The Galaxy Replacement Technique (GRT): a New Approach to Study Tidal Stripping and Formation of Intracluster Light in a Cosmological Context

TL;DR

The Galaxy Replacement Technique (GRT) enables high-resolution, cosmological simulations of galaxy tidal stripping and intracluster light formation, providing new insights into cluster evolution and ICL features.

Contribution

GRT introduces a fast, efficient method to model tidal stripping with high resolution in a cosmological setting, improving understanding of ICL formation.

Findings

Successfully reproduces observed cluster stellar masses since redshift ~1.

Accurately resolves tidal stripping and ultra-low surface brightness features.

Highlights systematic differences in ICL fraction measurement methods.

Abstract

We introduce the Galaxy Replacement Technique (GRT) that allows us to model tidal stripping of galaxies with very high-mass (m$_{\rm{star}}=5.4\times10^4$~M$_\odot$/h) and high-spatial resolution (10 pc/h), in a fully cosmological context, using an efficient and fast technique. The technique works by replacing multiple low-resolution DM halos in the base cosmological simulation with high-resolution models, including a DM halo and stellar disk. We apply the method to follow the hierarchical build-up of a cluster since redshift $\sim8$ to now, through the hierarchical accretion of galaxies, individually or in substructures such as galaxy groups. We find we can successfully reproduce the observed total stellar masses of observed clusters since redshift $\sim$1. The high resolution allows us to accurately resolve the tidal stripping process and well describe the formation of ultra-low surface brightness features in the cluster ($\mu_{V}<32$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$) such as the intracluster light (ICL), shells and tidal streams. We measure the evolution of the fraction of light in the ICL and brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) using several different methods. While their broad response to the cluster mass growth history is similar, the methods show systematic differences, meaning we must be careful when comparing studies that use distinct methods. The GRT represents a powerful new tool for studying tidal effects on galaxies and exploring the formation channels of the ICL in a fully cosmological context and with large samples of simulated groups and clusters.