Galaxy Transformation Processes in Clusters
U. Fritze - v. Alvensleben¹, P. Woudt^2
1 Institute for Astrophysics, Universität Göttingen, Germany
² University of Cape Town, South Africa
When falling into a galaxy cluster, the spiral-rich field galaxy population gets transformed into the characteristic E/S0/dE/dSph-rich cluster galaxy population. While a variety of transformation processes are known, their respective importance and transformation timescales, and their relations to the cluster properties, remain to be explored. Galaxy transformation processes, transition stages, and timescales can be very wellexplored by a comparison of deep multi-band imaging for a large fraction of the cluster galaxy population (down to M^* + 3 mag out to redshifts z ~ 0.5) and of spectroscopy of the brighter members with evolutionary synthesis models. SALT's large collecting area and field of view together with its unique U-band sensitivity are ideal in this respect. We have developed a large grid of GALEV evolutionary synthesis models for the spectral, photometric, and chemical evolution of galaxies that include the effects of a variety of transformation processes on their star formation histories, e.g. starbursts, star formation truncation and strangulation, and merging (Bicker et al., 2002, A&A 387, 412, FvA astro-ph/0407358). Comparison of the model grid with SALT imaging in U ... I (ideally supplemented later by a NIR-band) by means of a dedicated spectral energy distribution analysis tool (Bicker & FvA, submitted) will provide photometric redshifts and detailed galaxy properties, and allow theidentification of the respective roles of the various transformation processes, their transition stages, and timescales. We hope to present first results obtained in the SALTICAM PVP phase.

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