The Cosmic Dance: Observational Detection of Coherent Spin in Galaxy Clusters

TL;DR

This study provides the first observational evidence of coherent spin in galaxy clusters, revealing how their rotation correlates with mass, internal dynamics, and large-scale cosmic structures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel observational method to detect and analyze the coherent spin of galaxy clusters, demonstrating its dependence on mass and alignment with cosmic filaments.

Findings

Significant statistical evidence for coherent rotation in galaxy clusters.

Cluster rotation speed increases with mass, from ~360 km/s to ~693 km/s.

Cluster spin aligns with central galaxy spin and perpendicular to cosmic filaments.

Abstract

The spin of galaxy clusters encodes key information about their formation, dynamics, and the influence of large-scale structure. However, whether clusters possess statistically significant spin and how to measure it observationally remain open questions. Here, we present the first observational, statistical detection of coherent spin in galaxy clusters, using two samples of 2,170 and 1,329 systems with $M > 10^{14}\,M_\odot$, selected from two publicly available group catalogs (\citet{2017A&A...602A.100T} and \citet{2012ApJ...752...41Y}) constructed with two different algorithms and but both based primarily on SDSS galaxies. Cluster spin is quantified by identifying the orientation in the projected plane that maximizes the redshift difference ($\Delta Z_{\rm max}$) between member galaxies in two regions divided by a trial axis. We find compelling statistical evidence for coherent rotation, as the observed $\Delta Z_{\rm max}$ distribution departs markedly from the randomized controls, exhibiting pronounced deviations near $380\,\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$. Stacked visualizations confirm the spatial segregation of redshifted and blueshifted galaxies across the rotation axis. The radial profile of the rotational velocity indicates that it increases as a function of radius. The cluster rotation speed increases with mass, from $\sim360~\mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}$ at $10^{14} M_\odot$ to $\sim693~\mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}$ at $10^{15} M_\odot$. Additionally, cluster spin tends to align parallel with the central galaxy spin and perpendicular to the nearest cosmic filament, particularly in richer systems. These results reveal significant coherent spin in galaxy clusters, shaped by both internal dynamics and large-scale structure.