Setting the scene for BUFFALO: A study of the matter distribution in the HFF galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 and its parallel field

TL;DR

This study analyzes the matter distribution in the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 and its parallel field using weak-lensing and X-ray data, revealing substructures and filamentary features, and compares observations with simulations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed weak-lensing analysis of the cluster and parallel field, identifying substructures and comparing them with simulated predictions, advancing understanding of cluster evolution.

Findings

Detected five substructures with >5σ significance.

Found filament-like structures connecting overdensities.

Compared observed subhalo distribution with simulations, noting differences.

Abstract

In the context of the BUFFALO (Beyond Ultra-deep Frontier Fields And Legacy Observations) survey, we present a new analysis of the merging galaxy cluster MACS\,J0416.1-2403 ($z = 0.397$) and its parallel field using the data collected by the Hubble Frontier Fields (HFF) campaign. In this work, we measure the surface mass density from a weak-lensing analysis, and characterise the overall matter distribution in both the cluster and parallel fields. The surface mass distribution derived for the parallel field shows clumpy overdensities connected by filament-like structures elongated in the direction of the cluster core. We also characterise the X-ray emission of the cluster, and compare it with the lensing mass distribution. We identify five substructures at the $>5\sigma$ level over the two fields, four of them being in the cluster one. Furthermore, three of them are located close to the edges of the field of view, and border issues can significantly hamper the determination of their physical parameters. Finally, we compare our results with the predicted subhalo distribution of one of the Hydrangea/C-EAGLE simulated cluster. Significant differences are obtained suggesting the simulated cluster is at a more advanced evolutionary state than MACS\,J0416.1-2403. Our results anticipate the upcoming BUFFALO observations that will link the two HFF fields, extending further the \emph{HST} coverage, and thus allowing a better characterisation of the reported substructures.