Jellyfish galaxies are an excellent tool to investigate the short-term effects of ram pressure stripping (RPS) on star formation in cluster environments. It has been thought that the star formation activity of jellyfish galaxies may depend on the host-cluster properties, but previous studies have not yet found a clear correlation. In this study, we estimate the Hα-based star formation rates (SFRs) of five jellyfish galaxies in massive clusters (σ v,cl ≳ 1000 km s−1) at z ∼ 0.3−0.4 using Gemini GMOS/IFU observations to explore the relationship. Combining our results with those in the literature, we find that the star formation activity of jellyfish galaxies shows a positive correlation with their host-cluster velocity dispersion as a proxy of cluster mass and dynamical states. We divide the jellyfish galaxy sample into two groups with strong and weak RPS signatures using a morphological class. In the phase-space diagram, the jellyfish galaxies with strong RPS features show a higher SFR and a stronger central concentration than those with weak RPS features. We estimate their SFR excess relative to the star formation main sequence (starburstiness; R SB = SFR/SFRMS(z)) and the density of the surrounding intracluster medium (ICM) using scaling relations with the cluster velocity dispersion. As a result, the starburstiness of jellyfish galaxies with strong RPS signatures clearly exhibits positive correlations with cluster velocity dispersion, ICM density, and strength of ram pressure. This shows that the relation between RPS and star formation activity of jellyfish galaxies depends on the host-cluster properties and strength of the ram pressure.

Jellyfish galaxies are an intriguing snapshot of galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping (RPS) in dense environments, showing spectacular star-forming knots in their disks and tails. We study the ionized gas properties of five jellyfish galaxies in massive clusters with Gemini GMOS/Integral Field Unit observations: MACSJ0916-JFG1 (z = 0.330), MACSJ1752-JFG2 (z = 0.353), A2744-F0083 (z = 0.303), MACSJ1258-JFG1 (z = 0.342), and MACSJ1720-JFG1 (z = 0.383). “Baldwin, Phillips, and Terlevich” diagrams show that star formation, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), or mixed effects are ionizing gas in these galaxies. Radial velocity distributions of ionized gas seem to follow disk rotation of galaxies, with the appearance of a few high-velocity components in the tails as a sign of RPS. Mean gas velocity dispersion is lower than 50 km s−1 in most star-forming regions except near AGNs or shock-heated regions, indicating that the ionized gas is dynamically cold. Integrated star formation rates (SFRs) of these galaxies range from 7 M ⊙ yr−1 to 35 M ⊙ yr−1, and the tail SFRs are from 0.6 M ⊙ yr−1 to 16 M ⊙ yr−1, which are much higher than those of other jellyfish galaxies in the local universe. These high SFR values imply that RPS triggers intense star formation activity in these extreme jellyfish galaxies. The phase-space diagrams demonstrate that the jellyfish galaxies with higher stellar masses and higher host cluster velocity dispersion are likely to have more enhanced star formation activity. The jellyfish galaxies in this study have similar gas kinematics and dynamical states to those in the local universe, but they show a much higher SFR.

Jellyfish galaxies are starburst galaxies with ram-pressure-stripped tails and blue star-forming knots. These galaxies show a snapshot of star formation enhancement triggered by ram pressure stripping (RPS), being important targets for studying the RPS-induced star formation in gas-rich galaxies. Here we investigate the star formation activity of five jellyfish galaxies in massive clusters, using Gemini GMOS/IFU observations. From the Hα-derived star formation rates (SFRs), we find that our sample shows higher SFR excess to the star formation main sequence than the jellyfish galaxies in low-mass clusters. From the compiled sample of jellyfish galaxies in low-mass to high-mass host clusters, we suggest that the star formation activity of jellyfish galaxies has positive correlations with host cluster mass and degree of RPS. These relationships imply that higher ram pressure environments tend to trigger stronger starbursts in jellyfish galaxies in the early stage of RPS.

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