Related papers: A study of diffusive shock acceleration as a proce…
Motivated by the suggestion of Kang, Ryu \& Jones (1996) that particles can be accelerated to high energies via diffusive shock acceleration process at the accretion shocks formed by the infalling flow toward the clusters of galaxies, we…
Recent results on the radio emission from galaxy clusters are reviewed, with emphasis both on the radio galaxies and on the diffuse radio emission from the intracluster medium. We show that the formation of the tailed morphology in cluster…
We present a Chandra observation of the merging cluster of galaxies Abell 2744. The cluster shows strong evidence for an ongoing major merger which we believe to be responsible for the radio halo. X-ray emission and temperature maps of the…
The diffuse plasma inside clusters of galaxies has X-ray emitting temperatures of a few keV. The physical mechanisms that heat this intracluster medium (ICM) to such temperatures include the accretion shock at the periphery of a galaxy…
We discuss the diffuse emission of gamma rays and neutrinos from galaxy clusters in the viable models for structure formation in the universe. We use a self-consistent picture for cluster formation and evolution starting from a primordial…
Protons can be plausibly accelerated to $\sim 10^{18}$-$10^{19}$ eV in strong accretion shocks surrounding massive clusters of galaxies. Such protons efficiently produce very high energy pairs through interactions with the CMB, which then…
We present a 200 ksec Chandra observation of seven spectroscopically selected, high redshift (0.75 < z < 1.03) galaxy groups and clusters discovered by the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS). X-ray emission at…
Observations of diffuse radio emission in galaxy clusters indicate that cosmic-ray electrons are accelerated on $\sim$Mpc scales. However, protons appear to be accelerated less efficiently since their associated hadronic $\gamma$-ray…
The search for gamma radiation in clusters of galaxies represents a precious tool to investigate the history of these large scale structures. Clusters or sources within them accelerate cosmic rays, as demonstrated by the detection of radio…
We study the effect of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in the massive compact star cluster Westerlund 1 in light of its recent detection in $\gamma$-rays. Recent observations reveal a $1/r$ radial distribution of the CR energy density. Here we…
Mergers of galaxy clusters are among the most energetic events in the Universe. These events have significant impact on the intra-cluster medium, depositing vast amounts of energy - often in the form of shocks - as well as heavily…
[Abridged] We searched for diffuse stellar emission around BCGs in three of the most X-ray luminous clusters found at z~0.3 in the REFLEX cluster survey and observed with XMM-Newton. These systems (RXCJ0014.3-3022, RXCJ0232.2-4420, and…
NGC 3311, the central galaxy of the Hydra I cluster, shows signatures of recent infall of satellite galaxies from the cluster environment. Previous work has shown that the line-of-sight velocity dispersion of the stars and globular clusters…
If the accelerated expansion of the universe is due to a modification of general relativity at late times, it is likely that the growth of structure on large scales would also display deviations from the standard cosmology. We investigate…
In high-resolution X-ray observations of the hot plasma in clusters of galaxies significant structures caused by AGN feedback, mergers, and turbulence can be detected. Many clusters have been observed by Chandra in great depth and at high…
The existence of dark matter can be proved in an astrophysical context by the discovery of a system in which the observed baryons and the inferred dark matter are spatially segregated, such as the bullet cluster (1E0657-558). The full…
We present Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster AC114, which shows a strongly irregular morphology, with signs of multiple merging activity. We report the discovery of a soft X-ray filament originating close to the core of the…
We present Chandra gas temperature maps for two hot, intermediate-redshift clusters A665 and A2163. Both show strong temperature variations in their central r=1 Mpc regions, naturally interpreted as product of the subcluster mergers. The…
Using the near-infrared integral-field spectrograph SPIFFI on the VLT, we have studied the spatially-resolved dynamics in the z=3.2 strongly lensed galaxy 1E0657-56 ``arc+core''. The lensing configuration suggests that the high surface…
Clusters of galaxies generally form by the gravitational merger of smaller clusters and groups. Major cluster mergers are the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. The basic properties of cluster mergers and their…