CLASH-VLT: Environment-driven evolution of galaxies in the z=0.209 cluster Abell 209

TL;DR

This study investigates how the environment influences galaxy evolution in cluster Abell 209, revealing environmental effects on galaxy properties, orbits, and the intra-cluster light, supported by extensive spectroscopic and photometric data.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of galaxy properties and their environmental dependence in Abell 209, including mass functions, orbits, and intra-cluster light, highlighting mechanisms of environmental quenching.

Findings

Passive galaxy slope flattens in dense regions

Low-mass passive galaxies have tangential orbits

Intra-cluster light formed by tidal disruption

Abstract

The analysis of galaxy properties and the relations among them and the environment, can be used to investigate the physical processes driving galaxy evolution. We study the cluster A209 by using the CLASH-VLT spectroscopic data combined with Subaru photometry, yielding to 1916 cluster members down to a stellar mass of 10^{8.6} Msun. We determine: i) the stellar mass function of star-forming and passive galaxies; ii) the intra-cluster light and its properties; iii) the orbits of low- and high-mass passive galaxies; and iv) the mass-size relation of ETGs. The stellar mass function of the star-forming galaxies does not depend on the environment, while the slope found for passive galaxies becomes flatter in the densest region. The color distribution of the intra-cluster light is consistent with the color of passive members. The analysis of the dynamical orbits shows that low-mass passive galaxies have tangential orbits, avoiding small pericenters around the BCG. The mass-size relation of low-mass passive ETGs is flatter than that of high mass galaxies, and its slope is consistent with that of field star-forming galaxies. Low-mass galaxies are also more compact within the scale radius of 0.65 Mpc. The ratio between stellar and number density profiles shows a mass segregation in the center. The comparative analysis of the stellar and total density profiles indicates that this effect is due to dynamical friction. Our results are consistent with a scenario in which the "environmental quenching" of low-mass galaxies is due to mechanisms such as harassment out to R200, starvation and ram-pressure stripping at smaller radii, as supported by the analysis of the mass function, of the dynamical orbits and of the mass-size relation of passive early-types in different regions. Our analyses support the idea that the intra-cluster light is formed through the tidal disruption of subgiant galaxies.