# Suppressed Star Formation by a Merging Cluster System

## TL;DR

This study investigates how a merging galaxy cluster system at redshift 1.105 suppresses star formation in nearby galaxies, likely due to gravitational tidal forces during the merger process.

## Contribution

It provides observational evidence linking cluster mergers to star formation suppression, highlighting the role of tidal forces in galaxy evolution.

## Key findings

- Lower star formation rates between merging clusters
- Star formation suppression correlates with merger dynamics
- Tidal forces likely cause star formation quenching

## Abstract

We examine the effects of an impending cluster merger on galaxies in the large scale structure (LSS) RX J0910 at $z =1.105$. Using multi-wavelength data, including 102 spectral members drawn from the Observations of Redshift Evolution in Large Scale Environments (ORELSE) survey and precise photometric redshifts, we calculate star formation rates and map the specific star formation rate density of the LSS galaxies. These analyses along with an investigation of the color-magnitude properties of LSS galaxies indicate lower levels of star formation activity in the region between the merging clusters relative to the outskirts of the system. We suggest that gravitational tidal forces due to the potential of the merging halos may be the physical mechanism responsible for the observed suppression of star formation in galaxies caught between the merging clusters.