Euclid preparation

LXX. Forecasting detection limits for intracluster light in the Euclid Wide Survey

¹ School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
² Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Giessenbachstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
³ OCA, P.H.C, Boulevard de l’Observatoire CS 34229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
⁴ Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
⁶ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monteporzio Catone, Italy
⁷ Observatorio Nacional, Rua General Jose Cristino, 77-Bairro Imperial de Sao Cristovao, Rio de Janeiro, 20921-400, Brazil
⁸ Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, 98bis Boulevard Arago, 75014, Paris, France
⁹ Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Bryant Space Science Center, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
¹⁰ Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía, 18080, Granada, Spain
¹¹ Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
¹² Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Calle Vía Láctea s/n, 38204, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
¹³ Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, 38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
¹⁴ INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Piero Gobetti 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy
¹⁵ INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy
¹⁶ Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Bd de l’Observatoire, CS 34229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
¹⁷ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Via G. B. Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste, Italy
¹⁸ IFPU, Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe, Via Beirut 2, 34151 Trieste, Italy
¹⁹ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Augusto Righi” – Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Via Piero Gobetti 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy
²⁰ Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CNES, LAM, Marseille, France
²¹ Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, UMR 7550, 67000 Strasbourg, France
²² NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
²³ Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
²⁴ Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d’astrophysique spatiale, 91405, Orsay, France
²⁵ ESAC/ESA, Camino Bajo del Castillo, s/n., Urb. Villafranca del Castillo, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
²⁶ School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK
²⁷ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Brera 28, 20122 Milano, Italy
²⁸ INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Via Valerio 2, 34127 Trieste TS, Italy
²⁹ SISSA, International School for Advanced Studies, Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste TS, Italy
³⁰ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna, Via Gobetti 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy
³¹ Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales – Centre spatial de Toulouse, 18 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31401 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
³² Universitäts-Sternwarte München, Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Scheinerstrasse 1, 81679 München, Germany
³³ INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, 10025 Pino Torinese (TO), Italy
³⁴ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
³⁵ INFN-Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
³⁶ Department of Physics “E. Pancini”, University Federico II, Via Cinthia 6, 80126, Napoli, Italy
³⁷ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Via Moiariello 16, 80131 Napoli, Italy
³⁸ INFN Section of Naples, Via Cinthia 6, 80126, Napoli, Italy
³⁹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
⁴⁰ INFN-Sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
⁴¹ INAF-IASF Milano, Via Alfonso Corti 12, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁴² INFN-Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 2 – c/o Dipartimento di Fisica, Edificio G. Marconi, 00185 Roma, Italy
⁴³ Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁴⁴ Port d’Informació Científica, Campus UAB, C. Albareda s/n, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
⁴⁵ Institute for Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology (TTK), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
⁴⁶ Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 3FX, UK
⁴⁷ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Augusto Righi” – Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy
⁴⁸ Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
⁴⁹ Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
⁵⁰ European Space Agency/ESRIN, Largo Galileo Galilei 1, 00044 Frascati, Roma, Italy
⁵¹ Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, IP2I Lyon, UMR 5822, Villeurbanne, F-69100, France
⁵² Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
⁵³ Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
⁵⁴ UCB Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, IUF, IP2I Lyon, 4 rue Enrico Fermi, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
⁵⁵ Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
⁵⁶ Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C8, Campo Grande, PT1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
⁵⁷ Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
⁵⁸ Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, ch. d’Ecogia 16, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
⁵⁹ INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, 00100 Roma, Italy
⁶⁰ INFN-Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
⁶¹ Space Science Data Center, Italian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Roma, Italy
⁶² School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, UK
⁶³ FRACTAL S.L.N.E., Calle Tulipán 2, Portal 13 1A, 28231, Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain
⁶⁴ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Via dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
⁶⁵ Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1029 Blindern, 0315 Oslo, Norway
⁶⁶ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
⁶⁷ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
⁶⁸ Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, UK
⁶⁹ Felix Hormuth Engineering, Goethestr. 17, 69181 Leimen, Germany
⁷⁰ Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
⁷¹ Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN), Copenhagen, Denmark
⁷² Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095, CNRS, and Sorbonne Université, 98 bis boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, France
⁷³ Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
⁷⁴ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
⁷⁵ Department of Physics and Helsinki Institute of Physics, Gustaf Hällströminkatu 2, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
⁷⁶ Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM, Marseille, France
⁷⁷ Université de Genève, Département de Physique Théorique and Centre for Astroparticle Physics, 24 quai Ernest-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
⁷⁸ Department of Physics, P.O. Box 64, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
⁷⁹ Helsinki Institute of Physics, Gustaf Hällströminkatu 2, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
⁸⁰ Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
⁸¹ NOVA Optical Infrared Instrumentation Group at ASTRON, Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991PD, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
⁸² Centre de Calcul de l’IN2P3/CNRS, 21 Avenue Pierre de Coubertin 69627 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
⁸³ Dipartimento di Fisica “Aldo Pontremoli”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁸⁴ INFN-Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
⁸⁵ Universität Bonn, Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
⁸⁶ Department of Physics, Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
⁸⁷ Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie, 75013 Paris, France
⁸⁸ University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Northwestern Switzerland, School of Engineering, 5210 Windisch, Switzerland
⁸⁹ Institute of Physics, Laboratory of Astrophysics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Observatoire de Sauverny, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
⁹⁰ Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
⁹¹ European Space Agency/ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands
⁹² DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 155, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
⁹³ Institute of Space Science, Str. Atomistilor, nr. 409 Măgurele, Ilfov, 077125, Romania
⁹⁴ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “G. Galilei”, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
⁹⁵ Institut für Theoretische Physik, University of Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
⁹⁶ Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, 14 Av. Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
⁹⁷ Université St Joseph; Faculty of Sciences, Beirut, Lebanon
⁹⁸ Departamento de Física, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago, Chile
⁹⁹ Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik, Technikerstr. 25/8, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
¹⁰⁰ Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Edifici RDIT, Campus UPC, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
¹⁰¹ Satlantis, University Science Park, Sede Bld 48940, Leioa-Bilbao, Spain
¹⁰² Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-018 Lisboa, Portugal
¹⁰³ Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Departamento de Electrónica y Tecnología de Computadoras, Plaza del Hospital 1, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
¹⁰⁴ Centre for Information Technology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11044, 9700 CA Groningen, The Netherlands
¹⁰⁵ INFN-Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy
¹⁰⁶ Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
¹⁰⁷ Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
¹⁰⁸ INAF, Istituto di Radioastronomia, Via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
¹⁰⁹ Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley (OAVdA), Loc. Lignan 39, I-11020, Nus (Aosta Valley), Italy
¹¹⁰ Department of Physics, Oxford University, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
¹¹¹ Aurora Technology for European Space Agency (ESA), Camino bajo del Castillo, s/n, Urbanizacion Villafranca del Castillo, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28692 Madrid, Spain
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 Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Physics Department, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
¹¹⁷ Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
¹¹⁸ Laboratoire Univers et Théorie, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Université Paris Cité, CNRS, 92190 Meudon, France
¹¹⁹ Departamento de Física Fundamental, Universidad de Salamanca. Plaza de la Merced s/n. 37008 Salamanca, Spain
¹²⁰ Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Via Giuseppe Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
¹²¹ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Ferrara, Via Giuseppe Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
¹²² Center for Data-Driven Discovery, Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan
¹²³ Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Schellingstrasse 4, 80799 Munich, Germany
¹²⁴ Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Boltzmannstr. 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
¹²⁵ Dipartimento di Fisica – Sezione di Astronomia, Università di Trieste, Via Tiepolo 11, 34131 Trieste, Italy
¹²⁶ California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
¹²⁷ Institute Lorentz, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands
¹²⁸ Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
¹²⁹ Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine CA 92697, USA
¹³⁰ Department of Mathematics and Physics E. De Giorgi, University of Salento, Via per Arnesano, CP-I93, 73100, Lecce, Italy
¹³¹ INFN, Sezione di Lecce, Via per Arnesano, CP-193, 73100, Lecce, Italy
¹³² INAF-Sezione di Lecce, c/o Dipartimento Matematica e Fisica, Via per Arnesano, 73100, Lecce, Italy
¹³³ Departamento Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Campus Muralla del Mar, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
¹³⁴ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC); Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), 38200, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
¹³⁵ Instituto de Física de Cantabria, Edificio Juan Jordá, Avenida de los Castros, 39005 Santander, Spain
¹³⁶ Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, PO Box 15400, Espoo, FI-00 076, Finland
¹³⁷ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, c/ Via Lactea s/n, La Laguna, E-38200, Spain, Departamento de Astrofísica de la Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Francisco Sanchez, c/ Via Lactea s/n, La Laguna, E-38200, Spain
¹³⁸ Caltech/IPAC, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
¹³⁹ Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Astronomical Institute (AIRUB), German Centre for Cosmological Lensing (GCCL), 44780 Bochum, Germany
¹⁴⁰ Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LPSC-IN2P3, 53, Avenue des Martyrs, 38000, Grenoble, France
¹⁴¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vesilinnantie 5, 20014 University of Turku, Finland
¹⁴² Serco for European Space Agency (ESA), Camino bajo del Castillo, s/n, Urbanizacion Villafranca del Castillo, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28692 Madrid, Spain
¹⁴³ ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, Melbourne, Australia, Australia
¹⁴⁴ Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
¹⁴⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town, 7535, South Africa
¹⁴⁶ DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK
¹⁴⁷ Kavli Institute for Cosmology Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, UK
¹⁴⁸ IRFU, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
¹⁴⁹ Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
¹⁵⁰ Astrophysics Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
¹⁵¹ INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125, Firenze, Italy
¹⁵² Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
¹⁵³ Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
¹⁵⁴ Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade do Porto, CAUP, Rua das Estrelas, PT4150-762 Porto, Portugal
¹⁵⁵ HE Space for European Space Agency (ESA), Camino bajo del Castillo, s/n, Urbanizacion Villafranca del Castillo, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28692 Madrid, Spain
¹⁵⁶ Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
¹⁵⁷ Department of Astrophysics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
¹⁵⁸ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Brera 28, 20122 Milano, Italy, and INFN-Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
¹⁵⁹ Theoretical Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 515, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
¹⁶⁰ Mathematical Institute, University of Leiden, Niels Bohrweg 1, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands
¹⁶¹ Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
¹⁶² Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
¹⁶³ Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN), Copenhagen, Denmark
¹⁶⁴ Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 128, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
¹⁶⁵ Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, 10010, New York, NY, USA

^⋆ Corresponding author: callum.bellhouse@nottingham.ac.uk

Received: 24 January 2025
Accepted: 20 March 2025

Abstract

The intracluster light (ICL) permeating galaxy clusters is a tracer of the cluster assembly history and potentially a tracer of their dark matter structure. In this work, we explore the capability of the Euclid Wide Survey to detect ICL using H_E-band mock images. We simulated clusters across a range of redshifts (0.3–1.8) and halo masses (10^13.9–10^15.0 M_⊙) using an observationally motivated model of ICL. We identified a 50–200 kpc circular annulus around the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in which the signal-to-noise ratio of the ICL is maximised and used the S/N within this aperture as our figure of merit for ICL detection. We compared three state-of-the-art methods for ICL detection and found that a method that performs simple aperture photometry after high-surface brightness source masking is able to detect ICL with minimal bias for clusters more massive than 10^14.2 M_⊙. The S/N of the ICL detection is primarily limited by the redshift of the cluster, which is driven by cosmological dimming rather than the mass of the cluster. Assuming the ICL in each cluster contains 15% of the stellar light, we forecast that Euclid will be able to measure the presence of ICL in up to ∼80 000 clusters of >10^14.2 M_⊙ between z = 0.3 and 1.5 with an S/N>3. Half of these clusters will reside below z = 0.75, and the majority of those below z = 0.6 will be detected with an S/N>20. A few thousand clusters at 1.3<z<1.5 will have ICL detectable with an S/N >3. The surface brightness profile of the ICL model is strongly dependent on both the mass of the cluster and the redshift at which it is observed so that the outer ICL is best observed in the most massive clusters of >10^14.7 M_⊙. Euclid will detect the ICL at a distance of more than 500 kpc from the BCG, up to z = 0.7, in several hundred of these massive clusters over its large survey volume.