arXiv subjects

François Mernier

Publications and source records attributed to François Mernier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

XRISM observations of the Perseus cluster along two arms: Chaotic ICM motions probed by resonant scattering

XRISM has mapped gas velocities across the core of the Perseus cluster, separating the kinematic effects of mergers and AGN feedback. The physical properties of these motions remain unclear: are they a superposition of bulk flows, predominantly random/turbulent motions, or a mixture of both? Without resolving this question, constraints on the nonthermal pressure fraction and heating rate remain uncertain, as both assume predominantly random motions. Unlike emission line broadening, resonant scattering is most sensitive to small-scale, random motions rather than coherent bulk flows. Taking advantage of the extensive XRISM coverage of the Perseus cluster, we detect the full effects of resonant scattering on the Heα w line for the first time. This includes flux suppression in the cluster center, enhancement in the outer regions, and non-Gaussianity in the emission line. We employ radiative transfer simulations to constrain the amplitude of small-scale ICM velocities in the inner 60 kpc of Perseus, finding them to be consistent with the line broadening measurements within the uncertainties. This indicates the observed velocity dispersion is primarily due to small-scale random motions in the central Perseus regions rather than coherent bulk flows. We further explore potential anisotropy of these motions, showing that they are consistent with isotropic or radial motions rather than tangential ones. Longer XRISM observations are required to improve these anisotropy constraints. Finally, we explore azimuthal variations between the two complete radial arms observed by XRISM.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Planck Constraints on Turbulence in the Coma Cluster

Turbulence within the intracluster medium (ICM) influences galaxy cluster thermodynamics and virialisation, contributing to non-thermal pressure support and impacting hydrostatic mass estimates. Characterising this turbulence through thermodynamic fluctuations remains observationally challenging due to the non-linear relationships between observables such as density and pressure, and the underlying velocity field. This study aims to constrain the properties of ICM turbulence by performing a comprehensive reanalysis of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) surface brightness fluctuations based on Planck survey observations of the Coma cluster. We analyse the 2D power spectrum of SZ fluctuations, modelling the underlying 3D pressure fluctuation power spectrum assuming Kolmogorov-type turbulence. We infer key parameters from a simulation-based inference framework relying on normalizing flows to accurately recover posterior distributions. By constraining the pressure fluctuation power spectrum, we are able to infer the properties of turbulence in the Coma cluster, finding a large injection scale of $l_{\text{inj}} = 540^{+450}_{-200}$ kpc, a slope of $α= 3.50_{-0.46}^{+0.50}$ (under Gaussian prior), and a substantial 3D Mach number of $\mathcal{M}_{3D} = 0.60^{+0.13}_{-0.09}$. These values correspond to turbulent velocities in the range $σ_{v,\text{ }3D} = 357-1095$ km/s and a non thermal pressure fraction of $P_{\text{turb}}/P_{\text{tot}} = 0.17_{-0.04}^{+0.06}$. Our results are consistent with recent direct velocity measurements from XRISM, supporting a scenario of significant turbulence in the Coma cluster and highlighting the complex interplay of dynamical processes within its ICM. Our simulation-based inference approach applied to SZ fluctuations paves the way for systematic multi-probe studies combining SZ and X-ray data, as well as direct and indirect observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Chemical enrichment of the Perseus cluster core seen by XRISM/Resolve

The intracluster medium (ICM) is rich in chemical elements, produced by core-collapse (SNcc) and Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) over the last $\sim$12 Gyr. Whereas cluster outskirts are uniformly enriched with Fe at $\sim$0.3 solar - strongly suggesting that the gas had been pre-enriched during or before the assembly of galaxies into clusters, the Fe abundance is known to centrally increase in the core of relaxed clusters. The origin of these central Fe peaks however, as well as the apparent presence of mysterious drops previously reported in the very centre of a number of systems, remain to be clarified. In this paper, we address these two questions by measuring the spatial distribution of Fe and its relative Si/Fe, S/Fe, Ar/Fe, Ca/Fe, Cr/Fe, Mn/Fe, and Ni/Fe ratios in the X-ray bright, nearby Perseus cluster. We take advantage of the unprecedented spectral resolution ($\sim$5 eV) offered by the Resolve microcalorimeter on board XRISM, which observed four distinct pointings of Perseus out to $\sim$250 kpc ($\sim$0.2$r_{500}$) during its Performance Verification phase. Although the presence of an X-ray bright AGN challenges a precise quantification of absolute abundances in the very core, our baseline analysis rules out a strong drop with $>$2$σ$ confidence, at variance with previous CCD measurements. In addition, we find a remarkable spatial uniformity of X/Fe ratios, supporting the idea of negligible late SNIa enrichment from the brightest cluster galaxy NGC 1275. We also compare the overall chemical composition of the Perseus ICM with SNcc and SNIa nucleosynthesis yield models, finding that the co-existence of two separate SNIa enrichment channels is not needed to reproduce the ICM ratios satisfactorily.

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arXiv2026

XRISM Observations of Abell 1795: Evidence for Low Turbulence and Resonant Scattering

We present high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations of the cool-core galaxy cluster Abell~1795 obtained with XRISM/Resolve. The cluster was observed with two deep pointings: a 225 ks central exposure and a 113 ks northern exposure, extending to a projected radius of 320 kpc from the cluster center. Single-temperature fits reveal a clear radial gradient in the line-of-sight velocity dispersion, decreasing from 114 $\pm$ 11 km/s in the core to 68 $\pm$ 39 km/s at 320 kpc. The bulk velocities in the central regions are very low (22 $\pm$ 12 and 7 $\pm$ 21 km/s), indicating no significant relative motion between the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) and the intracluster medium (ICM). Given that the central region includes the southward extending cool gas tail, this result disfavors the ``cooling-wake'' scenario and instead supports an AGN-uplift origin. We find that the nonthermal pressure fraction decreases with radius, from $P_{\rm NT}/P_{\rm T}\approx2\%$ in the core to $\sim0.6\%$ at 330 kpc, suggesting that the northern ICM of A1795 is largely quiescent. Two-temperature and split energy-band (2--4 keV and 6--7 keV) fits identify two gas phases within the central $<1.5'$ region, providing strong evidence for multiphase gas in the cluster core. We detect a $\sim14\%$ resonant suppression of the optically thick Fe XXV $w$ line in the center. Additionally, we observe a significant excess in the Fe XXV $y$ line-flux relative to models. Accounting for uncertainties in the atomic data reduces this discrepancy, suggesting that atomic data uncertainties may contribute to the observed residual flux.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Probable Detection of a Cooler Gas Component in the Perseus Cluster with XRISM

We present an analysis of the temperature structure of the Perseus cluster atmosphere using XRISM Resolve observations. The average temperature rises from 3.3 keV near the nucleus of NGC 1275 to 8 keV at 10 arcmin (210 kpc), which is consistent with Chandra and XMM measurements. The velocity and velocity dispersion profiles are broadly consistent with those in arXiv:2509.04421. While the gas at altitudes beyond $\sim60$ kpc can be modeled as a single temperature plasma, we find evidence for more than one gas phase in the inner $\sim60$ kpc. The hotter gas component, traced primarily by the Fe He$α$ line, has a velocity dispersion of $\lesssim140$ km s$^{-1}$. We detect a cooler, $\sim1.87-2.43$ keV, gas component with a velocity dispersion of $\sim300-400$ km s$^{-1}$ and a bulk velocity of $\sim 21-213$ km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the central galaxy. These ranges reflect large systematic uncertainties associated with modeling spatial-spectral mixing and the bright central point source. Potential low energy gain variations may add additional uncertainties. The cooler component is identified by broad wings in prominent emission lines, most notably S Ly$α$ and Fe He$α$. This cooler component's Mach number $\sim0.73-0.96$ and non-thermal pressure fraction of $\sim22.9-33.7\%$ are much higher than found for the hotter gas. The cooler gas may be associated with merging halos along the line of sight which formed the cool, sloshing spiral and/or cooling gas being disturbed by the radio jets and lobes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

A Fast, Hot Wind from a Nuclear Starburst

Galaxies with intense star formation often host multiphase, galaxy-scale winds powered by supernovae and fast stellar winds. These are strong enough to disrupt the star-forming interstellar medium, and they chemically enrich the surrounding circumgalactic medium. However, their launching mechanism remains unknown. Here we show that thermal gas pressure is sufficient to drive the multiphase wind in the prototypical starburst galaxy M82. Using a high energy-resolution ($ΔE = 4.5$ eV) XRISM Resolve spectrum, including detections of FeXXV 6.7 keV, ArXVII 3.1 keV, and SXVI 2.6 keV, we measure the temperature ($T = 2.3^{+0.5}_{-0.2} \times 10^7$ K) and mass ($M \approx 6 \pm 2 \times 10^5$ M$_\odot$) of the hot gas in the starburst and provide the first direct measurement of its line-of-sight velocity dispersion ($σ= 595^{+464}_{-128}$ km s$^{-1}$). These values are consistent with a freely-expanding wind exceeding the galactic escape velocity. The size of the FeXXV-emitting region suggests a hot gas outflow rate of $\dot{M} \approx 4$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, carrying a total energy of $\dot{E} \approx 2 \times 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$. This is sufficient to drive the molecular, atomic, and ionized outflows while transporting up to $\approx 2$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ of hot gas to the intergalactic medium. The estimated supernova rate implies that $\approx$ 60% of the supernova energy must be thermalized in hot gas. Our results suggest that additional driving mechanisms, such as cosmic-ray pressure, are not required to launch the wind.

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arXiv2026

Resonant scattering at the center of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-191 with XRISM

We report evidence for the resonant scattering effect at the center of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-191 with XRISM. We analyzed XRISM/Resolve commissioning-phase observations of the distant cluster PKS 0745-191 (z = 0.103) with a 54 ks exposure. The gain drift was corrected using the onboard modulated X-ray source (MXS), and spectra were extracted from all pixels well illuminated by MXS, the core region (four central pixels, about 100 kpc), and the surrounding region. A single-temperature collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) model fits the full field-of-view spectrum with kT about 6 keV and a turbulent velocity of about 120 km/s. From the core (r < 50 kpc) spectrum, we detect about 22 percent suppression of the Fe XXV He-alpha resonance (w) line relative to the CIE prediction. We performed Monte Carlo simulations to calculate the resonant scattering (RS) effect using radial profiles from Chandra data. The RS-inferred turbulence agrees with that inferred from Resolve line broadening, demonstrating that RS provides an independent and consistent constraint on ICM turbulence. These results highlight the potential of XRISM/Resolve for turbulence studies in galaxy clusters.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

X-ray line diagnostics of the multi-phase gas in the Centaurus cluster core with XRISM/Resolve

We report the multi-temperature structure of the intracluster medium (ICM) in the Centaurus cluster core observed with XRISM/Resolve. Thanks to its high energy resolution, Resolve enables us to measure fine structures of highly ionized emission lines from Si to Fe and to directly determine the excitation temperature and the ionization temperature from the emission line ratio diagnostics. The observed spectrum in the Centaurus core is well-represented by a double-temperature thermal plasma at collisional ionization equilibrium state rather than an isothermal one. The line ratio diagnostics also support this biphasic temperature structure. Particularly, the observed line ratios show a trend of increasing ionization temperature with atomic mass, while the ionization and excitation temperatures of Fe show nearly the same temperature. The resultant line ratios, which are well-represented by the two temperatures ICM, ~ 1.6 and ~ 3 keV, are also fairly consistent with the expected numbers when assuming the radial single-temperature ICM was projected in the cluster core along the line of sight. Due to the limited low-energy sensitivity of the Resolve with the gate valve closed, we investigated the effect of the cool component using the XMM-Newton/RGS spectrum, but it ultimately did not affect our results. The observed flux ratio between the Fe XXV He alpha resonance and forbidden lines shows an about 20% reduction, suggesting the presence of resonant scattering.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

XRISM Observations of The Prototypical Cold Front in Abell 3667

We present high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3667 with \textit{XRISM}/Resolve. Two observations, targeting the cluster X-ray core and the prototypical cold front, were performed with exposures of 105 ks and 276 ks, respectively. We find that the gas in the core is blueshifted by $v_z\sim-200$ km s$^{-1}$ relative to the brightest cluster galaxy, while the low-entropy gas inside the cold front is redshifted by $v_z\sim 200$ km s$^{-1}$. As one moves further off-center across the front, the line-of-sight (LoS) velocity changes significantly, by $Δv_z=535^{+167}_{-154}$ km s$^{-1}$, back to the value similar to that in the core. There are no significant LoS velocity gradients perpendicular to the cluster symmetry axis. These features suggest that the gas forming the cold front is flowing in the plane oriented along the LoS, supporting an offset merger scenario in which the main cluster has passed in front of the subcluster and induced rotation of the core gas in the plane perpendicular to the sky. The region just inside the front exhibits the largest LoS velocity dispersion seen across two pointings, $σ_z\sim420$ km s$^{-1}$, which can be interpreted as a developing turbulence or a projection of the LoS velocity shear within the front. The large LoS velocity jump across the cold front, combined with the lack of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the surface of the front, suggests some mechanism to suppress it. For example, a magnetic field with $B>5\,μ$G is required if the cold front is stabilized by magnetic draping.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

A Chandra view of SPT-CL J0217-5014: a massive galaxy cluster at a cosmic intersection at z=0.53

Galaxy clusters trace the densest regions of the cosmic web and are crucial laboratories for studying the thermodynamic and chemical evolution of the intracluster medium (ICM). We present a Chandra study of the massive galaxy cluster SPT-CL J0217-5014 ($z \sim 0.53$; $M_{\rm 500} \sim 3 \times 10^{14}~\rm M_{\odot}$), previously reported as a Swift serendipitous clusters with the highest Fe abundance ($\sim 1.3\pm 0.4$ $\rm Z_{\odot}$ within $\sim 1'.7$) and a potentially disturbed morphology. The X-ray morphology reveals a disturbed ICM with a surface brightness edge at $\sim 0'.26$ ($\sim 100$ kpc) to the west and a tail-like feature extending towards the east. The best-fit metal abundance within 1'.5 ($\sim 0.7\rm R_{500}$) is $0.61_{-0.23}^{+0.26}~\rm Z_{\odot}$. The derived central electron number density, entropy, and cooling time classify this system as a non-cool-core cluster, suggesting that merger activity has likely disrupted the possible pre-existing cool core. At larger radii ($\sim 1' - 2'$), we detect excess X-ray emission to the south, spatially aligned with a filamentary distribution of red galaxies, indicating ongoing accretion along an intracluster filament. Based on the DESI DR9 cross-matched optical clusters and photometric redshifts, we identify three nearby, lower-mass clusters that likely trace the large-scale structures, suggesting that SPT-CL~J0217-5014 is the primary node of a dynamically active environment where past mergers and anisotropic accretion along cosmic filaments have shaped the present-day ICM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

XRISM constraints on unidentified X-ray emission lines, including the 3.5 keV line, in the stacked spectrum of ten galaxy clusters

We stack 3.75 Megaseconds of early XRISM Resolve observations of ten galaxy clusters to search for unidentified spectral lines in the $E=$ 2.5-15 keV band (rest frame), including the $E=3.5$ keV line reported in earlier, low spectral resolution studies of cluster samples. Such an emission line may originate from the decay of the sterile neutrino, a warm dark matter (DM) candidate. No unidentified lines are detected in our stacked cluster spectrum, with the $3σ$ upper limit on the $m_{\rm s}\sim$ 7.1 keV DM particle decay rate (which corresponds to a $E=3.55$ keV emission line) of $Γ\sim 1.0 \times 10^{-27}$ s$^{-1}$. This upper limit is 3-4 times lower than the one derived by Hitomi Collaboration et al. (2017) from the Perseus observation, but still 5 times higher than the XMM-Newton detection reported by Bulbul et al. (2014) in the stacked cluster sample. XRISM Resolve, with its high spectral resolution but a small field of view, may reach the sensitivity needed to test the XMM-Newton cluster sample detection by combining several years worth of future cluster observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Mapping the Perseus Galaxy Cluster with XRISM: Gas Kinematic Features and their Implications for Turbulence

In this paper, we present extended gas kinematic maps of the Perseus cluster by combining five new XRISM/Resolve pointings observed in 2025 with four Performance Verification datasets from 2024, totaling 745 ks net exposure. To date, Perseus remains the only cluster that has been extensively mapped out to ~0.7$r_{2500}$ by XRISM/Resolve, while simultaneously offering sufficient spatial resolution to resolve gaseous substructures driven by mergers and AGN feedback. Our observations cover multiple radial directions and a broad dynamical range, enabling us to characterize the intracluster medium kinematics up to the scale of ~500 kpc. In the measurements, we detect high velocity dispersions ($\simeq$300 km/s) in the eastern region of the cluster, corresponding to a nonthermal pressure fraction of $\simeq$7-13%. The velocity field outside the AGN-dominant region can be effectively described by a single, large-scale kinematic driver based on the velocity structure function, which statistically favors an energy injection scale of at least a few hundred kpc. The estimated turbulent dissipation energy is comparable to the gravitational potential energy released by a recent merger, implying a significant role of turbulent cascade in the merger energy conversion. In the bulk velocity field, we observe a dipole-like pattern along the east-west direction with an amplitude of $\simeq\pm$200-300 km/s, indicating rotational motions induced by the recent merger event. This feature constrains the viewing direction to ~30$^\circ$-50$^\circ$ relative to the normal of the merger plane. Our hydrodynamic simulations suggest that Perseus has experienced at least two energetic mergers since redshift z~1, the latest associated with the radio galaxy IC310. This study showcases exciting scientific opportunities for future missions with high-resolution spectroscopic capabilities (e.g., HUBS, LEM, and NewAthena).

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Comparing XRISM cluster velocity dispersions with predictions from cosmological simulations: are feedback models too ejective?

The dynamics of the intra-cluster medium (ICM), the hot plasma that fills galaxy clusters, are shaped by gravity-driven cluster mergers and feedback from supermassive black holes (SMBH) in the cluster cores. XRISM measurements of ICM velocities in several clusters offer insights into these processes. We compare XRISM measurements for nine galaxy clusters (Virgo, Perseus, Centaurus, Hydra A, PKS\,0745--19, A2029, Coma, A2319, Ophiuchus) with predictions from three state-of-the-art cosmological simulation suites, TNG-Cluster, The Three Hundred Project GADGET-X, and GIZMO-SIMBA, that employ different models of feedback. In cool cores, XRISM reveals systematically lower velocity dispersions than the simulations predict, with all ten measurements below the median simulated values by a factor $1.5-1.7$ on average and all falling within the bottom $10\%$ of the predicted distributions. The observed kinetic-to-total pressure ratio is also lower, with a median value of $2.2\%$, compared to the predicted $5.0-6.5\%$ for the three simulations. Outside the cool cores and in non-cool-core clusters, simulations show better agreement with XRISM measurements, except for the outskirts of the relaxed, cool-core cluster A2029, which exhibits an exceptionally low kinetic pressure support ($<1\%$), with none of the simulated systems in either of the three suites reaching such low levels. The non-cool-core Coma and A2319 exhibit dispersions at the lower end but within the simulated spread. Our comparison suggests that the three numerical models may overestimate the kinetic effects of SMBH feedback in cluster cores. Additional XRISM observations of non-cool-core clusters will clarify if there is a systematic tension in the gravity-dominated regime as well.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Distribution of Metals and Multi-Temperature Gas in the Cores of Nearby Galaxy Groups

Previous studies of galaxy clusters have focused extensively on the effects of active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback on the chemical evolution of the intra-cluster medium (ICM). However, similar studies on the atmospheres of lower mass systems, such as galaxy groups and giant ellipticals, remain limited. In this work, we present a systematic analysis of the chemical and multi-temperature structure of the intra-group medium (IGrM), using a subsample of nearby galaxy groups and ellipticals from the CHEERS catalogue. By comparing areas with and without AGN feedback related features, such as cavities or extended radio lobes, we find clear evidence of an excess of multi-phase gas along the path of recent AGN feedback. However, its distribution exceeds the length of the radio lobes, since we recover a non-negligible amount of multi-phase gas at larger radii. In contrast to the clear asymmetry in the thermal structure, we find no directional enhancement in the distribution of Fe, with little to no differences in the Fe abundances of the on- and off-lobe directions. Our analysis suggests that the metals in the IGrM of our targets are well-mixed and decoupled from the effects of recent AGN feedback, as indicated by radio-lobes and cavities.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

A non-uniform metal distribution in the ram-pressure stripped circumgalactic medium of M86

The chemical enrichment of X-ray-emitting hot halos has primarily been studied in closed-box galaxy clusters. Investigating the metal content of lower-mass, open systems can serve as a valuable tracer for understanding their dynamical history and the extent of chemical enrichment mechanisms in the Universe. In this context, we use an 85.6 ks XMM-Newton observation to study the spatial distribution of the abundance ratios of Mg, Si, and S with respect to Fe in the hot gas of the ram-pressure-stripped M86, which has undergone morphological transformations. We report that the chemical composition in the M86 galaxy core is more similar to the rest of the hot gaseous content of the Universe than to its stellar population. This result indicate that even supersonic ram-pressure is insufficient to strip the inner part of a galaxy of its hot atmosphere. Comparison with other galaxies undergoing ram-pressure stripping suggests that stripping the "primordial" atmosphere of a galaxy requires a combination of ram-pressure stripping and strong radio-mechanical AGN activity. The X-ray emission structures within M86, the plume and the tail, are found to be relatively isothermal. We observe that the Mg/Fe ratio in the plume is $3.3σ$ higher than in the M86 galaxy core and is consistent with that in the M86 group outskirts and the Virgo ICM, suggesting that the plume might originate from the low-entropy group gas due to a galaxy-galaxy collision rather than from the recent ram-pressure stripping of the dense galaxy core.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Core to Cosmic Edge: SIMBA-C's New Take on Abundance Profiles in the Intragroup Medium at z = 0

We employ the SIMBA-C cosmological simulation to study the impact of its upgraded chemical enrichment model (Chem5) on the distribution of metals in the intragroup medium (IGrM). We investigate the projected X-ray emission-weighted abundance profiles of key elements over two decades in halo mass ($10^{13} \leq M_{500}/\mathrm{M_\odot} \leq 10^{15}$). Typically, SIMBA-C generates lower-amplitude abundance profiles than SIMBA with flatter cores, in better agreement with observations. For low-mass groups, both simulations over-enrich the IGrM with Si, S, Ca, and Fe compared to observations, a trend likely related to inadequate modeling of metal dispersal and mixing. We analyze the 3D mass-weighted abundance profiles, concluding that the lower SIMBA-C IGrM abundances are primarily a consequence of fewer metals in the IGrM, driven by reduced metal yields in Chem5, and the removal of the instantaneous recycling of metals approximation employed by SIMBA. Additionally, an increased IGrM mass in low-mass SIMBA-C groups is likely triggered by changes to the AGN and stellar feedback models. Our study suggests that a more realistic chemical enrichment model broadly improves agreement with observations, but physically motivated sub-grid models for other key processes, like AGN and stellar feedback and turbulent diffusion, are required to realistically reproduce observed group environments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The infalling elliptical galaxy M89: The chemical composition of the AGN disturbed hot atmosphere

The chemical enrichment of X-ray-emitting hot atmospheres has hitherto been primarily studied in galaxy clusters. These studies revealed relative abundances of heavy elements that are remarkably similar to Solar. Here, we present measurements of the metal content of M89 (NGC 4552), an elliptical galaxy infalling into the Virgo cluster with a $\sim$10 kpc ram-pressure stripped X-ray tail. We take advantage of deep Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, and with particular attention to carefully modelling the spectra, we measure the O/Fe, Ne/Fe, Mg/Fe, Si/Fe and S/Fe ratios. Contrary to previous measurements in galaxy clusters, our results for the hot atmosphere of M89 suggest super-Solar abundance ratios with respect to iron (i.e. $α$/Fe > 1), similar to its stellar components. Our analysis of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity in this system indicates that the AGN-induced outflow could have facilitated the stripping of the original galactic atmosphere, which has been replaced with fresh stellar mass loss material with super-Solar $α$/Fe abundance ratios. Additionally, we report a new fitting bias in the RGS data of low-temperature plasma. The measured O/Fe ratios are >1$σ$ lower in multi-temperature models than a single temperature fit, leading to discrepancies in the calculations of supernova fractions derived from the metal abundances.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Exploring chemical enrichment of the intracluster medium with the Line Emission Mapper

Synthesized in the cores of stars and supernovae, most metals disperse over cosmic scales and are ultimately deposited well outside the gravitational potential of their host galaxies. Since their presence is well visible through their X-ray emission lines in the hot gas pervading galaxy clusters, measuring metal abundances in the intracluster medium (ICM) offers us a unique view of chemical enrichment of the Universe as a whole. Despite extraordinary progress in the field thanks to four decades of X-ray spectroscopy using CCD (and gratings) instruments, understanding the precise stellar origins of the bulk of metals, and when the latter were mixed on Mpc scales, requires an X-ray mission capable of spatial, non-dispersive high resolution spectroscopy covering at least the soft X-ray band over a large field of view. In this White Paper, we demonstrate how the Line Emission Mapper (LEM) probe mission concept will revolutionize our current picture of the ICM enrichment. Specifically, we show that LEM will be able to (i) spatially map the distribution of ten key chemical elements out to the virial radius of a nearby relaxed cluster and (ii) measure metal abundances in serendipitously discovered high-redshift protoclusters. Altogether, these key observables will allow us to constrain the chemical history of the largest gravitationally bound structures of the Universe. They will also solve key questions such as the universality of the initial mass function (IMF) and the initial metallicity of the stellar populations producing these metals, as well as the relative contribution of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, core-collapse, and Type Ia supernovae to enrich the cosmic web over Mpc scales. Concrete observing strategies are also briefly discussed.

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