Lensing Constraints on the Mass Profile Shape and the Splashback Radius of Galaxy Clusters

Understand

The lensing signal around galaxy clusters can, in principle, be used to test detailed predictions for their average mass profile from numerical simulations.

• However, the intrinsic shape of the profiles can be smeared out when a sample that spans a wide range of cluster masses is averaged in physical length units.
• This effect especially conceals rapid changes in gradient such as the steep drop associated with the splashback radius, a sharp edge corresponding to the outermost caustic in accreting halos.
• We optimize the extraction of such local features by scaling individual halo profiles to a number of spherical overdensity radii, and apply this method to 16 X-ray-selected high-mass clusters targeted in the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble.