Hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy clusters: exploring the thermodynamics of the hot intra-cluster medium
Abstract
Modern cosmological simulations represent a powerful means to analyse and interpret the formation and evolution of cosmic structures. The first attempts to perform such simulations, dated back to 1960-1970, consisted in N-body collisionless computations with few point masses. Since then, cosmological simulations have experienced a great progress and have increased significantly in scale and complexity. A relevant effort has been done to properly model the hydrodynamical mechanisms shaping the observational properties of galaxies and galaxy clusters. Despite the significant improvements of the last years, results from current simulations still show important deviations from observations, especially within the core regions of galaxy clusters and within the framework of galaxy formation. In this contribution, I will briefly review the current numerical methods employed in large-scale cosmological simulations. A special emphasis will be put on the effects that the inclusion of different baryonic processes, such as radiative cooling, star formation or AGN feedback, has on the physical properties of the hot intra-cluster medium of massive galaxy clusters. In addition, some of the technical and computational challenges that numerical cosmology has to overcome in the near future will be outlined.
- Publication:
-
Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII
- Pub Date:
- May 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015hsa8.conf..764P