A Splashback-like Feature of Central Galaxies in Galaxy Clusters

Abstract We investigate a splashback-like feature in the outer region of central galaxies (CGs) in clusters. This feature is detected as a “dip” in the radial slope of the CG surface brightness, derived through the stacking of Dark Energy Survey data of over 4000 galaxy clusters in the redshift range 0.2–0.5 with richness 20 and above. The local minimum of the dip occurs between 40 and 60 kpc from the CG center, with a mild dependence on cluster richness. This feature resembles the density transition caused by the splashback effect at the outskirts of galaxy clusters, when accreted matter reaches the apocenter for the first time. We turn to the IllustrisTNG hydrodynamic simulation to gain theoretical insights. Density bumps, shells, and accretion streaks are identified in the diffuse stellar content of the CGs and intracluster light that relate to the recent history of disruption and accretion. These features occur at the outskirts of the CGs, up to several hundred kiloparsecs from the cluster center. Thus, the location of the splashback-like dip in the data potentially marks the edge of the CG and the beginning of a region with the cluster diffuse light undergoing active or recent accretion.