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.     

The radio properties of the cD galaxy of Abell 2390

We present multifrequency, multi-epoch radio imaging of the complex radio source B2151+174 in the core of the cluster, Abell 2390  ( z ≃ 0.23)  . From new and literature data, we conclude that the Faranoff–Riley type II (FRII)-powerful radio source is the combination of a compact, core-dominated 'medium-sized symmetric object' (MSO) with a more extended, steeper spectrum mini-halo. B2151+174 is unusual in a number of important aspects. (i) It is one of the most compact and flat spectrum sources in a cluster core known; (ii) it shows a complex, compact twin-jet structure in a north–south orientation; (iii) the orientation of the jets is 45° misaligned with apparent structure (ionization cones and dust disc) of the host galaxy on larger scales. Since the twin-jet of the MSO has its northern half with an apparent 'twist', it might be that precession of the central supermassive black hole explains this misalignment. B2151+174 may be an example of the early stage (10³–10⁴ yr duration) of a 'bubble' being blown into the intracluster medium where the plasma has yet to expand.     

The radio and X-ray properties of Abell 2319

New radio and X-ray data are reported for the rich cluster Abell 2319. This object is known from optical data to consist of two separate clusters, which are displaced by about 10′ in the NW direction, and could be in a pre-merger state.

In the radio domain, the cluster is characterized by the presence of a central diffuse halo source, more extended and powerful than the prototype halo in the Coma cluster. The radio halo shows an irregular structure, elongated in the NE-SW direction, and also extended towards the NW. We also report data on the extended radio galaxies located within the halo, or in its proximity.

The cluster X-ray brightness distribution shows an elongated structure towards the NW, in the radial region between 6′–12′, i.e. in the direction of the subcluster. This feature is exactly coincident with the NW extension of the radio halo. In addition, more substructural features are identified which could be due to an ongoing merger of the cluster with yet another mass component.

The radio halo morphology is correlated with the X-ray structure and the existence of merger processes in the cluster. The cluster merger can provide energy to maintain the radio halo, while the origin of the relativistic particles seems more problematic.     

Measurement of dwarf galaxies in the rich clusters Abell 665 and 963 at z=0.2

We show that the luminosity functions of the distant rich clusters Abell 665 ( z =0.182) and Abell 963 ( z =0.206) are flat or gradually rising down to M_R =−14, with α≈−1.2±0.4 [here α is the logarithmic slope of the luminosity function: φ( L )∝ L ^α at the faint end]. We do not confirm the steep luminosity functions (α≤−1.8) that have been recently proposed for these two clusters.
Several technical points are discussed in detail. In particular, we compute the corrections to the background contamination caused by gravitational lensing from the cluster dark matter, and show that the corrections are small unless we wish to determine variations in the luminosity function on small scales.
Recent observations have also shown that the field galaxy luminosity function at z ≈0.2 is also shallow between M_B =−19 and M_B =−13. Abell 665 and 963 are two of the richest clusters known at that redshift. We therefore propose that the galaxy luminosity function might be universal in this magnitude range at z =0.2.
The dwarf galaxies that we see in Abell 665 have a colour distribution that is strongly peaked at B − R =1.9. We compute K -corrections based on the spectral energy distributions of local galaxies, and show that these are probably dwarf spheroidal galaxies. This might suggest that the dwarf spheroidal population observed in Virgo already existed at z =0.2.     

BeppoSAX observations of three distant, highly luminous clusters of galaxies: RXJ1347−1145, Zwicky 3146 and Abell 2390

We present an analysis of BeppoSAX observations of three clusters of galaxies that are amongst the most luminous in the Universe: RXJ1347−1145, Zwicky 3146 and Abell 2390. Using data from both the Low Energy (LECS) and Medium Energy (MECS) Concentrator Spectrometers, and a joint analysis with the Phoswich Detection System (PDS) data above 10 keV, we constrain, with a relative uncertainty of between 7 and 42 per cent (90 per cent confidence level), the mean gas temperature in the three clusters. These measurements are checked against any possible non-thermal contribution to the plasma emission and are shown to be robust.
We confirm that RXJ1347−1145 has a gas temperature that lies in the range between 13.2 and 22.3 keV at the 90 per cent confidence level, and is larger than 12.1 keV at 3 σ level. The existence of such a hot galaxy cluster at redshift of about 0.45 implies an upper limit on the mean mass density in the Universe, Ω_m, of 0.5.
Combining the BeppoSAX estimates for gas temperature and luminosity of the three clusters presented in this work with ASCA measurements available in the literature, we obtain a slope of 2.7 in the L – T relation once the physical properties are corrected from the contamination from the central cooling flows.     

Internal colour gradients for E/S0 galaxies in Abell 2218

We determine colour gradients of  −0.15 ± 0.08  mag per decade in radius in F450W−F606W and  −0.07 ± 0.06 mag  per decade in radius in F606W−F814W for a sample of 22 E/S0 galaxies in Abell 2218. These gradients are consistent with the existence of a mild (  ∼−0.3  dex per decade in radius) gradient in metal abundance (cf. previous work at lower and higher redshifts for field and cluster galaxies). The size of the observed gradients is found to be independent of luminosity over a range spanning   M *−1  to   M *+1.5  and also to be independent of morphological type. These results suggest a fundamental similarity in the distributions of stellar populations in ellipticals and the bulges of lenticular galaxies. These results are not consistent with simple models of either monolithic collapse or hierarchical mergers.     

Simulation of radio plasma in clusters of galaxies

We present three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of buoyant gas in a typical cluster environment. In these simulations, hot matter was injected continuously into a small region offset from the cluster centre. In agreement with previous analytic estimates, we found that the bubbles evolve very differently depending on the rate of energy injection. Using tracer particles we computed the efficiency of the bubbles to stir the intracluster medium (ICM) and find that recurrent low-power sources are more effective in mixing the inner cluster region than rarer large outbursts. Moreover, we computed radio maps of the bubbles based on different assumptions about the magnetic field. In the radio band the bubbles closely resemble FR I sources. For the bubbles to be detectable for long enough to account for FR I sources, we found that reacceleration has to take place. The bubbles are generally difficult to detect, both in the radio and in the X-ray band. Thus it is possible to hide a significant amount of energy in the form of bubbles in clusters.     

An extreme example of a radio relic in Abell 4038

A radio source with a spectral index of −2.2 between 0.08 and 1.425 GHz has been observed at the Very Large Array (VLA) at 1.425 GHz with resolution ∼ 3 arcsec. The projected linear length of the source is 56 kpc with an average projected distance of 42 kpc from the centroid of the rich southern cluster Abell 4038, assuming the source is in the cluster. The physical parameters of the source include a high minimum-energy field ( B _me) of 38 μG, which is unusual for a source of low surface brightness and relaxed appearance, but is explained by its unusually steep spectrum. Although its radio morphology has some characteristics of a narrow-angle-tail source (NAT), the absence of an identified host galaxy ( m _R ≥ 23.0) makes it unlikely that the source is a working radio galaxy. The relic is probably the remains of an FR II radio galaxy that was once energized by a particular bright cluster elliptical now 18 kpc to its east. The density of the intracluster gas has been sufficient to confine the source and preserve its morphology, permitting the source to age and its spectrum to steepen through synchrotron and inverse Compton energy losses.