No Arabic abstract
We use a joint optical/X-ray analysis to constrain the geometry and history of the ongoing merging event in the massive galaxy cluster MACSJ0416.1-2403 (z=0.397). Our investigation of cluster substructure rests primarily on a combined strong- and weak-lensing mass reconstruction based on the deep, high-resolution images obtained for the Hubble Frontier Fields initiative. To reveal the systems dynamics, we complement this lensing analysis with a study of the intra-cluster gas using shallow Chandra data, and a three-dimensional model of the distribution and motions of cluster galaxies derived from over 100 spectroscopic redshifts. The multi-scale grid model obtained from our combined lensing analysis extends the high-precision strong-lensing mass reconstruction recently performed to cluster-centric distances of almost 1 Mpc. Our analysis detects the two well known mass concentrations in the cluster core. A pronounced offset between collisional and collisionless matter is only observed for the SW cluster component, while excellent alignment is found for the NE cluster. Both the lensing analysis and the distribution of cluster light strongly suggest the presence of a third massive structure, almost 2 arcmin SW of the cluster centre. Since no X-ray emission is detected in this region, we conclude that this structure is non-virialised and speculate that it might be part of a large-scale filament almost aligned with our line of sight. Combining all evidence from the distribution of dark and luminous matter, we propose two alternative scenarios for the trajectories of the components of MACSJ0416.1-2403. Upcoming deep X-ray observations that allow the detection of shock fronts, cold cores, and sloshing gas (all key diagnostics for studies of cluster collisions) will allow us to test, and distinguish between these two scenarios.
We present a high-precision mass model of the galaxy cluster MACSJ0416.1-2403, based on a strong-gravitational-lensing analysis of the recently acquired Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields (HFF) imaging data. Taking advantage of the unprecedented depth provided by HST/ACS observations in three passbands, we identify 51 new multiply imaged galaxies, quadrupling the previous census and bringing the grand total to 68, comprising 194 individual lensed images. Having selected a subset of the 57 most securely identified multiply imaged galaxies, we use the Lenstool software package to constrain a lens model comprised of two cluster-scale dark-matter halos and 98 galaxy-scale halos. Our best-fit model predicts image positions with an $RMS$ error of 0.68, which constitutes an improvement of almost a factor of two over previous, pre-HFF models of this cluster. We find the total projected mass inside a 200~kpc aperture to be $(1.60pm0.01)times 10^{14} M_odot$, a measurement that offers a three-fold improvement in precision, reaching the percent level for the first time in any cluster. Finally, we quantify the increase in precision of the derived gravitational magnification of high-redshift galaxies and find an improvement by a factor of $sim$2.5 in the statistical uncertainty. Our findings impressively confirm that HFF imaging has indeed opened the domain of high-precision mass measurements for massive clusters of galaxies.
We present VIMOS-VLT spectroscopy of the Frontier Fields cluster MACS~J0416.1-2403 (z=0.397). Taken as part of the CLASH-VLT survey, the large spectroscopic campaign provided more than 4000 reliable redshifts, including ~800 cluster member galaxies. The unprecedented sample of cluster members at this redshift allows us to perform a highly detailed dynamical and structural analysis of the cluster out to ~2.2$r_{200}$ (~4Mpc). Our analysis of substructures reveals a complex system composed of a main massive cluster ($M_{200}$~0.9$times 10^{15} M_{odot}$) presenting two major features: i) a bimodal velocity distribution, showing two central peaks separated by $Delta V_{rf}$~1100 km s$^{-1}$ with comparable galaxy content and velocity dispersion, ii) a projected elongation of the main substructures along the NE-SW direction, with a prominent subclump ~600 kpc SW of the center and an isolated BCG approximately halfway between the center and the SW clump. We also detect a low mass structure at z~0.390, ~10 S of the cluster center, projected at ~3Mpc, with a relative line-of-sight velocity of $Delta V_{rf}$~-1700 km s$^{-1}$. The cluster mass profile that we obtain through our dynamical analysis deviates significantly from the universal NFW, being best fit by a Softened Isothermal Sphere model instead. The mass profile measured from the galaxy dynamics is found to be in relatively good agreement with those obtained from strong and weak lensing, as well as with that from the X-rays, despite the clearly unrelaxed nature of the cluster. Our results reveal overall a complex dynamical state of this massive cluster and support the hypothesis that the two main subclusters are being observed in a pre-collisional phase, in line with recent findings from radio and deep X-ray data. With this article we also release the entire redshift catalog of 4386 sources in the field of this cluster.
Merging galaxy clusters leave long-lasting signatures on the baryonic and non-baryonic cluster constituents, including shock fronts, cold fronts, X-ray substructure, radio halos, and offsets between the dark matter and the gas components. Using observations from Chandra, the Jansky Very Large Array, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope, we present a multiwavelength analysis of the merging Frontier Fields cluster MACS J0416.1-2403 (z=0.396), which consists of a NE and a SW subclusters whose cores are separated on the sky by ~250 kpc. We find that the NE subcluster has a compact core and hosts an X-ray cavity, yet it is not a cool core. Approximately 450 kpc south-south west of the SW subcluster, we detect a density discontinuity that corresponds to a compression factor of ~1.5. The discontinuity was most likely caused by the interaction of the SW subcluster with a less massive structure detected in the lensing maps SW of the subclusters center. For both the NE and the SW subclusters, the dark matter and the gas components are well-aligned, suggesting that MACS J0416.1-2403 is a pre-merging system. The cluster also hosts a radio halo, which is unusual for a pre-merging system. The halo has a 1.4 GHz power of (1.06 +/- 0.09) x 10^{24} W Hz^{-1}, which is somewhat lower than expected based on the X-ray luminosity of the cluster. We suggest that we are either witnessing the birth of a radio halo, or have discovered a rare ultra-steep spectrum halo.
We present a high-precision mass model of galaxy cluster Abell 2744, based on a strong-gravitational-lensing analysis of the emph{Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields} (HFF) imaging data, which now include both emph{Advanced Camera for Surveys} and emph{Wide-Field Camera 3} observations to the final depth. Taking advantage of the unprecedented depth of the visible and near-infrared data, we identify 34 new multiply imaged galaxies, bringing the total to 61, comprising 181 individual lensed images. In the process, we correct previous erroneous identifications and positions of multiple systems in the northern part of the cluster core. With the textsc{Lenstool} software and the new sets of multiple images, we model the cluster using two cluster-scale dark matter halos plus galaxy-scale halos for the cluster members. Our best-fit model predicts image positions with an emph{RMS} error of 0.69$arcsec$, which constitutes an improvement by almost a factor of two over previous parametric models of this cluster. We measure the total projected mass inside a 200~kpc aperture as ($2.162pm 0.005$)$times 10^{14}M_{odot}$, thus reaching 1% level precision for the second time, following the recent HFF measurement of MACSJ0416.1-2403. Importantly, the higher quality of the mass model translates into an overall improvement by a factor of 4 of the derived magnification factor. % for the high-redshift lensed background galaxies. Together with our previous HFF gravitational lensing analysis, this work demonstrates that the HFF data enables high-precision mass measurements for massive galaxy clusters and the derivation of robust magnification maps to probe the early Universe.
We searched for z > 7 Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) in the optical-to-mid-infrared Hubble Frontier Field and associated parallel field observations of the strong-lensing cluster MACS J0416-2403. We discovered 22 candidates, of which six lie at z > 9 and one lies at z > 10. Based on the Hubble and Spitzer photometry, all have secure photometric redshifts and a negligible probability of being at lower redshifts, according to their peak probability ratios, R. This substantial increase in the number of known high-redshift galaxies allows a solid determination of the luminosity function at z > 8. The number of high-z candidates in the parallel field is considerably higher than that in the Abell 2744 parallel field. Our candidates have median stellar masses of log(M_*) ~ 8.40^{+0.55}_{-0.31}~Msun, SFRs of ~ 1.6^{+0.5}_{-0.4} Msun yr^-1, and SFR-weighted ages of < 310^{+70}_{-140} Myr. Finally, we are able to put strong constraints on the z = 7,8,9 and 10 luminosity functions. One of the objects in the cluster field is a z ~ 10 candidate, with a magnification of mu ~ 20 +- 13. This object is likely the faintest z ~ 10 object known to date, allowing a first look into the extreme faint-end (L ~ 0.04L*) of the z ~ 10 luminosity function.