The role of supercluster filaments in shaping galaxy clusters
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Context. In a hierarchical ΛCDM Universe, cosmic filaments serve as the primary channels for matter accretion into galaxy clusters, influencing the shape of their dark matter halos. Aims. We investigate whether the elongation of galaxy clusters correlates with the orientation of surrounding filaments, providing the first observational test of this relationship in large supercluster regions. Methods. We identified and characterized cosmic filaments in two dimensions within the two superclusters that are part of the low-redshift sub-survey of the Chilean Cluster Galaxy Evolution Survey (CHANCES): the Shapley supercluster and the Horologium-Reticulum supercluster. We analyzed the alignment between filament directions–traced by galaxy distributions–and the triaxiality of cluster gravitational potentials–traced by X-ray emission–using publicly available optical and X-ray data. Results We have found that most (82%) of the X-ray clusters are associated with and interconnected by the optically detected filaments. The clusters-filaments alignment analysis shows that the elongation of most clusters is well aligned with nearby filaments, providing observational confirmation of theoretical predictions, with the alignment progressively reducing at larger cluster-centric distances (> 1.6 r 200 ). Conclusions. Overall, our results support the notion that filaments are the main source of galaxy accretion at redshift below 0.1, and additionally provide evidence that matter accretion through filaments shapes the gravitational potential of galaxy clusters. We propose this measurement as a simple observational proxy to determine the direction of accretion in clusters, which is key to understanding both galaxy evolution and the merger history of galaxy clusters.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: Raúl Baier-Soto, Yara Jaffé, Alexis Finoguenov, Christopher P. Haines, Paola Merluzzi, Hugo Méndez-Hernández, Antonela Monachesi, Ulrike Kuchner, Rory Smith, Nicolas Tejos, Cristóbal Sifón, Maria Argudo-Fernández, C. R. Bom, Johan Comparat, Ricardo Demarco, Rodrigo F. Haack, Ivan Lacerna, E. V. R. Lima, Ciria Lima-Dias, Elismar Lösch, C. Mendes de Oliveira, Diego Pallero, Laerte Sodré, Gabriel S. M. Teixeira, O. Alghamdi, F. Almeida-Fernandes, Stefania Barsanti, Lawrence E. Bilton, M. Canducci, Maiara Carvalho, Giuseppe D’Ago, Alexander Fritz, Fábio R. Herpich, E. Ibar, Hyowon Kim, Sebastian Lopez, Alessia Moretti, L. M. I. Nakazono, D. E. Olave-Rojas, G. B. Oliveira Schwarz, Franco Piraino-Cerda, Emanuela Pompei, U. Rescigno, Boudewijn F. Roukema, V. M. Sampaio, P. Tiño, P. Vásquez-Bustos
Institutions: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, University of Helsinki, University of Atacama, Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, National Institute for Astrophysics, University of La Serena, University of Nottingham, Universidad de Granada, Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Universidad Andrés Bello, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidade de São Paulo, University of Birmingham, Valongo Observatory, The University of Sydney, University of Hull, University of Cambridge, Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica, University of Valparaíso, University of Chile, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, University of Talca, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, European Southern Observatory, European Southern Observatory, Lyon 1 Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
Funders: Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, UK Research and Innovation, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki, Universität Hamburg, Universidad de Granada, Junta de Andalucía, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, Poznańskie Centrum Superkomputerowo-Sieciowe, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, Russian Academy of Sciences
Awards: G1019834144, THE INTERSTELLAR PHYSICS OF NORMAL GALAXIES AS REVEALED BY ALMA, G170708805, RELICS OF STRUCTURE FORMATION: FROM DWARF GALAXIES TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF GALAXY CLUSTERS, Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU) (2023-2026): Powering Next Generation Survey Analysis and Processing, GALAXY TRANSFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE LARGE SCALE STRUCTURE, Narrow-band photometry applications for galactic archaeology, G4036264593, G4221417635, G4452337565, G4753320163, G4930006217, MILLENIUM NUCLEUS FOR GALAXIES, Exploring the universe: from the galaxies formation to Earth-like planets with the Giant Magellan Telescope, Astrophysics at the University of Nottingham 2020-2023, Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU): Filling the Astronomical Data Lake (2020-2024), G5657305899, G5754401077, MAPPING THE LATE ASSEMBLY OF GALAXY CLUSTERS AND ITS IMPACT ON GALAXY EVOLUTION WITH CHANCES, G5929036379, GALAXY EVOLUTION ACROSS THE COSMIC WEB IN THE ERA OF DEEP AND WIDE SURVEYS, G6253807153, G6438247056, G6762759861, G7497032577, G7656190413, THE PROGRESSIVE GALAXY TRANSFORMATION IN DENSE ENVIRONMENTS AN INSIDE OUT (CHANCES AND S-PLUS) PERSPECTIVE., CENTRO DE ASTROFISICA Y TECNOLOGIAS AFINES (CATA), TOMOGRAPHY OF THE GASEOUS UNIVERSE USING GRAVITATIONAL LENSES
OpenAlex ID: W4415716627