Euclid preparation

LVIII. Detecting extragalactic globular clusters in the Euclid survey

¹ Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, UMR 7550, 67000 Strasbourg, France
² Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, PO Box 800 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
³ Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University, PO Box 9010 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
⁴ INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo, Via Maggini, 64100 Teramo, Italy
⁵ European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching, Germany
⁶ Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
⁷ Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095, CNRS, and Sorbonne Université, 98 bis Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, France
⁸ Department of Mathematics and Physics E. De Giorgi, University of Salento, Via per Arnesano, CP-I93, 73100 Lecce, Italy
⁹ INAF-Sezione di Lecce, c/o Dipartimento Matematica e Fisica, Via per Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy
¹⁰ INFN, Sezione di Lecce, Via per Arnesano, CP-193, 73100 Lecce, Italy
¹¹ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Via G. B. Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste, Italy
¹² Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
¹³ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Via Moiariello 16, 80131 Napoli, Italy
¹⁴ Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
¹⁵ INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Piero Gobetti 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy
¹⁶ Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, 9000 Gent, Belgium
¹⁷ Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, 14 Av. Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
¹⁸ Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
¹⁹ Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
²⁰ INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
²¹ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Calle Vía Láctea s/n, 38204 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
²² Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
²³ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, Roma, Italy
²⁴ Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik, Technikerstr. 25/8, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
²⁵ Dipartimento di Fisica “E. Pancini”, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia 6, 80126 Napoli, Italy
²⁶ INFN Section of Naples, Via Cinthia 6, 80126 Napoli, Italy
²⁷ Space Physics and Astronomy Research Unit, University of Oulu, Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
²⁸ UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
²⁹ Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
³⁰ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Brera 28, 20122 Milano, Italy
³¹ IFPU, Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe, Via Beirut 2, 34151 Trieste, Italy
³² INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Via Valerio 2, 34127 Trieste, TS, Italy
³³ SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies, Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, TS, Italy
³⁴ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna, Via Gobetti 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy
³⁵ INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy
³⁶ Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Giessenbachstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
³⁷ INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, 10025 Pino Torinese, (TO), Italy
³⁸ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
³⁹ INFN-Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
⁴⁰ Department of Physics “E. Pancini”, University Federico II, Via Cinthia 6, 80126 Napoli, Italy
⁴¹ Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade do Porto, CAUP, Rua das Estrelas, PT4150-762 Porto, Portugal
⁴² Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
⁴³ INFN-Sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
⁴⁴ INAF-IASF Milano, Via Alfonso Corti 12, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁴⁵ David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H4, Canada
⁴⁶ Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁴⁷ Port d’Informació Científica, Campus UAB, C. Albareda s/n, 08193 Bellaterra, (Barcelona), Spain
⁴⁸ Institute for Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology (TTK), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
⁴⁹ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monteporzio Catone, Italy
⁵⁰ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Augusto Righi” – Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy
⁵¹ European Space Agency/ESRIN, Largo Galileo Galilei 1, 00044 Frascati, Roma, Italy
⁵² ESAC/ESA, Camino Bajo del Castillo, s/n, Urb. Villafranca del Castillo, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
⁵³ Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, IP2I Lyon, UMR 5822, Villeurbanne F-69100, France
⁵⁴ Institute of Physics, Laboratory of Astrophysics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire de Sauverny, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
⁵⁵ UCB Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, IUF, IP2I Lyon, 4 Rue Enrico Fermi, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
⁵⁶ Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
⁵⁷ Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C8, Campo Grande, PT1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
⁵⁸ Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
⁵⁹ Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Ch. d’Ecogia 16, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
⁶⁰ INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, 00100 Roma, Italy
⁶¹ INFN-Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
⁶² School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
⁶³ Universitäts-Sternwarte München, Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Scheinerstrasse 1, 81679 München, Germany
⁶⁴ Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille, France
⁶⁵ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy
⁶⁶ FRACTAL S.L.N.E., Calle Tulipán 2, Portal 13 1A, 28231 Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain
⁶⁷ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Via dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
⁶⁸ Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1029 Blindern, 0315 Oslo, Norway
⁶⁹ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
⁷⁰ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
⁷¹ Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, UK
⁷² Felix Hormuth Engineering, Goethestr. 17, 69181 Leimen, Germany
⁷³ Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
⁷⁴ Cosmic Dawn Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
⁷⁵ Department of Physics and Helsinki Institute of Physics, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
⁷⁶ Université de Genève, Département de Physique Théorique and Centre for Astroparticle Physics, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
⁷⁷ Department of Physics, PO Box 64 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
⁷⁸ Helsinki Institute of Physics, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
⁷⁹ European Space Agency/ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands
⁸⁰ NOVA Optical Infrared Instrumentation Group at ASTRON, Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
⁸¹ Dipartimento di Fisica “Aldo Pontremoli”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁸² INFN-Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁸³ Universität Bonn, Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
⁸⁴ INFN-Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 2 – c/o Dipartimento di Fisica, Edificio G. Marconi, 00185 Roma, Italy
⁸⁵ Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CNES, LAM, Marseille, France
⁸⁶ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Augusto Righi” – Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Via Piero Gobetti 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy
⁸⁷ Department of Physics, Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
⁸⁸ Department of Physics, Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
⁸⁹ Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Bd de l’Observatoire, CS 34229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
⁹⁰ Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie, 75013 Paris, France
⁹¹ Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, 98 bis Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, France
⁹² Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, (Barcelona), Spain
⁹³ School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK
⁹⁴ School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle University, Herschel Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
⁹⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade 120, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
⁹⁶ Space Science Data Center, Italian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Roma, Italy
⁹⁷ Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales – Centre spatial de Toulouse, 18 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31401 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
⁹⁸ Institute of Space Science, Str. Atomistilor, Nr. 409 Măgurele, Ilfov 077125, Romania
⁹⁹ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “G. Galilei”, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
¹⁰⁰ Institut für Theoretische Physik, University of Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
¹⁰¹ Université St Joseph; Faculty of Sciences, Beirut, Lebanon
¹⁰² Departamento de Física, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago, Chile
¹⁰³ Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Edifici RDIT, Campus UPC, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
¹⁰⁴ Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
¹⁰⁵ Satlantis, University Science Park, Sede Bld 48940, Leioa-Bilbao, Spain
¹⁰⁶ Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
¹⁰⁷ Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-018 Lisboa, Portugal
¹⁰⁸ Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Departamento de Electrónica y Tecnología de Computadoras, Plaza del Hospital 1, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
¹⁰⁹ INFN-Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy
¹¹⁰ INAF, Istituto di Radioastronomia, Via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
¹¹¹ Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley (OAVdA), Loc. Lignan 39, I-11020 Nus, (Aosta Valley), Italy
¹¹² ICL, Junia, Université Catholique de Lille, LITL, 59000 Lille, France
¹¹³ ICSC – Centro Nazionale di Ricerca in High Performance Computing, Big Data e Quantum Computing, Via Magnanelli 2, Bologna, Italy
¹¹⁴ Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
¹¹⁵ CERCA/ISO, Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
¹¹⁶ Laboratoire Univers et Théorie, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Université Paris Cité, CNRS, 92190 Meudon, France
¹¹⁷ Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Via Giuseppe Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
¹¹⁸ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Ferrara, Via Giuseppe Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
¹¹⁹ Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan
¹²⁰ Dipartimento di Fisica – Sezione di Astronomia, Università di Trieste, Via Tiepolo 11, 34131 Trieste, Italy
¹²¹ NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
¹²² Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
¹²³ Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, 116 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
¹²⁴ Institute Lorentz, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands
¹²⁵ Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
¹²⁶ Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
¹²⁷ Department of Astronomy & Physics and Institute for Computational Astrophysics, Saint Mary’s University, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3C3, Canada
¹²⁸ Departamento Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Campus Muralla del Mar, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
¹²⁹ Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
¹³⁰ Department of Physics, Oxford University, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
¹³¹ CEA Saclay, DFR/IRFU, Service d’Astrophysique, Bat. 709, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
¹³² Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 3FX, UK
¹³³ Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, PO Box 15400 Espoo FI-00 076, Finland
¹³⁴ Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute (AIRUB), German Centre for Cosmological Lensing (GCCL), 44780 Bochum, Germany
¹³⁵ DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 155, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
¹³⁶ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vesilinnantie 5, 20014 University of Turku, Finland
¹³⁷ Serco for European Space Agency (ESA), Camino bajo del Castillo, s/n, Urbanizacion Villafranca del Castillo, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28692 Madrid, Spain
¹³⁸ ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, Melbourne, Australia
¹³⁹ Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
¹⁴⁰ School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
¹⁴¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town 7535, South Africa
¹⁴² ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research, Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
¹⁴³ Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
¹⁴⁴ Astrophysics Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
¹⁴⁵ Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LPSC-IN2P3, 53, Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
¹⁴⁶ Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
¹⁴⁷ Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
¹⁴⁸ Department of Astrophysics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
¹⁴⁹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli studi di Genova, and INFN-Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
¹⁵⁰ Theoretical astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 515, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
¹⁵¹ Department of Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, London TW20 0EX, UK
¹⁵² Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
¹⁵³ Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 128, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
¹⁵⁴ Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
¹⁵⁵ Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, 10010 New York, NY, USA
¹⁵⁶ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada

^⋆ Corresponding author; karina.voggel@astro.unistra.fr

Received: 23 May 2024
Accepted: 6 November 2024

Abstract

Extragalactic globular clusters (EGCs) are an abundant and powerful tracer of galaxy dynamics and formation, and their own formation and evolution is also a matter of extensive debate. The compact nature of globular clusters means that they are hard to spatially resolve and thus study outside the Local Group. In this work we have examined how well EGCs will be detectable in images from the Euclid telescope, using both simulated pre-launch images and the first early-release observations of the Fornax galaxy cluster. The Euclid Wide Survey will provide high-spatial resolution VIS imaging in the broad I_E band as well as near-infrared photometry (Y_E, J_E, and H_E). We estimate that the 24 719 known galaxies within 100 Mpc in the footprint of the Euclid survey host around 830 000 EGCs of which about 350 000 are within the survey’s detection limits. For about half of these EGCs, three infrared colours will be available as well. For any galaxy within 50 Mpc the brighter half of its GC luminosity function will be detectable by the Euclid Wide Survey. The detectability of EGCs is mainly driven by the residual surface brightness of their host galaxy. We find that an automated machine-learning EGC-classification method based on real Euclid data of the Fornax galaxy cluster provides an efficient method to generate high purity and high completeness GC candidate catalogues. We confirm that EGCs are spatially resolved compared to pure point sources in VIS images of Fornax. Our analysis of both simulated and first on-sky data show that Euclid will increase the number of GCs accessible with high-resolution imaging substantially compared to previous surveys, and will permit the study of GCs in the outskirts of their hosts. Euclid is unique in enabling systematic studies of EGCs in a spatially unbiased and homogeneous manner and is primed to improve our understanding of many understudied aspects of GC astrophysics.