We use deep wide–field V -band imaging obtained with the Wide Field Camera at the prime focus of the Issac Newton Telescope to study the spatial and luminosity distribution of galaxies in three low redshift ( 0.04 < z < 0.2 ) clusters : Abell 119 , Abell 2443 and Abell 2218 .
The absolute magnitude limits probed in these clusters are M _ { V } -5 \log h _ { 0.7 } = -13.3 , -15.4 { and } -16.7 mag , respectively .
The galaxy population , at all luminosities , along the line-of-sight to the clusters can be described by the linear combination of a King profile and a constant surface density of field galaxies .
We find that , for these three clusters , the core radius is invariant with intrinsic luminosity of the cluster population to the above limits and thus there is no evidence for luminosity segregation in these clusters .
The exception is the brightest galaxies in A2218 which exhibit a more compact spatial distribution .
We find the total projected luminosity distribution ( within 1 h _ { 0.7 } ^ { -1 } Mpc of the cluster centre ) can be well represented by a single function with moderately flat faint–end slopes : \alpha = -1.22 _ { -0.06 } ^ { +0.07 } ( A119 ) , \alpha = -1.11 _ { -0.09 } ^ { +0.10 } ( A2443 ) and \alpha = -1.14 _ { -0.07 } ^ { +0.08 } ( A2218 ) .
We perform a geometric deprojection of the cluster galaxy population and confirm that no ‘ statistically significant ’ evidence of a change in the shape of the luminosity distribution with cluster-centric radius exists .
Again , the exception being A2218 which exhibits a core region with a flatter faint–end slope .