The merging cluster of galaxies Abell 3376: an optical view
  Abell 3376 is a merging cluster of galaxies at redshift z=0.046, famous
mostly for its giant radio arcs, and shows an elongated and highly
substructured X-ray emission, but has not been analysed in detail at optical
wavelengths. We have obtained wide field images of Abell 3376 in the B band and
derive the GLF applying a statistical subtraction of the background in three
regions: a circle of 0.29 deg radius (1.5 Mpc) encompassing the whole cluster,
and two circles centered on each of the two brightest galaxies (BCG2,
northeast, coinciding with the peak of X-ray emission, and BCG1, southwest) of
radii 0.15 deg (0.775 Mpc). We also compute the GLF in the zone around BCG1,
which is covered by the WINGS survey in the B and V bands, by selecting cluster
members in the red sequence in a (B-V) versus V diagram. Finally, we discuss
the dynamical characteristics of the cluster implied by a Serna & Gerbal
analysis. The GLFs are not well fit by a single Schechter function, but
satisfactory fits are obtained by summing a Gaussian and a Schechter function.
The GLF computed by selecting galaxies in the red sequence in the region
surrounding BCG1 can also be fit by a Gaussian plus a Schechter function. An
excess of galaxies in the brightest bins is detected in the BCG1 and BCG2
regions. The dynamical analysis based on the Serna & Gerbal method shows the
existence of a main structure of 82 galaxies which can be subdivided into two
main substructures of 25 and 6 galaxies. A smaller structure of 6 galaxies is
also detected. The B band GLFs of Abell 3376 are clearly perturbed, as already
found in other merging clusters. The dynamical properties are consistent with
the existence of several substructures, in agreement with a previously
published X-ray analysis.
