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Context. Previous Chandra observations of the Abell 3411-3412 merging galaxy cluster system revealed an outbound bullet-like sub-cluster in the northern part and many surface brightness edges at the southern periphery, where multiple diffuse sources are also reported from radio observations. Notably, a southeastern radio relic associated with fossil plasma from a radio galaxy and with a detected X-ray edge provides direct evidence of shock re-acceleration. The properties of the reported surface brightness features have yet to be constrained from a thermodynamic viewpoint. Aims. We use the XMM-Newton and Suzaku observations of Abell 3411-3412 to reveal the thermodynamical nature of the previously reported re-acceleration site and other X-ray surface brightness edges. We also aim to investigate the temperature profile in the low-density outskirts with Suzaku data. Methods. We performed both imaging and spectral analysis to measure the density jump and the temperature jump across multiple known X-ray surface brightness discontinuities. We present a new method to calibrate the vignetting function and spectral model of the XMM-Newton soft proton background. Archival Chandra, Suzaku, and ROSAT data are used to estimate the cosmic X-ray background and Galactic foreground levels with improved accuracy compared to standard blank sky spectra. Results. At the southeastern edge, temperature jumps revealed by both XMM-Newton and Suzaku point to a ℳ ∼ 1.2 shock, which agrees with the previous result from surface brightness fits with Chandra. The low Mach number supports the re-acceleration scenario at this shock front. The southern edge shows a more complex scenario, where a shock and the presence of stripped cold material may coincide. There is no evidence for a bow shock in front of the northwestern "bullet" sub-cluster. The Suzaku temperature profiles in the southern low-density regions are marginally higher than the typical relaxed cluster temperature profile. The measured value kT500 = 4.84 ± 0.04 ± 0.19 keV with XMM-Newton and kT500 = 5.17 ± 0.07 ± 0.13 keV with Suzaku are significantly lower than previously inferred from Chandra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present XMM-Newton/EPIC observations of six merging galaxy clusters and study the distributions of their temperature, iron (Fe) abundance and pseudo-entropy along the merging axis. For the first time, we focused simultaneously, and in a comprehensive way, on the chemical and thermodynamic properties of the newly collided intra cluster medium (ICM). The Fe distribution of these clusters along the merging axis is found to be in good agreement with the azimuthally-averaged Fe abundance profile in typical non-cool-core clusters out to r500. In addition to showing a moderate central abundance peak, though less pronounced than in relaxed systems, the Fe abundance flattens at large radii towards ∼0.2−0.3 Z⊙. Although this shallow metal distribution is in line with the idea that disturbed, non-cool-core clusters originate from the merging of relaxed, cool-core clusters, we find that in some cases, remnants of metal-rich and low entropy cool cores can persist after major mergers. While we obtain a mild anti-correlation between the Fe abundance and the pseudo-entropy in the (lower entropy, K = 200−500 keV cm2) inner regions, no clear correlation is found at (higher entropy, K = 500−2300 keV cm2) outer radii. The apparent spatial abundance uniformity that we find at large radii is difficult to explain through an efficient mixing of freshly injected metals, particularly in systems for which the time since the merger is short. Instead, our results provide important additional evidence in favour of the early enrichment scenario in which the bulk of the metals are released outside galaxies at z >  2−3, and extend it from cool-core and (moderate) non-cool-core clusters to a few of the most disturbed merging clusters as well. These results constitute a first step toward a deeper understanding of the chemical history of merging clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-resolution spectroscopy of the core of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies, using the Hitomi satellite above 2 keV and the XMM–Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer at lower energies, provides reliable constraints on the abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni. Accounting for all known systematic uncertainties, the Ar/Fe, Ca/Fe, and Ni/Fe ratios are determined with a remarkable precision of less than 10 per cent, while the constraints on Si/Fe, S/Fe, and Cr/Fe are at the 15 per cent level, and Mn/Fe is measured with a 20 per cent uncertainty. The average biases in determining the chemical composition using archival CCD spectra from XMM–Newton and Suzaku typically range from 15 to 40 per cent. A simple model in which the enrichment pattern in the Perseus Cluster core and the protosolar nebula are identical gives a surprisingly good description of the high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy results, with χ2 = 10.7 for 10 degrees of freedom. However, this pattern is challenging to reproduce with linear combinations of existing supernova nucleosynthesis calculations, particularly given the precise measurements of intermediate α-elements enabled by Hitomi. We discuss in detail the degeneracies between various supernova progenitor models and explosion mechanisms, and the remaining uncertainties in these theoretical models. We suggest that including neutrino physics in the core-collapse supernova yield calculations may improve the agreement with the observed pattern of α-elements in the Perseus Cluster core. Our results provide a complementary benchmark for testing future nucleosynthesis calculations required to understand the origin of chemical elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hot intracluster medium (ICM) pervading galaxy clusters and groups is rich in metals, which were synthesized by billions of supernovae and have accumulated in cluster gravitational wells for several gigayears. Since the products of both Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae – expected to explode over different time-scales – are found in the ICM, constraining accurately the chemical composition of these hot atmospheres can provide invaluable information on the history of the enrichment of large-scale structures. Recently, Hitomi observations reported solar abundance ratios in the core of the Perseus cluster, in tension with previous XMM–Newton measurements obtained for 44 cool-core clusters, groups, and massive ellipticals (the CHEERS sample). In this work, we revisit the CHEERS results by using an updated version of the spectral code used to fit the data (spexact v3), the same that was used to obtain the Hitomi measurements. Despite limitations in the spectral resolution, the average Cr/Fe and Ni/Fe ratios are now found to be remarkably consistent with unity and in excellent agreement with the Hitomi results. Our updated measurements suggest that the solar composition of the ICM of Perseus is a common feature in nearby cool-core systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present significantly improved measurements of turbulent velocities in the hot gaseous haloes of nearby giant elliptical galaxies. Using deep XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) observations and a combination of resonance scattering and direct line broadening methods, we obtain well bounded constraints for 13 galaxies. Assuming that the turbulence is isotropic, we obtain a best-fitting mean 1D turbulent velocity of ∼110 km s-1. This implies a typical 3D Mach number ∼0.45 and a typical non-thermal pressure contribution of∼6 per cent in the cores of nearby massive galaxies. The intrinsic scatter around these values is modest - consistent with zero, albeit with large statistical uncertainty - hinting at a common and quasi-continuous mechanism sourcing the velocity structure in these objects. Using conservative estimates of the spatial scales associated with the observed turbulent motions, we find that turbulent heating can be sufficient to offset radiative cooling in the inner regions of these galaxies (<10 kpc, typically 2-3 kpc). The full potential of our analysis methods will be enabled by future X-ray micro-calorimeter observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hot intra-cluster medium (ICM) permeating galaxy clusters and groups is not pristine, as it has been continuously enriched by metals synthesised in Type Ia (SNIa) and core-collapse (SNcc) supernovae since the major epoch of star formation (z ≃ 2–3). The cluster/group enrichment history and mechanisms responsible for releasing and mixing the metals can be probed via the radial distribution of SNIa and SNcc products within the ICM. In this paper, we use deep XMM-Newton/EPIC observations from a sample of 44 nearby cool-core galaxy clusters, groups, and ellipticals (CHEERS) to constrain the average radial O, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni abundance profiles. The radial distributions of all these elements, averaged over a large sample for the first time, represent the best constrained profiles available currently. Specific attention is devoted to a proper modelling of the EPIC spectral components, and to other systematic uncertainties that may affect our results. We find an overall decrease of the Fe abundance with radius out to ~0.9 r500 and ~0.6 r500 for clusters and groups, respectively, in good agreement with predictions from the most recent hydrodynamical simulations. The average radial profiles of all the other elements (X) are also centrally peaked and, when rescaled to their average central X/Fe ratios, follow well the Fe profile out to at least ~0.5 r500. As predicted by recent simulations, we find that the relative contribution of SNIa (SNcc) to the total ICM enrichment is consistent with being uniform at all radii, both for clusters and groups using two sets of SNIa and SNcc yield models that reproduce the X/Fe abundance pattern in the core well. In addition to implying that the central metal peak is balanced between SNIa and SNcc, our results suggest that the enriching SNIa and SNcc products must share the same origin and that the delay between the bulk of the SNIa and SNcc explosions must be shorter than the timescale necessary to diffuse out the metals. Finally, we report an apparent abundance drop in the very core of 14 systems (~32% of the sample). Possible origins of these drops are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the EPIC and RGS data from a deep (200 ks) XMM-Newton observation, we investigate the temperature structure (kT and σT) and the abundances of nine elements (O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni) of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in the nearby (z = 0:046) cool-core galaxy cluster Abell 4059. Next to a deep analysis of the cluster core, a careful modelling of the EPIC background allows us to build radial profiles up to 12' (~650 kpc) from the core. Probably because of projection effects, the temperature ICM is not found to be in single phase, even in the outer parts of the cluster. The abundances of Ne, Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe, but also O are peaked towards the core. The elements Fe and O are still significantly detected in the outermost annuli, which suggests that the enrichment by both type Ia and core-collapse SNe started in the early stages of the cluster formation. However, the particularly high Ca/Fe ratio that we find in the core is not well reproduced by the standard SNe yield models. Finally, 2D maps of temperature and Fe abundance are presented and confirm the existence of a denser, colder, and Fe-rich ridge south-west of the core, previously observed by Chandra. The origin of this asymmetry in the hot gas of the cluster core is still unclear, but it might be explained by a past intense ram-pressure stripping event near the central cD galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metals play a fundamental role in ICM cooling processes in cluster cores through the emission of spectral lines. But when and how were these metals formed and distributed through the ICM? The X-ray band has the unique property of containing emission lines from all elements from carbon to zinc within the 0.1-10 keV band. Using XMM- Newton, the abundances of about 11 elements are studied, which contain valuable information about their origin. Most elements were formed in type Ia and core-collapse supernovae, which have very different chemical yields. Massive stars and AGB stars also contribute by providing most of the carbon and nitrogen in the ICM. Because feedback processes suppress star formation in the cluster centre, the element abundances allow us to directly probe the star formation history of the majority of stars that are thought to have formed between z = 2-3. The spatial distribution in the core and the evolution with redshift also provide information about how these elements are transported from the member galaxies to the ICM. I review the current progress in chemical enrichment studies of the ICM and give an outlook to the future opportunities provided by XMM- Newton's successors, like Astro-H. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]