Testing Offsets Between Cluster-Scale Halos and BCGs in Strong Lensing Models Using the Jackknife Method

Abstract

Offsets between cluster-scale dark matter halos and brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) inferred from strong lensing (SL) models have been used to investigate cluster dynamics and dark matter physics. However, it is necessary to test whether these offsets are required by SL data themselves. We investigate whether allowing these offsets improves predictive accuracy and examine the effects on magnification, time-delay predictions, and critical curve positions. We evaluate lens models of Abell 370, RX J1347.5-1145, and MACS J0416.1-2403 using the jackknife method, which assesses predictions for source systems excluded from the lens reconstruction. Models are constructed with MrMARTIAN, which combines analytic mass profiles with a regularized grid that represents mass structure not captured by the profiles. We compare fixed and free halo position models across regularization weights. The root mean square values averaged over excluded systems agree within bootstrap uncertainties, while the median paired differences remain close to zero across all three clusters and tested regularization weights. These results indicate comparable predictive accuracy between the fixed and free models. The total mass distributions remain broadly similar, although the magnitudes of fitted halo offsets vary with regularization, showing that the mass decomposition is not unique. For these three clusters, offsets between BCGs and cluster-scale halos in the lens models are not required by the SL data to improve predictive accuracy within the MrMARTIAN framework. The mass decomposition between the regularized grid and cluster-scale halos is not uniquely determined. These findings limit physical interpretations based on fitted halo positions alone. The model dependence of magnification and time-delay estimation can also affect the inferred intrinsic properties of high-redshift sources or the Hubble constant.