LoCuSS: Shedding new light on the massive lensing cluster Abell 1689 - the view from Herschel

Abstract

We present wide-field Herschel/PACS observations of A 1689, a massive galaxy cluster at z = 0.1832, from our open time key programme. We detect 39 spectroscopically confirmed 100 μm-selected cluster members down to 1.5×10¹⁰ L_⊙. These galaxies are forming stars at rates in the range 1-10 M_⊙/yr, and appear to comprise two distinct populations: two-thirds are unremarkable blue, late-type spirals found throughout the cluster; the remainder are dusty red sequence galaxies whose star formation is heavily obscured with A(Hα)~2 mag and are found only in the cluster outskirts. The specific-SFRs of these dusty red galaxies are lower than the blue late-types, suggesting that the former are in the process of being quenched, perhaps via pre-processing, the unobscured star formation being terminated first. We also detect an excess of 100 μm-selected galaxies extending ~6 Mpc in length along an axis that runs NE-SW through the cluster center at ⪆95% confidence. Qualitatively this structure is consistent with previous reports of substructure in X-ray, lensing, and near-infrared maps of this cluster, further supporting the view that this cluster is a dynamically active, merging system.

Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.