Linear Structures in the Core of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies
Abstract
The hot X-ray emitting plasma in galaxy clusters is predicted to have turbulent motions which can contribute around ten percent of the cluster's central energy density. We report deep Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of the Coma cluster core, showing the presence of quasi-linear high-density arms spanning 150 kpc, consisting of low-entropy material likely stripped from merging subclusters. Two appear to be connected with a subgroup of galaxies at 650 kpc radius that is merging into the cluster, implying coherence over several hundred Myr. Such long lifetime implies that strong isotropic turbulence and conduction are suppressed in the core, despite the unrelaxed state of the cluster. Magnetic fields are presumably responsible. The structures seen in Coma present insight into the past Gyr of subcluster merger activity.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1309.4866,
title = {Linear Structures in the Core of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies},
author = {J. S. Sanders and A. C. Fabian and E. Churazov and A. A. Schekochihin and A. Simionescu and S. A. Walker and N. Werner},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1309.4866},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
Published in Science (2013-09-20, 341, #6152), 14 pages (with Supplementary Materials)