Intracluster Planetary Nebulae as dynamical probes of the diffuse light in galaxy clusters

Abstract

I will review the latest results for the presence of diffuse light in the nearby universe and at intermediate redshift, and then discuss the latest results from hydrodynamical cosmological simulations of cluster formation on the expected properties of diffuse light in clusters. I shall present how intracluster planetary nebulae (ICPNe) can be used as excellent tracers of the diffuse stellar population in nearby clusters, and how their number density profile and radial velocity distribution can provide an observational test for models of cluster formation. The preliminary comparison of available ICPN samples with predictions from cosmological simulations support late infall as the most likely mechanism for the origin of diffuse stellar light in clusters.