<i>Euclid</i>: Early Release Observations – Dwarf galaxies in the Perseus galaxy cluster

We make use of the unprecedented depth, spatial resolution, and field of view of the Euclid Early Release Observations (EROs) of the Perseus galaxy cluster to detect and characterise the dwarf galaxy population in this massive system. Using a dedicated annotation tool, the Euclid high-resolution VIS and combined VIS+Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) colour images were visually inspected and dwarf galaxy candidates were identified. Their morphologies, the presence of nuclei, and their globular cluster (GC) richness were visually assessed, complementing an automatic detection of the GC candidates. Structural and photometric parameters, including Euclid filter colours, were extracted from two-dimensional fitting. Based on this analysis, a total of 1100 dwarf candidates were found across the image; 606 of these appear to be new identifications. The majority (96%) are classified as dwarf ellipticals, 53% are nucleated, 26% are GC-rich, and 6% show disturbed morphologies. A relatively high fraction of galaxies, 8%, are categorised as ultra diffuse galaxies. The majority of the dwarfs follow the expected scaling relations of galaxies. Globally, the GC specific frequency, S N , of the Perseus dwarf candidates is intermediate between those measured in the Virgo and Coma clusters. While the dwarf candidates with the largest GC counts are found throughout the Euclid field of view, the dwarfs located around the east–west strip, where most of the brightest cluster members are found, exhibit higher S N values on average. The spatial distribution of the dwarfs, GCs, and intracluster light show a main iso-density and isophotal centre displaced to the west of the bright galaxy light distribution. The ERO imaging of the Perseus cluster demonstrates the unique capability of Euclid to concurrently detect and characterise large samples of dwarf galaxies, their nuclei, and their GC systems, allowing us to construct a detailed picture of the formation and evolution of galaxies over a wide range of mass scales and environments.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-03-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202450799
Citations
29
Primary Topic
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
28.60
Controls
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article

Euclid: Early Release Observations – Dwarf galaxies in the Perseus galaxy cluster

D Sapone, R. Saglia, L. K. Hunt, P. G'omez-Alvarez et al.
29 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
28.60
article

Euclid: Early Release Observations – Dwarf galaxies in the Perseus galaxy cluster

D Sapone, R. Saglia, L. K. Hunt, P. G'omez-Alvarez, A. Grazian, Will J. Percival, F. Pasian, M. Schirmer, D. Le Mignant, D. Hu, G. Meylan, I Tereno, R. Laureijs, I. Hook, R Nakajima, M. Kunz, O. Lahav, N. Martinet, G. Sirri, S Bardelli, K. Markovic, G Zamorani, N. A. Hatch, Y. Copin, P. Schneider, A. Cimatti, M. Jhabvala, C. Bodendorf, Marco Mirabile, F Raison, E Medinaceli, F. Marulli, Alexandre Réfrégier, T. Saifollahi, Christopher Stone, E. Zucca, S. Maurogordato, S. V. H. Haugan, A. Tsyganov, T. Vassallo, S. Farrens, R. Scaramella, Martin Kluge, C.J. Conselice, J.-C. Cuillandre, S. Dusini, H Hoekstra, R. Toledo-Moreo, M. Moresco, G Seidel, J. Brinchmann, G. De Lucia, G Congedo, Elisabeth Sola, H. J. McCracken, P. Tallada-Crespí, J. Carretero, A. Kiessling, E. Merlin, B Gillis, L. Moscardini, A. M. Di Giorgio, V Capobianco, L. Conversi, H Kurki-Suonio, H.-W. Rix, C Sirignano, W. Gillard, P. Hudelot, M. Baldi, K. George, M Viel, E. Maiorano, Jenny G. Sorce, A. Hornstrup, Anna Ferré-Mateu, T. Kitching, L. Moscardini, A. Amara, A. Lançon, A. Balestra, E. Branchini, M. Farina, S. Galeotta, A. Venhola, L. Guzzo, Sergio Serrano, M. Cantiello, J. Weller, R. B. Metcalf, A. Biviano, E. Franceschi, E. A. Valentijn, K Jahnke, J Martín-Fleitas, Rebecca Habas, Konrad H. Kuijken, Pardis Simon, S. Paltani, S. Camera, C. Giocoli, Y. Wang, E. Rossetti, V. Pettorino, F Hormuth, J. Dinis, V. Lindholm, Jesse B. Golden-Marx, S. Casas, A. Ealet, E. Keihänen, Raphael Zöller, A da Silva, Mireia Montes, H. Degaudenzi, P. Bergamini, R Massey, S. Andreon, V. Scottez, C. Carbone, H.I Teplitz, K. Pedersen, Y. Mellier, C. Padilla, O. Mansutti, Michel Poulain, P. B. Lilje, S. Ferriol, F. Grupp, S. Bardelli, A Veropalumbo, C. Burigana, M. Poncet, Gian Paolo Candini, O Marggraf, B. Garilli, M. Cropper, M. Frailis, M. Bolzonella, P. Jablonka, L. Stanco, M Brescia, M. Kümmel, S Cavuoti, L. Pozzetti, A. Secroun, N. Auricchio, S. Kermiche, H. M. Courtois, R. C. Nichol, M. Mondelin, G. Riccio, Rubén Sánchez-Janssen, M Urbano, O. R. Williams, M. D. Seiffert, N. Aghanim, O. Marchal, R. Kohley, W. Holmes, I. Lloro, S. Pires, A. Boselli, L. Popa, E. Romelli, X. Dupac, A. Renzi, P Battaglia, D. Carollo, G Polenta, I Tutusaus, F. Courbin, M. Castellano, P. Fosalba, C. Baccigalupi, Y. Mellier, M. Fumana, Jason Rhodes, B. Kubik, Y. Ascasíbar, D. Scott, S. Fotopoulou, A. N. Taylor, M. Roncarelli, L Valenziano, S.-M. Niemi, A. Mora, M. Hailey, P.-A. Duc, C. A. J. Duncan, S Ligori, M. Douspis, R. Rebolo, F. Marleau
article en
29 citations

Abstract

We make use of the unprecedented depth, spatial resolution, and field of view of the Euclid Early Release Observations (EROs) of the Perseus galaxy cluster to detect and characterise the dwarf galaxy population in this massive system. Using a dedicated annotation tool, the Euclid high-resolution VIS and combined VIS+Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) colour images were visually inspected and dwarf galaxy candidates were identified. Their morphologies, the presence of nuclei, and their globular cluster (GC) richness were visually assessed, complementing an automatic detection of the GC candidates. Structural and photometric parameters, including Euclid filter colours, were extracted from two-dimensional fitting. Based on this analysis, a total of 1100 dwarf candidates were found across the image; 606 of these appear to be new identifications. The majority (96%) are classified as dwarf ellipticals, 53% are nucleated, 26% are GC-rich, and 6% show disturbed morphologies. A relatively high fraction of galaxies, 8%, are categorised as ultra diffuse galaxies. The majority of the dwarfs follow the expected scaling relations of galaxies. Globally, the GC specific frequency, S N , of the Perseus dwarf candidates is intermediate between those measured in the Virgo and Coma clusters. While the dwarf candidates with the largest GC counts are found throughout the Euclid field of view, the dwarfs located around the east–west strip, where most of the brightest cluster members are found, exhibit higher S N values on average. The spatial distribution of the dwarfs, GCs, and intracluster light show a main iso-density and isophotal centre displaced to the west of the bright galaxy light distribution. The ERO imaging of the Perseus cluster demonstrates the unique capability of Euclid to concurrently detect and characterise large samples of dwarf galaxies, their nuclei, and their GC systems, allowing us to construct a detailed picture of the formation and evolution of galaxies over a wide range of mass scales and environments.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 697
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
28.60
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