Patrick Woudt
S.L. Blyth, Kotze, R. Kraan-Korteweg, E. de Blok, K. van der Heyden, Vaisanen, Crawford, Fritze
Galaxy transformation in dense environments: A multi-wavelength study of superclusters at z~0.1-0.5
Superclusters over a range of redshifts ($z\sim$ 0.15 - 0.6) provide cosmic laboratories for studying
galaxy transformation in dense environments (clusters, groups, filaments). They can be used to understand the various galaxy transformation processes that occur within the supercluster environment, their relative importance, their time scales and transition stages. Galaxy transformation occurs at surprisingly large distances from the
cluster cores, at $\sim$ 3 - 4 virial radii.
We have initiated a large multi-wavelength study of superclusters at intermediate redshift. Through deep
multi-wavelength photometry (optical and near infrared) of the wider cluster galaxy population (down to M* + 3 mag out to redshifts of $z\sim$0.5), combined with multi-slit spectroscopy (SALT) and evolutionary synthesis models (GALEV), the transition stages and time scales of galaxy transformation can be characterized. Importantly, additional deep HI observations of the superclusters with MeerKAT will be used to quantify the gas content of the supercluster galaxies, which in turn help to constrain the evolutionary synthesis models.
We present initial results from our supercluster survey for the supercluster around Abell 1437 (z $\sim$ 0.14); these include HI observations of multiple pointings of Abell 1437 obtained with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope.