The Formation of the Brightest Cluster Galaxy and Intracluster Light in Cosmological N-body Simulations with the Galaxy Replacement Technique

Abstract

Abstract We investigate the formation channels of the intracluster light (ICL) and the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in clusters at z = 0. For this, we perform multi-resolution cosmological N-body simulations using the “galaxy replacement technique.” We study the formation channels of the ICL and BCG as a function of distance from the cluster center and the dynamical state of the clusters at z = 0. To do this, we trace back the stars of the ICL and BCG, and identify the stellar components in which they existed when they first fell into the clusters. We find that the progenitors of the ICL and BCG in the central region of the cluster fell earlier and with a higher total mass ratio of the progenitors to the cluster compared to the outer region. This causes a negative radial gradient in the infall time and total mass ratio of the progenitors. Although stellar mass of the progenitors does not show the same radial gradient in all clusters, massive galaxies (M gal > 1010 M ⊙ h−1) are the dominant formation channel of the ICL and BCG for all clusters, except for our most relaxed cluster. For clusters that are dynamically more unrelaxed, we find that the progenitors of the ICL and BCG fall into their clusters more recently, and with a higher mass and mass ratio. Furthermore, we find that the diffuse material of massive galaxies and group-mass halos that is formed by preprocessing contributes significantly to the ICL in the outer region of the unrelaxed clusters.