SDSS-C4 3028: the Nearest Blue Galaxy Cluster Devoid of an Intracluster Medium

SDSS-C4 3028 is a galaxy cluster at \(z=0.061\), notable for its unusually high fraction of star-forming galaxies with 19 star-forming and 11 quiescent spectroscopically-confirmed member galaxies. From Subaru/HSC imaging, we derived a weak lensing mass of \(M_{200} = (1.3 \pm 0.9) \times 10^{14}\, \rm M_\odot\), indicating a low-mass cluster. This is in excellent agreement with its dynamical mass of \(M_{200} = (1.0\pm0.4)\times10^{14} \rm M_\odot\), derived from SDSS spectroscopic data. XMM-Newton observations reveal that its X-ray emission is uniform and fully consistent with the astrophysical X-ray background, with no evidence for an intracluster medium (ICM). The 3\(\sigma\) upper limit of \(L_{\rm X}(0.1-2.4\rm\,keV)=7.7\times10^{42}\) erg s\(^{-1}\) on the cluster’s X-ray luminosity falls below the value expected from the \(L_{\rm X}-M_{\rm halo}\) scaling relation of nearby galaxy clusters. We derived star-formation histories for its member galaxies using the photometric spectral energy distribution from SDSS, 2MASS, and WISE data. Most of its quiescent galaxies reside within the central 300 kpc, while star-forming ones dominate the outer region (300 kpc – 1 Mpc). The core region has formed the bulk of its stellar mass approximately 1.5 Gyr earlier than the outskirts. We infer a long quenching time of \(>3\) Gyr for its quiescent galaxies, consistent with slow quenching mechanisms such as galaxy-galaxy interaction or strangulation. These findings suggest that SDSS-C4 3028 may have undergone an “inside-out” formation and quenching process. Its ICM may have been expelled by intense AGN feedback after core formation but before full cluster assembly. The high fraction (\(\sim 0.63\)) of star-forming members likely results from the absence of ram pressure stripping in this blue cluster, supporting the important role of ram pressure stripping in quenching galaxies in clusters.