Exploring the correlation between dark matter, intracluster light, and globular cluster distribution in SMACS0723

Abstract

We present a free-form model of SMACS0723, the first cluster observed with JWST. This model does not make any strong assumptions on the distribution of mass (mostly made up of dark matter) in the cluster and we use it to study the possible correlation between dark matter with the intracluster light and distribution of globular clusters (GCs). To explore the uncertainty in mass modeling, we derived three lens models based on spectroscopically confirmed systems and new candidate systems with redshifts predicted by the lens model derived from the spectroscopic systems. We find that beyond the radius of influence for the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), the total mass does not trace the intracluster light (ICL), implying the need for a dark component (dark matter). Two loop-like structures observed in the intracluster light do not have any obvious correspondence with the total mass (of mostly dark matter) distribution. The radial profiles of the ICL and the distribution of GCs are similar to each other, but they are steeper than the profile of the lens model. More specifically, we find that the total mass is shallower by 1 dex in log scale than both ICL and GC profiles. This is in excellent agreement with current N-body simulations of cold dark matter.

Precision MARS Mass Reconstruction of A2744: Synergizing the Largest Strong-lensing and Densest Weak-lensing Data Sets from JWST

“…Intracluster stars and globular clusters have been suggested as visible tracers of dark matter (e.g., Jee 2010; Alonso Asensio et al 2020;Montes & Trujillo 2022;Yoo et al 2022;Diego et al 2023) if their formation occurs at high redshift (Ko & Jee 2018;Joo & Jee 2023;Werner et al 2023). Recently, Harris & Reina-Campos (2023) identified more than 10,000 intracluster globular clusters in A2744 with the same JWST imaging data that we used in the current study.…”

Flashlights: Properties of Highly Magnified Images Near Cluster Critical Curves in the Presence of Dark Matter Subhalos

“…Globular clusters will have a similar gravitational lensing effect as subhalos, but globular clusters would contribute to the observable light, thereby altering the distribution of flux in the lens plane. The number density of globular cluster in the strong lensing regions of clusters is ∼1 per square arcsec (Lee et al 2022;Diego et al 2023), so our modeling window would have ∼4 globular clusters, considerably fewer than dark matter subhalos (Mao & Schneider 1998;Gilman et al 2017). Therefore, we do not consider globular cluster as subhalos in this paper; we assume that all subhalos are completely dark.…”

SKA sensitivity for possible radio emission from dark matter in Omega Centauri

“…Extensive research has been conducted on various sources, such as the galactic center of the Milky Way, Draco (a dwarf galaxy), A2199 (a galaxy cluster), and Dragonfly 44 (a DM-rich galaxy) [6,7,14,15,17]. Also, DM in globular clusters has been widely discussed [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Omega Centauri, the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way, is probably a remnant core of a dwarf galaxy with a considerable amount of DM.…”