2003/05/13 by N. R. Napolitano, M. Pannella, M. Arnaboldi +15 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/376860
published as Astrophys.J.594:172-185,2003 · 39 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables, in press on ApJ. Bad image quality for some figures because resizing is needed
arxiv created 2003/05/13 · openalex publication_date 2003/08/20 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
We use a high-resolution collisionless simulation of a Virgo-like cluster in a ΛCDM cosmology to determine the velocity and clustering properties of the diffuse stellar component in the intracluster region at the present epoch. The simulated cluster builds up hierarchically and tidal interactions between member galaxies and the cluster potential produce a diffuse stellar component free-flying in the intracluster medium. Here we adopt an empirical scheme to identify tracers of the stellar component in the simulation and hence study its properties. We find that at z = 0 the intracluster stellar light is mostly unrelaxed in velocity space and clustered in structures whose typical clustering radii are about 50 kpc at R = 400-500 kpc from the cluster center, and we predict the radial velocity distribution expected in spectroscopic follow-up surveys. Finally, we compare the spatial clustering in the simulation with the properties of the Virgo intracluster stellar population, as traced by ongoing intracluster planetary nebula surveys in Virgo. The preliminary results indicate a substantial agreement with the observed clustering properties of the diffuse stellar population in Virgo.