Observational data have shown that galaxy clusters are filled with diffuse intracluster light (ICL) from stars tidally stripped from their host galaxies. Dr. Chris Mihos of Case Western Reserve University will carry out computer simulations of galaxy clusters to study in detail how the phase-space structure of the ICL depends on the dynamical conditions in clusters and, in turn, how observational measures of ICL can best recover the underlying properties of clusters. He will examine how the evolving morphological and kinematic structure of the ICL constrains recent cluster accretion events, probe the origin of the ICL, and search for phase-space differences in the ICL formed early versus that formed late, examining also how these effects correlate with the physical origin of ICL. Additionally, he will use models to study the ICL-galaxy connection, quantifying the observational longevity of ICL streams both photometrically and kinematically, and correlating streams with individual galaxies. He will also develop techniques to tap this information, deriving trajectories of cluster galaxies and providing tests that constrain models of cluster infall and galaxy evolution.
The research will provide a theoretical basis for the interpretation of data from future ground- and space-based telescopes, which will produce an explosion of data that will revolutionize the study of ICL and its use in probing galaxy clusters. A large fraction of this work will constitute a graduate student Ph.D. thesis project, and undergraduates will be involved as well. The principal investigator will create visualizations of cluster simulations as part of his continuing, extensive, public outreach projects.
