Related papers: Mergers and Non-Thermal Processes in Clusters
In McCarthy et al. (2007, astro-ph/0701335) we present an analysis of entropy generation during cluster mergers, using SPH simulations. This conference proceeding contribution summarizes some of the most important findings of that paper,…
In this paper we present the results of two detailed N-body simulations of the interaction of a sample of four massive globular clusters in the inner region of a triaxial galaxy. A full merging of the clusters takes place, leading to a…
We have examined the spatial distribution of substructure in clusters of galaxies using Einstein X-ray observations. Subclusters are found to have a markedly anisotropic distribution that reflects the surrounding matter distribution on…
The evolution of galaxies is driven strongly by dynamical processes including internal instabilities, tidal interactions and mergers. The cluster environment is a useful laboratory for studying these effects. I present recent results on…
(Abridged) We present a parameter study of offset mergers between clusters of galaxies. Using the Eulerian hydrodynamics/N-body code COSMOS, we simulate mergers between nonisothermal, hydrostatic clusters with a steep central dark matter…
Chandra has significantly advanced our knowledge of the processes in the intracluster gas. The discovery of remarkably regular ``cold fronts'', or contact discontinuities, in merging clusters showed that gas dynamic instabilities at the…
We present a simulated cluster of galaxies, modeled with a pre-heated intracluster medium, that exhibits X-ray features similar to the `cold fronts' seen in Chandra observations. Mock observations at a particular epoch show factor two…
We present a high-resolution simulation of globular cluster formation in a galaxy merger. For the first time in such a simulation, individual star clusters are directly identified and followed on their orbits. We quantitatively compare star…
We use numerical simulation to investigate the triggering of starbursts in merging disk galaxies. The properties of the merger-driven starbursts are sensitive to the structure of the progenitor galaxies; specifically, to the amount of…
This lecture reviews the fundamental physical processes involved in star formation in galaxy interactions and mergers. Interactions and mergers often drive intense starbursts, but the link between interstellar gas physics, large scale…
FERMI (formely GLAST) will shortly provide crucial information on relativistic particles in galaxy clusters. We discuss non-thermal emission in the context of general calculations in which relativistic particles (protons and secondary…
Recent simulation work has successfully captured the formation of the star clusters that have been observed in merging galaxies. These studies, however, tend to focus on studying extreme starbursts, such as the Antennae galaxies. We aim to…
We report on the analysis of a suite of SPH simulations (incorporating cooling and star formation) of mergers involving idealised X-ray clusters whose initial conditions resemble relaxed clusters with cool compact cores observed by Chandra…
We use high resolution simulations to study the formation and distribution of galaxies within a cluster which forms hierarchically. We follow both dark matter and baryonic gas which is subject to thermal pressure, shocks and radiative…
We investigate the shock acceleration of particles in massive galaxy mergers or collisions, and show that cosmic rays (CRs) can be accelerated up to the second knee energy ~0.1-1 EeV and possibly beyond, with a hard spectral index Gamma ~…
Several simple mergers between model galaxy clusters containing a mixture of gas and dark matter are examined, testing the coupling of the gas to the underlying collisionless material. The gas is shocked, irreversibly dissipating the energy…
Clusters of galaxies are the largest self-gravitating structures in the universe. Each cluster is filled with a large-scale plasma atmosphere, in which primordial matter is mixed with matter that has been processed inside stars. This is a…
We review the possible mechanisms for production of non-thermal electrons which are responsible for non-thermal radiation in clusters of galaxies. Our primary focus is on non-thermal Bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering, that…
Clusters of galaxies are the largest gravitationally bounded structures in the Universe dominated by dark matter. We review the observational appearance and physical models of plasma structures in clusters of galaxies. Bubbles of…
The gas in galaxy clusters is heated by shock compression through accretion (outer shocks) and mergers (inner shocks). These processes additionally produce turbulence. To analyse the relation between the thermal and turbulent energies of…