Strong LensIng and Cluster Evolution (SLICE)

The SLICE project was selected as a JWST Survey program in Cycle 3 (JWST-GO-05594, PI: Mahler); its overarching goal is to study the evolution of clusters of galaxies through their light and invisible dark matter distributions. SLICE carefully selected 182 massive galaxy clusters out of a parent catalog of >6500 clusters, to track 8 Gyr of cluster formation and assembly from z=1.9 to z=0.2 , evenly distributed in bins of 1 Gyr of cosmic time. The JWST scheduling randomly select 124 clusters for observation in Cycle 3, forming the SLICE sample. 

Each cluster was observed with the two broadest NIRCam filters, F150W2 and F322W2, with module B centered on the BCG, achieving maximal wavelength coverage from 1 to 4 micron with optimal time investment. All the SLICE targets have archival imaging data from HST and ground-based spectroscopy, making this sample a treasure trove for discoveries in cluster evolution, dark matter, and lensing-magnification aided studies of the highly magnified background universe.