Instantaneous and Cumulative Star Formation in Moderate Redshift X-ray Clusters
Abstract
Galaxy clusters provide a laboratory for determining the impact of environment on star formation in galaxies. We use Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry to measure stellar masses and star formation rates in a sample of 41 X-ray-selected clusters at moderate redshift. We apply statistical background subtraction to IRAC photometry to construct luminosity functions and estimate the total stellar masses of the clusters. We compare stellar masses to gas masses and total masses from Chandra observations. Using MIPS 24-micron imaging, we identify mid-infrared sources as candidate star-forming galaxies. We use IRAC and optical photometry to identify likely cluster members and determine instantaneous cluster-wide star formation rates. We calculate specific star formation rates (sSFR; star formation rate divided by stellar mass) for the cluster galaxies and compare with field galaxies at similar redshifts. We also calculate the cluster-averaged sSFRs and compare to studies of clusters at other redshifts. This study represents the largest sample of moderate redshift X-ray clusters to date and will provide insights into the evolution and efficiency of star formation in the cluster environment.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #233
- Pub Date:
- January 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AAS...23326110C