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Revealing the baryon cycle in Galaxy Clusters: connecting galaxy dynamics and gas thermodynamics using (sub-)mm-wave and optical IFU surveys

Francisco M. Montenegro-Montes, Patricia Sánchez-Blázquez, Tony Mroczkowski, Armando Gil de Paz, Cristina Catalán-Torrecilla, Marie-Lou Gendron-Marsolais, Paula Macías-Pardo, Beatriz Callejas-Córdoba, Alfredo Montaña, Juan F. Macías-Pérez, Susana Planelles

TL;DR

This paper argues that a complete baryon-cycle view in galaxy clusters requires high-resolution, wide-field sub-mm/mm observations of the intracluster medium paired with wide-field optical IFU surveys like CATARSIS. It proposes AtLAST (≥50 m) to map SZ signals from 90 to 350 GHz with ≤10 arcsec resolution over ≥1-degree fields, delivering pressure, temperature, and entropy maps to ~2–3 $r_{200}$ and enabling separation of thermal, kinetic, and relativistic SZ components. The approach leverages cross-correlation with CATARSIS galaxy dynamics to measure mass-accretion rates, calibrate hydrostatic biases, and quantify environmental quenching, while recovering dust-obscured star formation. If realized, this facility would transform clusters into dynamic laboratories for baryonic accretion, feedback, and environmental processing across cosmic time.

Abstract

Observations in the visible and near infrared are transforming our view of the processes affecting galaxy evolution, much of which is dominated by interactions with the large scale environment. Yet a complete picture is missing, as no corresponding high resolution view of the warm/hot intracluster, circumgalactic, and intergalactic media exists over large areas and a comparably broad range of redshifts. Combined with wide-field optical IFU surveys such as CATARSIS, a large diameter sub-mm telescope with a degree-scale field of view would enable a joint view of galaxy dynamics and gas thermodynamics, transforming our understanding of environmental processes.

Revealing the baryon cycle in Galaxy Clusters: connecting galaxy dynamics and gas thermodynamics using (sub-)mm-wave and optical IFU surveys

TL;DR

This paper argues that a complete baryon-cycle view in galaxy clusters requires high-resolution, wide-field sub-mm/mm observations of the intracluster medium paired with wide-field optical IFU surveys like CATARSIS. It proposes AtLAST (≥50 m) to map SZ signals from 90 to 350 GHz with ≤10 arcsec resolution over ≥1-degree fields, delivering pressure, temperature, and entropy maps to ~2–3 and enabling separation of thermal, kinetic, and relativistic SZ components. The approach leverages cross-correlation with CATARSIS galaxy dynamics to measure mass-accretion rates, calibrate hydrostatic biases, and quantify environmental quenching, while recovering dust-obscured star formation. If realized, this facility would transform clusters into dynamic laboratories for baryonic accretion, feedback, and environmental processing across cosmic time.

Abstract

Observations in the visible and near infrared are transforming our view of the processes affecting galaxy evolution, much of which is dominated by interactions with the large scale environment. Yet a complete picture is missing, as no corresponding high resolution view of the warm/hot intracluster, circumgalactic, and intergalactic media exists over large areas and a comparably broad range of redshifts. Combined with wide-field optical IFU surveys such as CATARSIS, a large diameter sub-mm telescope with a degree-scale field of view would enable a joint view of galaxy dynamics and gas thermodynamics, transforming our understanding of environmental processes.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 4 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Scientific context and motivation
  2. Science case
  3. Technical requirements
  4. References

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Cartoon depicting some of the rich cosmic structures accessible through high-resolution mm-wave observations of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect. Image from Di Mascolo et al. 2025 [2].
  • Figure 1: Figure 1. The image shows a cluster (left) from the Dianoga cosmological simulation suite, along with 90 GHz mock observations made using ALMA Band 3 (upper middle) and the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope with MUSTANG-2 (lower middle). These illustrate some limitations of current facilities for stuyding the large-scale gas features that trace dynamical processes in galaxy clusters. The right panel presents a mock AtLAST observation at 90 GHz using a modest first-generation instrument; a multi-band configuration will further improve angular resolution and component separation. Image from [2].