Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008hst..prop11710b&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #11710. Cycle 17
Physics
Scientific paper
The stellar masses of the most luminous galaxies poorly represent the masses of the halos in which they reside. However, recent studies of the very rich globular cluster {GC} populations in the centers of galaxy clusters point toward an apparently linear scaling of the number of GCs with the total core mass of the galaxy cluster. Thus, unlike for the stars in cD galaxies, GC formation in these systems appears to have proceeded with a roughly universal mass conversion efficiency. GCs are also distinct in that their spatial distributions are more extended than the starlight, and recent simulations suggest that they follow the mass density profile of the merged dark matter halos that formed stars at high redshift. To provide a definitive test of the universal efficiency hypothesis requires measuring the number of GCs in the most massive galaxy clusters, where the number should be a factor of 5 or more greater than seen in M87. Likewise, the relationship between GCs and mass density can only be tested in systems where the total mass and mass density are well-determined. Fortunately, the imaging power of HST brings the GC population of Abell 1689, the most extreme high-mass lensing cluster, into range. Estimates of the size of the A1689 GC population from available data suggest an unprecedented 100,000 GCs, but this number is based on the tip of the iceberg and is extremely uncertain. We propose to obtain the first accurate measurement of the number of GCs and their density profile in this extraordinary system - the most massive and most distant GC system ever studied - and thus make the ultimate test of the universal GC formation hypothesis. Our deep I-band image will also provide a stringent "null-detection" test of several known z>7 galaxy candidates and improve the mass model of the system by increasing the number of usable lensed background galaxies. Finally, we will take deep multi-band parallel observations with WFC3/IR to help in quantifying the abundance of rare faint red objects.;
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