Probing The Outskirts Of Galaxy Clusters With Chandra, Suzaku, And XMM
Abstract
The outskirts of galaxy clusters, beyond R_500, remain relatively unexplored territory and yet are vital to our understanding of cluster growth, structure, and mass. We present the first results from a program to constrain the state of the outer intra-cluster medium (ICM) in a large sample of galaxy clusters, exploiting the strengths of three complementary X-ray observatories: Chandra (good spatial resolution), Suzaku (low background), and XMM-Newton (high sensitivity). By carefully combining observations from the cluster core to beyond R_200, we are able to identify and and reduce systematic uncertainties that would impede our spatial and spatial analysis using a single telescope. Our initial sample comprises six clusters fully covered in azimuth to beyond R_200, and our analysis indicate that the ICM is not in hydrostatic equilibrium in the cluster outskirts, where we see clear azimuthal variations in temperature and surface brightness. We also describe plans to triple the size of our cluster sample, an improvement that will allow us to probe clusters exhibiting both falling and flat temperatures profiles.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #218
- Pub Date:
- May 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AAS...21822821M