arXiv subjects

Klaus Dolag

Publications and source records attributed to Klaus Dolag.

276 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

The effect of magnetic fields on the mass determination of clusters of galaxies

We test the effects of magnetic fields on the mass determination of galaxy clusters with the X-ray method. As this method takes into account only thermal pressure, additional non-thermal pressure support, e.g. caused by a magnetic field, can result in an underestimation of the mass. SPH models of galaxy clusters including magnetic fields of various strengths in two different cosmologies are used for the test. We compare the true mass of the model clusters with the mass determined from simulated X-ray images of the same models. The effect of the magnetic field on the mass in relaxed clusters is found to be negligible compared to other uncertainties, even at small radii, where the strongest effects are expected. However in one model, in which the cluster is in the process of merging, we find an effect of up to a factor of 2 caused by the magnetic field. In relaxed clusters the mass estimate, averaged over many models, is at most 15% smaller in models with relatively high magnetic field of $2μ$G compared to models without a magnetic field with a small dependence on the cosmology chosen. Therefore we conclude that the presence of a magnetic field cannot be responsible for the discrepancies of a factor of 2-3 found between X-ray and lensing mass in the central regions of relaxed clusters.

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arXiv2000

Properties of Simulated Magnetized Galaxy Clusters

We study the evolution of magnetized clusters in a cosmological environment using magneto-hydro dynamical simulations. Large scale flows and merging of subclumps generate shear flows leading to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, which, in addition to the compression of the gas where the magnetic field is frozen in, further amplify the magnetic field during the evolution of the cluster. Therefore, well-motivated initial magnetic fields of $ ^{1/2}=10^{-9} {\rm G}$ reach the observed $\simμ{\rm G}$ field strengths in the cluster cores at $z=0$. These magnetized clusters can be used to study the final magnetic field structure, the dynamical importance of magnetic fields for the interpretation of observed X-Ray properties, and help to constrain further processes in galaxy clusters like the population of relativistic particles giving rise to the observed radio halos or the behavior of magnetized cooling flows.

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arXiv2000

Radio Halos of Galaxy Clusters from Hadronic Secondary Electron Injection in Realistic Magnetic Field Configurations

We investigate the possibility that radio halos of clusters of galaxies are caused by synchrotron emission of cosmic ray electrons (CRe), which were produced by cosmic ray protons (CRp) interacting hadronically with the intra-cluster medium (ICM) protons. We perform cosmological magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) simulations to obtain a sample of ten magnetized galaxy clusters. They provide realistic models of the gas and magnetic field distribution, needed to predict the CRe production rates, their cooling, and their synchrotron emissivity. We assume a CRp population within the ICM with an energy density which has a constant ratio to thermal energy density. This ratio is adjusted in such a way that one of the simulated clusters reproduces the radio luminosity of the radio halo of the Coma cluster of galaxies. Our model exhibits the observed low degree of radio polarization and has a similar radial emission profile as the Coma cluster. We provide estimates for the expected gamma ray and neutrino flux. The necessary CRp/thermal energy ratio is 4 ... 14% ${(E_{p,min}/GeV)}^{-0.375}$ (for the range of magnetic field strengths suggested by Faraday measurements), where $E_{p,min}$ is the lower kinetic energy cutoff of the CRp with spectral index $α_p \approx 2.375$. Assuming this ratio to be the same in the whole set of simulated clusters a $T_x-L_ν$ relation is predicted which follows the observed relation well.

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arXiv1999

SPH simulations of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters (proceedings)

We perform cosmological, hydrodynamic simulations of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters. The computational code combines the special-purpose hardware Grape for calculating gravitational interaction, and smooth-particle hydrodynamics for the gas component. We employ the usual MHD equations for the evolution of the magnetic field in an ideally conducting plasma. As a first application, we focus on the question what kind of initial magnetic fields yield final field configurations within clusters which are compatible with Faraday-rotation measurements. Our main results can be summarised as follows: (i) Initial magnetic field strengths are amplified by approximately three orders of magnitude in cluster cores, one order of magnitude above the expectation from spherical collapse. (ii) Vastly different initial field configurations (homogeneous or chaotic) yield results that cannot significantly be distinguished. (iii) Micro-Gauss fields and Faraday-rotation observations are well reproduced in our simulations starting from initial magnetic fields of \~10^-9 G strength. Our results show that (i) shear flows in clusters are crucial for amplifying magnetic fields beyond simple compression, (ii) final field configurations in clusters are dominated by the cluster collapse rather than by the initial configuration, and (iii) initial magnetic fields of order 10^-9 G are required to match Faraday-rotation observations in real clusters.

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arXiv1999

SPH simulations of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters

We perform cosmological, hydrodynamic simulations of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters. The computational code combines the special-purpose hardware Grape for calculating gravitational interaction, and smooth-particle hydrodynamics for the gas component. We employ the usual MHD equations for the evolution of the magnetic field in an ideally conducting plasma. As a first application, we focus on the question what kind of initial magnetic fields yield final field configurations within clusters which are compatible with Faraday-rotation measurements. Our main results can be summarised as follows: (i) Initial magnetic field strengths are amplified by approximately three orders of magnitude in cluster cores, one order of magnitude above the expectation from spherical collapse. (ii) Vastly different initial field configurations (homogeneous or chaotic) yield results that cannot significantly be distinguished. (iii) Micro-Gauss fields and Faraday-rotation observations are well reproduced in our simulations starting from initial magnetic fields of \~ 10^-9 G strength at redshift 15. Our results show that (i) shear flows in clusters are crucial for amplifying magnetic fields beyond simple compression, (ii) final field configurations in clusters are dominated by the cluster collapse rather than by the initial configuration, and (iii) initial magnetic fields of order 10^-9 G are required to match Faraday-rotation observations in real clusters.

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arXiv1997

QSO-galaxy correlations due to weak lensing in arbitrary Friedmann-Lemaitre cosmologies

We calculate the angular cross-correlation function between background QSOs and foreground galaxies induced by the weak lensing effect of large-scale structures. Results are given for arbitrary Friedmann-Lemaitre cosmologies. The non-linear growth of density perturbations is included. Compared to the linear growth, the non-linear growth increases the correlation amplitude by about an order of magnitude in an Einstein-de Sitter universe, and by even more for lower Omega_0. The dependence of the correlation amplitude on the cosmological parameters strongly depends on the normalization of the power spectrum. The QSO-galaxy cross-correlation function is most sensitive to density structures on scales in the range (1-10) Mpc/h, where the normalization of the power spectrum to the observed cluster abundance appears most appropriate. In that case, the correlation strength changes by less than a factor of <~ 2 when Omega_0 varies between 0.3 and 1, quite independent of the value of Omega_Lambda. For Omega_0 <~ 0.3, the correlation strength increases with decreasing Omega_0, and it scales approximately linearly with the Hubble constant h.

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