Related papers: An N-body/hydrodynamical simulation study of the m…
We review recent findings from a detailed simulation study of the merging cluster El Gordo and present new results inferred from weak lensing data. We found that the observed spatial offsets between the different mass components are well…
Merging galaxy clusters have been touted as one of the best probes for constraining self-interacting dark matter, but few simulations exist to back up this claim. We simulate equal mass mergers of 10$^{15}$ M$_\odot$ halos, like the El…
The observational features of the massive galaxy cluster "El Gordo" (ACT-CL J0102-4915), such as the X-ray emission, the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect, and the surface mass density distribution, indicate that they are caused by an…
El Gordo (ACT-CL J0102-4915) is an extremely massive galaxy cluster ($M_{200} \approx 3 \times 10^{15}$ $M_{\odot}$) at redshift $z = 0.87 $ composed of two subclusters with mass ratio 3.6 merging at speed $V_{infall} \approx 2500$ km/s.…
The merger scenario of two galaxy subclusters to form the massive galaxy cluster 'El Gordo' is investigated using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations. Idealized cluster models are used to initialize the states of both…
El Gordo (ACT-CL J0102-4915) is an extraordinarily large and bright galaxy cluster collision. In a previous study, we found that El Gordo is in $6.2\sigma$ tension with the $\Lambda$CDM standard model when assuming the nominal mass and…
(Abridged) We compare recent results from X-ray, strong lensing, weak lensing, and optical observations with numerical simulations of the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56. X-ray observations reveal a bullet-like subcluster with a prominent…
We compare new maps of the hot gas, dark matter, and galaxies for 1E0657-56, a cluster with a rare, high-velocity merger occurring nearly in the plane of the sky. The X-ray observations reveal a bullet-like gas subcluster just exiting the…
Simulations of isolated binary mergers of galaxy clusters are a useful tool to study the evolution of these objects. For exceptionally massive systems they even represent the only viable way of simulation, because these are rare in typical…
Merging galaxy clusters with radio relics provide rare insights to the merger dynamics as the relics are created by the violent merger process. We demonstrate one of the first uses of the properties of the radio relic to reduce the…
Collisions between galaxy clusters provide a test of the non-gravitational forces acting on dark matter. Dark matter's lack of deceleration in the `bullet cluster collision' constrained its self-interaction cross-section \sigma_DM/m <…
The distinctive cometary X-ray morphology of the recently discovered massive galaxy cluster "El Gordo" (ACT-CT J0102-4915; z=0.87) indicates that an unusually high-speed collision is ongoing between two massive galaxy clusters. A bright…
Dark matter (DM) self-interactions have been proposed to solve problems on small length scales within the standard cold DM cosmology. Here, we investigate the effects of DM self-interactions in merging systems of galaxies and galaxy…
Terrestrial particle accelerators collide charged particles, then watch the trajectory of outgoing debris - but they cannot manipulate dark matter. Fortunately, dark matter is the main component of galaxy clusters, which are continuously…
Self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) has been proposed to solve small-scale problems in $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. In previous work, constraints on the self-interaction cross-section of dark matter have been derived assuming that the…
Dark matter (DM) particles can interact with particles of the standard model. Although there are a number of constraints derived from direct and indirect detection experiments, the evolution of astrophysical objects could offer a promising…
We perform a general computational analysis of possible post-collision mass distributions in high-speed galaxy cluster collisions in the presence of weakly self-interacting dark matter. Using this analysis, we show that weakly…
We analyze strongly lensed images in 8 galaxy clusters to measure their dark matter density profiles in the radial region between 10 kpc and 150 kpc, and use this to constrain the self-interaction cross section of dark matter (DM)…
We perform numerical simulations of the merging galaxy cluster 1E 0657-56 (the Bullet Cluster), including the effects of elastic dark matter scattering. In a similar manner to the stripping of gas by ram pressure, dark matter…
We analyze the dynamical and thermal evolution of dark matter and ICM in hydrodynamical Tree-SPH simulations of galaxy clusters. Starting from a sample of 17 high-resolution objects, with virial mass ranging from 3 10^{14} to 1.7 10^{15}…