The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): Fornax-like clusters in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations

Context . The Fornax cluster, the second-nearest rich galaxy cluster, constitutes a suitable laboratory to explore the evolution of galaxies in a dense environment. Recently, the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey (S-PLUS) has obtained unprecedented photometric information on Fornax, which reveals new features regarding its galaxy populations and surrounding regions. In this context, simulations are invaluable tools to interpret the past, present, and outcome of such observational findings. Aims . We aim to deliver a robust photometric catalog of simulated Fornax-like systems in a cosmological context to consistently contrast them with S-PLUS data. Such a comparison will lead to our long-term goal: to trace the origin of Fornax galaxy populations and their environment. Methods . We analyzed Fornax analogs from the EAGLE and ILLUSTRISTNG simulations that were selected using the observed properties of the Fornax cluster and its central galaxy NGC 1399. For each system, we generated synthetic photometry in the 12 S-PLUS bands using the SKIRT radiative transfer code, with the instrumental configuration of the S-PLUS survey. Simulated data cubes, mock images, spectral energy distributions, magnitudes, and colors were obtained for each galaxy in our selected simulated Fornax analogs. Results . The synthetic photometry and spectra derived from simulations show good agreement with the S-PLUS observations, especially in the case of the central galaxy NGC 1399. We identify particular systems that show some similarity with the spatial distribution of galaxies in Fornax. Such simulated candidates reproduce the observed color–magnitude relation and the spatial substructure between the cluster core and the Fornax A region. Also, simulated galaxies are bluer at higher cluster-centric distances, in agreement with observations. Although modest discrepancies were obtained between the observed and simulated color–magnitude diagrams in some cases, our results support the suitability of our selection criteria and synthetic photometry, and the reliability of current cosmological simulations to reproduce key general features of the Fornax cluster.