A High-Caliber View of the Bullet Cluster through JWST Strong and Weak Lensing Analyses

Abstract

The Bullet Cluster (1E 0657-56) is a key astrophysical laboratory for studying dark matter, galaxy cluster mergers, and shock propagation in extreme environments. Using new JWST imaging, we present the highest-resolution mass reconstruction to date, combining 146 strong lensing constraints from 37 systems with high-density (398 sources arcmin-2) weak lensing data, without assuming that light traces mass. The main cluster's mass distribution is highly elongated (northwest-southeast) and consists of at least three subclumps aligned with the brightest cluster galaxies. The subcluster is more compact but elongated along the east-west direction, with a single dominant peak. We also detect a possible mass and intracluster light (ICL) trail extending from the subcluster's eastern side toward the main cluster. Notably, these detailed features are closely traced by the ICL, with a modified Hausdorff distance of 19.80 +/- 12.46 kpc. Together with multiwavelength data, the complex mass distribution suggests that the merger history of the Bullet Cluster may be more complex than previous binary cluster merger scenarios.