Probing clustering features around Cl 0024+17
  I present a spatial analysis of the galaxy distribution around the cluster Cl
0024+17. The basic aim is to find the scales where galaxies present a
significant deviation from an inhomogeneous Poisson statistical process. Using
the generalization of the Ripley, Besag, and the pair correlation functions for
non-stationary point patterns, I estimate these transition scales for a set of
1,000 Monte Carlo realizations of the Cl 0024+17 field, corrected for
completeness up to the outskirts. The results point out the presence of at
least two physical scales in this field at 31.4 and 112.9 arcseconds. The
second one is statistically consistent with the dark matter ring radius (about
75 arcseconds) previously identified by Jee et al. (2007). However, morphology
and anisotropy tests point out that a clump at about 120 arcseconds NW from the
cluster center could be the responsible for the second transition scale. These
results do not indicate the existence of a galaxy counterpart of the dark
matter ring, but the methodology developed to study the galaxy field as a
spatial point pattern provides a good statistical evaluation of the physical
scales around the cluster. I briefly discuss the usefulness of this approach to
probe features in galaxy distribution and N-body dark matter simulation data.
