Evolution of globular cluster systems in three galaxies of the Fornax cluster

We studied and compared the radial profiles of globular clusters and of the stellar bulge component in three galaxies of the Fornax cluster observed with the WFPC2 of the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ). The stars are more concentrated toward the galactic centres than globular clusters, in agreement with what has already been observed in many other galaxies: if the observed difference is the result of evolution of the globular cluster systems starting from initial profiles similar to those of the halo–bulge stellar components, a relevant fraction of their initial mass (74, 47 and 52 per cent for NGC 1379, 1399 and 1404, respectively) should have disappeared in the inner regions. This mass has probably contributed to the nuclear field population, local dynamics and high-energy phenomena in the primeval life of the galaxy. An indication in favour of the evolutionary interpretation of the difference between the globular cluster system and stellar bulge radial profiles is given by the positive correlation we found between the value of the mass lost from the globular cluster system and the central galactic black hole mass in the set of seven galaxies for which these data are available.     

The X-ray properties of optically selected z > 0.6 clusters in the European Southern Observatory Distant Cluster Survey

We present XMM–Newton observations of three optically selected   z > 0.6  clusters from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Distant Cluster Survey (EDisCS), comprising the first results of a planned X-ray survey of the full EDisCS high-redshift sample. The EDisCS clusters were identified in the Las Campanas Distant Cluster Survey as surface brightness fluctuations in the optical sky and their masses and galaxy populations are well described by extensive photometric and spectroscopic observations. We detect two of the three clusters in the X-ray and place a firm upper limit on diffuse emission in the third cluster field. We are able to constrain the X-ray luminosity and temperature of the detected clusters and estimate their masses. We find that the X-ray properties of the detected EDisCS clusters are similar to those of X-ray-selected clusters of comparable mass and – unlike other high-redshift, optically selected clusters – are consistent with the T –σ and   L _X–σ  relations determined from X-ray-selected clusters at low redshift. The X-ray determined mass estimates are generally consistent with those derived from weak-lensing and spectroscopic analyses. These preliminary results suggest that the novel method of optical selection used to construct the EDisCS catalogue may, like selection by X-ray luminosity, be well suited for identification of relaxed, high-redshift clusters whose intracluster medium is in place and stable by   z ∼ 0.8  .     

Chandra constraints on the thermal conduction in the intracluster plasma of A2142

In this Letter, we use the recent Chandra observation of Abell 2142 reported by Markevitch et al. to put constraints on thermal conduction in the intracluster plasma. We show that the observed sharp temperature gradient requires that classical conductivity has to be reduced at least by a factor of between 250 and 2500. The result provides a direct constraint on an important physical process relevant to the gas in the cores of clusters of galaxies.     

Coulomb interactions in the intracluster medium

In this paper we discuss the effect of Coulomb collisions on the temperature profiles of the intracluster medium in clusters of galaxies, motivated by recent reports of negative temperature gradients in some clusters by Markevitch et al. The time-scale for electrons and protons to reach temperature equilibrium can exceed a few × 10⁹ years beyond radii of a megaparsec, if the intracluster gas is assumed to be at the usual cluster virial temperature. If a cluster merger has occurred within that time causing the protons, but not the electrons, to be rapidly heated then a small negative temperature gradient can result. This gradient is larger in clusters with higher temperatures and steeper density profiles.   Applying these considerations to the cluster of galaxies A2163, we conclude that, more plausibly, the observed gradient is due to a lack of hydrostatic equilibrium following a merger.     

Radio properties of the Shapley Concentration – III. Merging clusters in the A3558 complex

We present the results of a 22-cm radio survey carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) covering the A3558 complex, a chain formed by the merging ACO clusters A3556–A3558–A3562 and the two groups SC 1327−312 and SC 1323−313, located in the central region of the Shapley Concentration. The purpose of our survey is to study the effects of cluster mergers on the statistical properties of radio galaxies and to investigate the connection between mergers and the presence of radio haloes and relic sources.
We found that the radio source counts in the A3558 complex are consistent with the background source counts. The much higher optical density compared with the background is not reflected as a higher density of radio sources. Furthermore, we found that no correlation exists between the local density and the radio source power, and that steep-spectrum radio galaxies are not segregated in denser optical regions.
The radio luminosity function for elliptical and S0 galaxies is significantly lower than for cluster early-type galaxies and for those not selected to be in clusters at radio powers log  P _1.4≳22.5, implying that the probability of a galaxy becoming a radio source above this power limit is lower in the Shapley Concentration compared with any other environment. Possible explanations will be presented.
The detection of a head–tail source in the centre of A3562, coupled with careful inspection of the 20-cm NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) and of 36-cm MOST observations, allowed us to spot two extended sources in the region between A3562 and SC 1329−313, i.e. a candidate radio halo at the centre of A3562 and low brightness extended emission around a 14.96-mag Shapley galaxy. The relation between these two extended galaxies and the ongoing group merger in this region of the Shapley Concentration are discussed.     

Evidence of a link between the evolution of clusters and their AGN fraction

We discuss the optical properties, X-ray detections and active galactic nucleus (AGN) populations of four clusters at   z ∼ 1  in the Subaru–XMM Deep Field (SXDF). The velocity distribution and plausible extended X-ray detections are examined, as well as the number of X-ray point sources and radio sources associated with the clusters. We find that the two clusters that appear virialized and have an extended X-ray detection contain few, if any, AGN, whereas the two pre-virialized clusters have a large AGN population. This constitutes evidence that the AGN fraction in clusters is linked to the clusters' evolutionary stage. The number of X-ray AGN in the pre-virialized clusters is consistent with an overdensity of a factor of ∼200; the radio AGN appear to be clustered with a factor of 3 to 6 higher. The median K -band luminosities of   L_K = 1.7 ± 0.7 L *  for the X-ray sources and   L_K = 2.3 ± 0.1 L *  for the radio sources support the theory that these AGN are triggered by galaxy interaction and merging events in sub-groups with low internal velocity distributions, which make up the cluster environment in a pre-virialization evolutionary stage.     

A substructure analysis of the A3558 cluster complex

The 'algorithm driven by the density estimate for the identification of clusters' ( DEDICA ) is applied to the A3558 cluster complex in order to find substructures. This complex, located at the centre of the Shapley Concentration supercluster, is a chain formed by the ACO clusters A3556, A3558 and A3562 and the two poor clusters SC 1327-312 and SC 1329-313. We find a large number of clumps, indicating that strong dynamical processes are active. In particular, it is necessary to use a fully three-dimensional sample (i.e. using the galaxy velocity as third coordinate) in order also to recover the clumps superimposed along the line of sight. Even though a large number of detected substructures was already found in a previous analysis, this method is more efficient and faster when compared with a wide battery of tests, and permits the direct estimate of the detection significance. Almost all subclusters previously detected by the wavelet analyses found in the literature are recognized by DEDICA . On the basis of the substructure analysis, we also briefly discuss the origin of the A3558 complex by comparing two hypotheses: (i) the structure is a cluster–cluster collision seen just after the first core–core encounter; or (ii) this complex is the result of a series of incoherent group–group and cluster–group mergings, focused in that region by the presence of the surrounding supercluster. We studied the fraction of blue galaxies in the detected substructures and found that the bluest groups reside between A3562 and A3558, i.e. in the expected position for the scenario of cluster–cluster collision.     

Radio properties of the Shapley Concentration – IV.The A3528 cluster complex

We report and discuss the results of a 22-cm radio survey carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) covering the A3528 complex, a chain formed by the merging ACO clusters A3528–A3530–A3532 , located in the central region of the Shapley Concentration. Simultaneous 13-cm observations are also presented. Our final catalogue includes a total of 106 radio sources above the flux density limit of 0.8 mJy. By cross-correlation with optical and spectroscopic catalogues we found 32 optical counterparts, nine of them belonging to the A3528 complex.
We explored the effects of cluster mergers on the radio emission properties of radio galaxies by means of the radio luminosity function (RLF) and radio source counts. We found that the radio source counts are consistent with the background counts, as already found for the A3558 complex. The RLF for this complex is consistent, in both shape and normalization, with the general cluster luminosity function for early-type galaxies derived by Ledlow & Owen. This result is different from the one we obtained for the A3558 merging complex, the RLF of which is significantly lower than that derived by Ledlow & Owen.
We propose that the different stage of the merger is responsible for the different RLFs in the two cluster complexes in the core of the Shapley Concentration. The early stage of merger for the A3528 complex, proposed by many authors, may not yet have affected the radio properties of cluster galaxies, while in the more much advanced merger in the A3558 region we actually see the effects of this process on the radio emission.