Forming One of the Most Massive Objects in the Universe: The Quadruple Merger in Abell 1758
Abstract
The system A1758 is made up of two galaxy clusters, a more massive, northern cluster and a southern cluster. Both parts are undergoing major merger events at different stages. Although the mass of the merger constituents provides enough energy to produce visible shock fronts in the X-ray, none have been found to date. We present detailed temperature and abundance maps based on Chandra ACIS data and identify several candidates for shocks and cold fronts from a smoothed gradient map of the surface brightness. One candidate can be confirmed as the missing shock front in the northern cluster through X-ray spectroscopy. Nonthermal radio emission observed with the GMRT confirms the presence of radio halos in the northern and southern clusters and shows evidence for a relic in the periphery of the southern cluster. We do not find evidence for shocked gas between A1758 N and A1758 S.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-4357/ab35e4
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1907.10581
- Bibcode:
- 2019ApJ...882...59S
- Keywords:
-
- galaxies: clusters: individual: A1758;
- galaxies: clusters: intracluster medium;
- galaxies: interactions;
- radio continuum: general;
- X-rays: galaxies: clusters;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- accepted by ApJ, 24 pages, 16 figures