出版社：SISSA, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati
摘要：In galaxy clusters a diffuse intracluster stellar component has been detected from deep imaging
and observations of individual intracluster stars, and recently some progress has been made in the
study of intracluster starlight on several fronts.
Individual intracluster stars have been discovered in the Virgo cluster, and thank to innovative
spectroscopic techniques planetary nebulae were detected in the Coma cluster. These intracluster
stars give the promise of studying in detail the kinematics, metallicity and age of the intracluster
stellar population in nearby galaxy clusters. Furthermore, intracluster light (ICL) is also potentially
of great interest for studies of galaxy and galaxy cluster evolution. The dynamical evolution
of cluster galaxies involves complex and imperfectly understood processes such as galactic encounters,
cluster accretion, and tidal stripping. The properties of the ICL may also be sensitive to
the distribution of dark matter in cluster galaxies, as simulations have shown that the structure of
dark matter halos in galaxies plays a central role in the formation and evolution of tidal debris.
Current investigations aim at understanding about the origin of this diffuse stellar component, and
the details of the cluster formation and evolution.
