The intracluster light and its role in galaxy evolution in clusters

Abstract

The diffuse light in clusters of galaxies, or intracluster light, has attracted a lot of attention lately due to its potential in describing the assembly history of galaxy clusters and to explain the observed growth of the brightest cluster galaxy with time. The properties of this light (color, stellar populations, extent) give clues about its formation and, consequently, the processes that shape the cluster. Here, I will present a review on intracluster light, its history, properties and the particular observational problems and limitations associated with the study of this diffuse component in integrated light.