Search

The galaxy cluster Abell 3376 is a nearby (z = 0.046) dissociative merging cluster surrounded by two prominent radio relics and showing an X-ray comet-like morphology. The merger system is comprised of the subclusters A3376W and A3376E. Based on new deep multiwavelength large-field images and published redshifts, we bring new insights about the history of this merger. Despite the difficulty of applying the weak lensing technique at such low redshift, we successfully recovered the mass distribution in the cluster field. Moreover, with the application of a two-body model, we have addressed the dynamics of this merging system. We have found the individual masses of M200W= 3.0-1.7+1.3 × 1014 M⊚ and M200E= 0.9-0.8+0.5 × 1014 M⊚. The cometary-shaped X-ray distribution shows only one peak spatially coincident with both eastern BCG and the A3376E mass peak whereas the gas content of A3376W seems to be stripped out. Our data allowed us to confirm the existence of a third subcluster located at the north, 1147 ± 62 kpc apart from the neighbour subcluster A3376E and having a mass MN200 = 1.4-1.0+0.7 × 1014 M⊚. From our dynamical analysis, we found the merging is taking place very close to the plane of the sky, with the merger axis just 10° ± 11° from it. The application of a two-body analysis code showed that the merging cluster is seen 0.9-0.3+0.2 Gyr after the pericentric passage and it is currently going to the point of maximum separation between the subclusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of the dark sector components of the Universe still remains one of the largest unknown. Among many possibilities, it has been speculated that dark matter and dark energy may be more tightly coupled than usually thought, one component interacting with the other. Here, we continue to explore the possible dark sector interaction through means of the Layzer–Irvine equation together with a model of an interacting dark sector applied to clusters of galaxies. We have selected galaxy clusters that have their mass profiles determined by gravitational lensing effect (optical observations) and have their intracluster gas temperatures measured from X-ray observations and spectral fit found in the literature. Using a simple model based on semi-analytical simulations, we derived a putative dynamical evolution of the clusters and used it to estimate the coupling parameter of the dark sector interaction. Through a Bayesian analysis, we obtain a 3σ detection of the interaction strength for 11 clusters at −0.027 ± 0.009 that translates in a compounded Universal equilibrium virial ratio, U / T , of |$-0.61^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$|⁠. We note that the X-ray temperature determination is sometimes inconsistent, depending on the instrument and/or methodology used. The level of detection and these inconsistencies call for caution. We expect that future observations will give us a clearer indication of an eventual dark sector interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Galaxies are surrounded by extended gaseous halos that store significant fractions of chemical elements. These are syntethized by the stellar populations and later ejected into the circumgalactic medium (CGM) by different mechanism, of which supernova feedback is considered one of the most relevant. Aims. We aim to explore the properties of this metal reservoir surrounding star-forming galaxies in a cosmological context aiming to investigate the chemical loop between galaxies and their CGM, and the ability of the subgrid models to reproduce observational results. Methods. Using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, we have analysed the gas-phase chemical contents of galaxies with stellar masses in the range 109−1011 M⊙. We estimated the fractions of metals stored in the different CGM phases, and the predicted O vi and Si iii column densities within the virial radius. Results. We find roughly 107 M⊙ of oxygen in the CGM of simulated galaxies having M⋆ ~ 1010 M⊙, in fair agreement with the lower limits imposed by observations. The Moxy is found to correlate with M⋆, at odds with current observational trends but in agreement with other numerical results. The estimated profiles of O vi column density reveal a substantial shortage of that ion, whereas Si iii, which probes the cool phase, is overpredicted. Nevertheless, the radial dependences of both ions follow the respective observed profiles. The analysis of the relative contributions of both ions from the hot, warm and cool phases suggests that the warm gas (105 K < T < 106 K) should be more abundant in order to bridge the mismatch with the observations, or alternatively, that more metals should be stored in this gas-phase. These discrepancies provide important information to improve the subgrid physics models. Our findings show clearly the importance of tracking more than one chemical element and the difficulty of simultaneously satisfying the observables that trace the circumgalactic gas at different physical conditions. Additionally, we find that the X-ray coronae around the simulated galaxies have luminosities and temperatures in decent agreement with the available observational estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We revisit the galaxy cluster RXC J1504-0248, a remarkable example of a structure with a strong cool core in a near redshift (z =  0.216). We performed a combined analysis using photometric and spectroscopic data obtained at Gemini South Telescope. We estimated the cluster mass through gravitational lensing, obtaining M200 =  5.3 ±  0.4 ×  1014  $h_{70}^{-1}$  M⊙ within R200 =  1.56 ±  0.04  $h^{-1}_{70}$  Mpc, in agreement with a virial mass estimate. This cluster presents a prominent filamentary structure associated with its brightest cluster galaxy, located mainly along its major axis and aligned with the X-ray emission. A combined study of three emission line diagnostic diagrams has shown that the filament emission falls in the so-called transition region of these diagrams. Consequently, several ionizing sources should be playing a meaningful role. We have argued that old stars, often invoked to explain low-ionization nuclear emission-line region emission, should not be the major source of ionization. We have noticed that most of the filamentary emission has line ratios consistent with the shock excitation limits obtained from shock models. We also found that line fluxes are related to gas velocities (here estimated from line widths) by power laws with slopes in the range expected from shock models. These models also show, however, that only ∼10 per cent of H α luminosity can be explained by shocks. We conclude that shocks probably associated with the cooling of the intracluster gas in a filamentary structure may indeed be contributing to the filament nebular emission, but cannot be the major source of ionizing photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a weak-lensing and dynamical study of the complex cluster Abell 1758 (A1758,zṀ = 0.278) supported by hydrodynamical simulations. This cluster is composed of two main structures called A1758N and A1758S. The northern structure is composed of A1758NW and A1758NE, with lensing determined masses of 7.90+1.89-1.55 × 1014M☉ and 5.49+1.67-1.33 × 1014 M☉, respectively. They show a remarkable feature: while in A1758NW, there is a spatial agreement among weak-lensing mass distribution, intracluster medium and its brightest cluster galaxy (BCG), in A1758NE, the X-ray peak is located 96+14-15 arcsec away from the mass peak and BCG positions. Given the detachment between gas and mass, we could use the local surface mass density to estimate an upper limit for the dark matter self-interaction cross-section: σ/m < 5.83 cm2 g-1. Combining our velocity data with hydrodynamical simulations, we have shown that A1758 NW and NE had their closest approach 0.27 Gyr ago and their merger axis is 21° ± 12° from the plane of the sky. In the A1758S system, we have measured a total mass of 4.96+1.08-1.19 × 1014 M☉ and, using radial velocity data, we found that the main merger axis is located at 70° ± 4° from the plane of the sky, therefore closest to the line of sight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Constraints on the mass distribution in high-redshift clusters of galaxies are currently not very strong. Aims. We aim to constrain the mass profile, M(r), and dynamical status of the z ~ 0.8 LCDCS 0504 cluster of galaxies that is characterized by prominent giant gravitational arcs near its center. Methods. Our analysis is based on deep X-ray, optical, and infrared imaging as well as optical spectroscopy, collected with various instruments, which we complemented with archival data. We modeled the mass distribution of the cluster with three different mass density profiles, whose parameters were constrained by the strong lensing features of the inner cluster region, by the X-ray emission from the intracluster medium, and by the kinematics of 71 cluster members. Results. We obtain consistent M(r) determinations from three methods based on kinematics (dispersion-kurtosis, caustics, and MAMPOSSt), out to the cluster virial radius, ≃1.3 Mpc and beyond. The mass profile inferred by the strong lensing analysis in the central cluster region is slightly higher than, but still consistent with, the kinematics estimate. On the other hand, the X-ray based M(r) is significantly lower than the kinematics and strong lensing estimates. Theoretical predictions from ΛCDM cosmology for the concentration–mass relation agree with our observational results, when taking into account the uncertainties in the observational and theoretical estimates. There appears to be a central deficit in the intracluster gas mass fraction compared with nearby clusters. Conclusions. Despite the relaxed appearance of this cluster, the determinations of its mass profile by different probes show substantial discrepancies, the origin of which remains to be determined. The extension of a dynamical analysis similar to that of other clusters of the DAFT/FADA survey with multiwavelength data of sufficient quality will allow shedding light on the possible systematics that affect the determination of mass profiles of high-z clusters, which is possibly related to our incomplete understanding of intracluster baryon physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Based on XMM-Newton, Chandra, and SDSS data, we investigate the baryon distribution in groups and clusters and its use as a cosmological constraint. For this, we considered a sample of 123 systems with temperatures kT500 = 1.0-9.0 keV, total masses in the mass range M500 = (∼1013-4 × 1015) h-1 70 M☉, and redshifts 0.02 < z < 1.3. Methods. The gas masses and total masses are derived from X-ray data under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium and spherical symmetry. The stellar masses are based on SDSS-DR8 optical photometric data. For the 37 systems out of 123 that had both optical and X-ray data available, we investigated the gas, stellar, and total baryon mass fractions inside r2500 and r500 and the differential gas mass fraction within the spherical annulus between r2500 and r500, as a function of total mass. For the other objects, we investigated the gas mass fraction only. Results. We find that the gas mass fraction inside r2500 and r500 depends on the total mass. However, the differential gas mass fraction does not show any dependence on total mass for systems with M500 > 1014 M☉. The stellar mass fraction inside r2500 and r500 increases towards low-mass systems more steeply than the fgas decrease with total mass. Adding the gas and stellar mass fractions to obtain the total baryonic content, we find it to increase with cluster mass, reaching the WMAP-7 value for clusters with M500 ∼ 1014 M☉. This led us to investigate the contribution of the intracluster light to the total baryon budget for lower mass systems, but we find that it cannot account for the difference observed. Conclusions. The gas mass fraction dependence on total mass observed for groups and clusters could be due to the difficulty of low-mass systems to retain gas inside the inner region (r < r2500). Because of their shallower potential well, non-thermal processes are more effective in expelling the gas from their central regions outwards. Since the differential gas mass fraction is nearly constant, it provides better constraints for cosmology. Moreover, we find that the gas mass fraction does not depend on redshift at a 2σ level. Using our total fb estimates, our results imply Ωm < 0.55, and taking the highest significant estimates for fb, Ωm > 0.22. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray observations of galaxy clusters have shown that the intra-cluster gas has iron abundances of about one-third of the solar value. These observations also show that part (if not all) of the intra-cluster gas metals was produced within the member galaxies. We present a systematic analysis of 20 galaxy clusters to explore the connection between the iron mass and the total luminosity of early- and late-type galaxies, and of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). From our results, the intra-cluster medium (ICM) iron mass seems to correlate better with the luminosity of the BCGs than with that of the red and blue galaxy populations. As the BCGs cannot produce alone the observed amount of iron, we suggest that ram-pressure plus tidal stripping acts together to enhance, at the same time, the BCG luminosities and the iron mass in the ICM. Through the analysis of the iron yield, we have also estimated that SN Ia are responsible for more than 50 per cent of the total iron in the ICM. This result corroborates the fact that ram-pressure contributes to the gas removal from galaxies to the ICM, being very efficient for clusters in the temperature range . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]