MC$^2$: Dynamical Analysis of the Merging Galaxy Cluster MACS J1149.5+2223

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the complex merging history of galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223, revealing multiple mergers, their dynamics, and associated phenomena like X-ray morphology and radio relics, using multi-wavelength observational data and dynamical modeling.

Contribution

It provides a detailed dynamical analysis of the cluster’s multiple mergers, including velocity estimates and substructure identification, which were previously uncharacterized.

Findings

The cluster comprises two main mergers occurring ~1 Gyr apart.

The primary merger involves two massive subclusters with elongated X-ray morphology.

A secondary, line-of-sight merger with a less massive subcluster is also identified.

Abstract

We present an analysis of the merging cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 using archival imaging from Subaru/Suprime-Cam and multi-object spectroscopy from Keck/DEIMOS and Gemini/GMOS. We employ two and three dimensional substructure tests and determine that MACS J1149.5+2223 is composed of two separate mergers between three subclusters occurring $\sim$1 Gyr apart. The primary merger gives rise to elongated X-ray morphology and a radio relic in the southeast. The brightest cluster galaxy is a member of the northern subcluster of the primary merger. This subcluster is very massive (16.7$^{+\text{1.25}}_{-\text{1.60}}\times\text{10}^{\text{14}}$ M$_{\odot}$). The southern subcluster is also very massive (10.8$^{+\text{3.37}}_{-\text{3.54}}\times\text{10}^{\text{14}}$ M$_{\odot}$), yet it lacks an associated X-ray surface brightness peak, and it has been unidentified previously despite the detailed study of this \emph{Frontier Field} cluster. A secondary merger is occurring in the north along the line of sight with a third, less massive, subcluster (1.20$^{+\text{0.19}}_{-\text{0.34}}\times\text{10}^{\text{14}}$ M$_{\odot}$). We perform a Monte Carlo dynamical analysis on the main merger and estimate a collision speed at pericenter of 2770$^{+\text{610}}_{-\text{310}}$ km s$^{-\text{1}}$. We show the merger to be returning from apocenter with core passage occurring 1.16$^{+\text{0.50}}_{-\text{0.25}}$ Gyr before the observed state. We identify the line of sight merging subcluster in a strong lensing analysis in the literature and show that it is likely bound to MACS J1149 despite having reached an extreme collision velocity of $\sim$4000 km s$^{-\text{1}}$.