Signatures of Galaxy-Cluster Interactions: Tully-Fisher Observations at z ∼ 0.1

We have obtained new optical imaging and spectroscopic observations of 78 galaxies in the fields of the rich clusters Abell 1413 (z = 0.14), Abell 2218 (z = 0.18), and Abell 2670 (z = 0.08). We have detected line emission from 25 cluster galaxies plus an additional six galaxies in the foreground and background, a much lower success rate than what was found (65%) for a sample of 52 lower richness Abell clusters in the range 0.02 ≲ z ≲ 0.08. We have combined these data with our previous observations of Abell 2029 and Abell 2295 (both at z = 0.08), which yields a sample of 156 galaxies. We evaluate several parameters as a function of cluster environment: Tully-Fisher residuals, Hα equivalent width, and rotation curve asymmetry, shape, and extent. Although Hα is more easily detectable in galaxies that are located further from the cluster cores, we fail to detect a correlation between Hα extent and galaxy location in those where it is detected, again in contrast with what is found in the clusters of lesser richness. We fail to detect any statistically significant trends for the other parameters in this study. The zero point in the z ∼ 0.1 Tully-Fisher relation is marginally fainter (by 1.5 σ) than that found in nearby clusters, but the scatter is essentially unchanged.