of stellar distribution in the disk, which can be a sign of recent interaction, and the interaction may have made EIGs. On the other hand, six parent galaxies (one overlaps those exhibiting distortion) show H-alpha emission without stars, which implies a ram pressure stripping.The spe ctrum of the brightest parent galaxy shows a post-starburst signature, and resembles the H-alpha stripped galaxies found in the Coma cluster. Meanwhile, two brightest parent galaxies in A851 are more massive than the EIG parent galaxies in the Coma cluster. This is consistent with "downsizing" of star-forming galaxies, though it is still in a statistical fluctuation. We also analyzed Suprime-Cam data of another z=0.39 cluster, CL0024+17, but found no EIGs. The key difference between A851 and CL0024+17 would be the existence of a subcluster colliding with the main body of A851, in which six or seven out of the nine parent galaxies in A851 exist, and the fraction of EIGs in the subcluster is significantly higher than the main subcluster of A851 and CL0024+17.