Gas Sloshing in the Rich Cluster A2204: Putting Constraints on the Properties of the Magnetized Hot Plasma
Abstract
We present results from our detailed analysis of the gas sloshing structures in the rich galaxy cluster Abell 2204, based on deep Chandra observations. We investigate the spiral structure in the X-ray surface brightness, which is a common signature of gas sloshing caused by an interaction with another nearby cluster. We identify discontinuities (edges) in the cluster surface brightness profiles in different directions from the cluster center. We measure the gas temperature, pressure and entropy across these surface brightness edges and find that the prominant surface brightness edges in the east and west are both typical "cold fronts", likely produced by gas sloshing. We use the results of our analysis to constrain the strength of the magnetic field in the cluster. We also use our measurements to provide an upper limit on the velocity of the cold gas beneath the front surface of the cold front. Finally we identify two subcluster candidates in the cluster outskirts, which may have been responsible for the gas sloshing.This research was supported by the Smithsonian Institution, Chandra Prime Contract NAS8-03060, Nanjing University, and the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22723502J