The distribution and mass of iron in the intracluster space of rich clusters of galaxies.
Abstract
It is shown that intracluster (IC) iron, whose presence is deduced from observations of an X-ray emission feature in the spectra of some X-ray clusters, could not have sedimented in the cluster core in a Hubble time. It is therefore concluded that the iron and gas are likely to be similarly distributed. Estimates of the total IC iron mass are given, and the possibility that the iron has been convected to the IC space by galactic winds from the visible cluster galaxies is briefly considered.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 1978
- DOI:
- 10.1086/156495
- Bibcode:
- 1978ApJ...225..335R
- Keywords:
-
- Galactic Clusters;
- Intergalactic Media;
- Iron;
- X Ray Astronomy;
- Cosmic Gases;
- Interstellar Magnetic Fields;
- Spatial Distribution;
- Astrophysics;
- Clusters of Galaxies:X-Ray Spectra;
- Intergalactic Matter:Iron