Properties of the Environment of Galaxies in Clusters of Galaxies CL 0024+1654 and RX J0152.7−1357

Abstract

We report the results of combined analyses of X-ray and optical data of two galaxy clusters, CL 0024+1654 and RX J0152.7−1357 at redshift z = 0.395 and z = 0.830, respectively, offering a holistic physical description of the two clusters. Our X-ray analysis yielded temperature and density profiles of the gas in the intra-cluster medium (ICM). Using optical photometric and spectroscopic data, complemented with mass distribution from a gravitational lensing study, we investigated any possible correlation between the physical properties of the galaxy members, i.e. their color, morphology, and star formation rate (SFR), and their environments. We quantified the properties of the environment around each galaxy by galaxy number density, ICM temperature, and mass density. Although our results show that the two clusters exhibit a weaker correlation compared to relaxed clusters, it still confirms the significant effect of the ICM on the SFR in the galaxies. The close relation between the physical properties of galaxies and the condition of their immediate environment found in this work indicates the locality of galaxy evolution, even within a larger bound system such as a cluster. Various physical mechanisms are suggested to explain the relation between the properties of galaxies and their environment.