Dynamics and Morphology of Galactic Cluster Systems
Summary
The study of galactic cluster systems encompasses both the large‐scale assembly of galaxy clusters and the internal structure of stellar cluster populations within galaxies. At cluster scales, dynamics are governed by the gravitational interplay of dark matter haloes, intracluster gas and the diffuse stellar component known as intracluster light (ICL). Mergers between subclusters drive turbulent motions, shock fronts and the redistribution of stars into extended haloes, yielding morphological features such as tidal streams, shells and asymmetries in the ICL profile. On smaller scales, globular cluster (GC) systems around early-type galaxies trace the assembly history through their spatial distributions, kinematics and colour bimodality. The radial profiles of GCs often follow Sérsic functions whose indices and effective radii encode the influence of tidal stripping, accretion and in situ formation. The combined analysis of ICL properties and GC system morphology provides a coherent picture of hierarchical growth, linking the virial mass and concentration of host haloes to the fraction and spatial extent of diffuse light and satellite populations. These observables serve as luminous tracers of underlying dark matter, inform models of star formation quenching and calibrate cluster-based cosmological probes.
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Dynamics and Morphology of Galactic Cluster Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in dynamics and morphology of galactic cluster systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Intracluster Light (ICL): Diffuse stellar emission located between galaxies in a cluster, originating from tidal stripping and mergers.
Globular Cluster (GC): Dense, roughly spherical assemblies of old stars bound to a galaxy, often used to trace its formation history.
Sérsic Function: A mathematical profile describing how surface brightness varies with radius, parameterised by index n and effective radius.
Virial Mass: Total mass of a system inferred by assuming it is in virial equilibrium, serving as a fundamental descriptor of gravitational binding.
Redshift (z): Dimensionless measure of the cosmic scale factor at emission, indicating the relative expansion of the Universe since the light was emitted.
References
- Evidence for a Redshifted Excess in the Intracluster Light Fractions of Merging Clusters at z ∼ 0.8. The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2024).
- The Spatial Distribution of Globular Cluster Systems in Early-type Galaxies: Estimation Procedure and Catalog of Properties for Globular Cluster Systems Observed with Deep Imaging Surveys. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (2025).
- Intracluster light: a luminous tracer for dark matter in clusters of galaxies. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2018).
- The Intracluster Light and Its Link with the Dynamical State of the Host Group/Cluster: The Role of the Halo Concentration. The Astrophysical Journal (2023).
- Does the virial mass drive the intra-cluster light?. Astronomy & Astrophysics (2023).
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