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M. Brueggen

Publications and source records attributed to M. Brueggen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2013

The structure and fate of white dwarf merger remnants

We present a large parameter study where we investigate the structure of white dwarf (WD) merger remnants after the dynamical phase. A wide range of WD masses and compositions are explored and we also probe the effect of different initial conditions. We investigated the degree of mixing between the WDs, the conditions for detonations as well as the amount of gas ejected. We find that systems with lower mass ratios have more total angular momentum and as a result more mass is flung out in a tidal tail. Nuclear burning can affect the amount of mass ejected. Many WD binaries that contain a helium-rich WD achieve the conditions to trigger a detonation. In contrast, for carbon-oxygen transferring systems only the most massive mergers with a total mass above ~2.1 solar masses detonate. Even systems with lower mass may detonate long after the merger if the remnant remains above the Chandrasekhar mass and carbon is ignited at the centre. Finally, our findings are discussed in the context of several possible observed astrophysical events and stellar systems, such as hot subdwarfs, R Coronae Borealis stars, single massive white dwarfs, supernovae of type Ia and other transient events. A large database containing 225 white dwarf merger remnants is made available via a dedicated web page.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

The Hot and Energetic Universe: The evolution of galaxy groups and clusters

Major astrophysical questions related to the formation and evolution of structures, and more specifically of galaxy groups and clusters, will still be open in the coming decade and beyond: what is the interplay of galaxy, supermassive black hole, and intergalactic gas evolution in the most massive objects in the Universe - galaxy groups and clusters? What are the processes driving the evolution of chemical enrichment of the hot diffuse gas in large-scale structures? How and when did the first galaxy groups in the Universe, massive enough to bind more than 10^7 K gas, form? Focussing on the period when groups and clusters assembled (0.5<z<2.5), we show that, due to the continuum and line emission of this hot intergalactic gas at X-ray wavelengths, Athena+, combining high sensitivity with excellent spectral and spatial resolution, will deliver breakthrough observations in view of the aforementioned issues. Indeed, the physical and chemical properties of the hot intra-cluster gas, and their evolution across time, are a key to understand the co-evolution of galaxy and supermassive black hole within their environments.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2013

Calibrating High-Precision Faraday Rotation Measurements for LOFAR and the Next Generation of Low-Frequency Radio Telescopes

Faraday rotation measurements using the current and next generation of low-frequency radio telescopes will provide a powerful probe of astronomical magnetic fields. However, achieving the full potential of these measurements requires accurate removal of the time-variable ionospheric Faraday rotation contribution. We present ionFR, a code that calculates the amount of ionospheric Faraday rotation for a specific epoch, geographic location, and line-of-sight. ionFR uses a number of publicly available, GPS-derived total electron content maps and the most recent release of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field. We describe applications of this code for the calibration of radio polarimetric observations, and demonstrate the high accuracy of its modeled ionospheric Faraday rotations using LOFAR pulsar observations. These show that we can accurately determine some of the highest-precision pulsar rotation measures ever achieved. Precision rotation measures can be used to monitor rotation measure variations - either intrinsic or due to the changing line-of-sight through the interstellar medium. This calibration is particularly important for nearby sources, where the ionosphere can contribute a significant fraction of the observed rotation measure. We also discuss planned improvements to ionFR, as well as the importance of ionospheric Faraday rotation calibration for the emerging generation of low-frequency radio telescopes, such as the SKA and its pathfinders.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2012

Properties of gas clumps and gas clumping factor in the intra cluster medium

The spatial distribution of gas matter inside galaxy clusters is not completely smooth, but may host gas clumps associated with substructures. These overdense gas substructures are generally a source of unresolved bias of X-ray observations towards high density gas, but their bright luminosity peaks may be resolved sources within the ICM, that deep X-ray exposures may be (already) capable to detect. In this paper we aim at investigating both features, using a set of high-resolution cosmological simulations with ENZO. First, we monitor how the bias by unresolved gas clumping may yield incorrect estimates of global cluster parameters and affects the measurements of baryon fractions by X-ray observations. We find that based on X-ray observations of narrow radial strips, it is difficult to recover the real baryon fraction to better than 10 - 20 percent uncertainty. Second, we investigated the possibility of observing bright X-ray clumps in the nearby Universe (z<=0.3). We produced simple mock X-ray observations for several instruments (XMM, Suzaku and ROSAT) and extracted the statistics of potentially detectable bright clumps. Some of the brightest clumps predicted by simulations may already have been already detected in X- ray images with a large field of view. However, their small projected size makes it difficult to prove their existence based on X-ray morphology only. Preheating, AGN feedback and cosmic rays are found to have little impact on the statistical properties of gas clumps.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2012

Thermal and non-thermal traces of AGN feedback: results from cosmological AMR simulations

We investigate the observable effects of feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) on non-thermal components of the intracluster medium (ICM). We have modelled feedback from AGN in cosmological simulations with the adaptive mesh refinement code ENZO, investigating three types of feedback that are sometimes called quasar, jet and radio mode. Using a small set of galaxy clusters simulated at high resolution, we model the injection and evolution of Cosmic Rays, as well as their effects on the thermal plasma. By comparing, both, the profiles of thermal gas to observed profiles from the ACCEPT sample, and the secondary gamma-ray emission to the available upper limits from FERMI, we discuss how the combined analysis of these two observables can constrain the energetics and mechanisms of feedback models in clusters. Those modes of AGN feedback that provide a good match to X-ray observations, yield a gamma-ray luminosity resulting from secondary cosmic rays that is about below the available upper limits from FERMI. Moreover, we investigate the injection of turbulent motions into the ICM from AGN, and the detectability of these motions via the analysis of line broadening of the Fe XXIII line. In the near future, deeper observations/upper-limits of non-thermal emissions from galaxy clusters will yield stringent constraints on the energetics and modes of AGN feedback, even at early cosmic epochs.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2012

Turbulence in the ICM from mergers, cool-core sloshing and jets: results from a new multi-scale filtering approach

We have designed a simple multi-scale method that identifies turbulent motions in hydrodynamical grid simulations. The method does not assmume ant a-priori coherence scale to distinguish laminar and turbulent flows. Instead, the local mean velocity field around each cell is reconstructed with a multi-scale filtering technique, yielding the maximum scale of turbulent eddies by means of iterations. The method is robust, fast and easily applicable to any grid simulation. We present here the application of this technique to the study of spatial and spectral properties of turbulence in the intra cluster medium, measuring turbulent diffusion and anisotropy of the turbulent velocity field for a variety of driving mechanisms: a) accretion of matter in galaxy clusters (simulated with ENZO); b) sloshing motions around cool-cores (simulated with FLASH); c) jet outflows from active galactic nuclei, AGN (simulated with FLASH). The turbulent velocities driven by matter accretion in galaxy clusters are mostly tangential in the inner regions (inside the cluster virial radius) and isotropic in regions close to the virial radius. The same is found for turbulence excited by cool core sloshing, while the jet outflowing from AGN drives mostly radial turbulence motions near its sonic point and beyond. Turbulence leads to a diffusivity in the range =10^29-10^30 cm^2/s in the intra cluster medium. On average, the energetically dominant mechanism of turbulence driving in the intra cluster medium is represented by accretion of matter and major mergers during clusters evolution.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2012

Radio relics in cosmological simulations

Radio relics have been discovered in many galaxy clusters. They are believed to trace shock fronts induced by cluster mergers. Cosmological simulations allow us to study merger shocks in detail since the intra-cluster medium is heated by shock dissipation. Using high resolution cosmological simulations, identifying shock fronts and applying a parametric model for the radio emission allows us to simulate the formation of radio relics. We analyze a simulated shock front in detail. We find a rather broad Mach number distribution. The Mach number affects strongly the number density of relativistic electrons in the downstream area, hence, the radio luminosity varies significantly across the shock surface. The abundance of radio relics can be modeled with the help of the radio power probability distribution which aims at predicting radio relic number counts. Since the actual electron acceleration efficiency is not known, predictions for the number counts need to be normalized by the observed number of radio relics. For the characteristics of upcoming low frequency surveys we find that about thousand relics are awaiting discovery.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2011

The injection and feedback of Cosmic Rays in large-scale structures

We present the numerical implementation of run-time injection of Cosmic Rays energy, their spatial advection and their dynamical feedack on baryonic gas in the cosmological grid code ENZO. We discuss the results of its application to large-scale simulations showing that the CR energy inside clusters of galaxies is small compared to the gas energy (less than a few percent), while the ratio is larger near the accretion regions of clusters and filaments (about 0.1-0.3). CR feedback has a small, but significant impact on the X-ray emission and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect from clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2011

Why are central radio relics so rare?

In this paper we address the question why cluster radio relics that are connected to shock acceleration, so-called radio gischt, have preferentially been found in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. By identifying merger shock waves in cosmological grid simulations, we explore several prescriptions for relating the energy dissipated in shocks to the energy emitted in the radio band. None of the investigated models produce detectable radio relics within 100-200 kpc from the cluster centre. All models cause > 50 per cent of the detectable relic emission at projected distances > 800 kpc. Central radio relics caused by shocks that propagate along the line-of-sight are rare events for simple geometrical reasons, and they have a low surface brightness making them elusive for current instruments. Our simulations show that the radial distribution of observed relics can be explained by the radial trend of dissipated kinetic energy in shocks, that increases with distance from the cluster centre up until half of the virial radius.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2011

Fractional polarization and magnetic fields in the ICM

The aim of this work is to investigate the average properties of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) magnetic fields, and to search for possible correlations with the ICM thermal properties and cluster radio emission. We have selected a sample of 39 massive galaxy clusters from the HIghest X-ray FLUx Galaxy Cluster Sample, and used Northern VLA Sky Survey data to analyze the fractional polarization of radio sources out to 10 core radii from the cluster centers. Following Murgia et al (2004), we have investigated how different magnetic field strengths affect the observed polarized emission of sources lying at different projected distances from the cluster center. In addition, statistical tests are performed to investigate the fractional polarization trends in clusters with different thermal and non-thermal properties. We find a trend of the fractional polarization with the cluster impact parameter, with fractional polarization increasing at the cluster periphery and decreasing toward the cluster center. Such trend can be reproduced by a magnetic field model with central value of few $μ$G. The logrank statistical test indicates that there are no differences in the depolarization trend observed in cluster with and without radio halo, while the same test indicates significant differences when the depolarization trend of sources in clusters with and without cool core are compared. The comparison between clusters with high and low temperatures does not yields significant differences. Although therole of the gas density should be better accounted for, these results give important indications for models that require a role of the ICM magnetic field to explain the presence of cool core and radio halos in galaxy clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2011

Evidence for a merger-revived radio phoenix in MaxBCG J217.95869+13.53470

We use XMM-Newton observations of the galaxy cluster MaxBCG J217.95869+13.53470 to analyze its physical properties and dynamical state. MaxBCG J217.95869+13.53470 is found at a redshift of 0.16, has a mass of ~1x10^14 Msun, and a luminosity of 7.9x10^43 erg/s. The temperature map shows the presence of hot regions towards the north and west of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG). From the entropy distribution, regions of high entropy match the location of the hot regions; more high entropy regions are found to the west, and ~165 kpc to the southwest of the central AGN. A second X-ray bright galaxy is visible ~90 kpc to the northeast of the BCG, at a redshift of 0.162. This galaxy is likely to be the BCG of a smaller, infalling galaxy cluster. The mass of the smaller cluster is ~10 percent the mass of MaxBCG J217.95869+13.53470, yielding an impact parameter of ~30-100 kpc. We compare the results of our X-ray observations with GMRT observations of the radio source VLSS J1431.8+1331, located at the center of the cluster. Two sources are visible in the radio: a central elongated source that bends at its northern and southern ends, and a southwestern source that coincides with a region of high entropy. The radio sources are connected by a bridge of faint radio emission. We speculate that the southwestern radio source is a radio relic produced by compression of old radio plasma by a merger shock.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

The dynamical intracluster medium: a combined approach of observations and simulations

Current high resolution observations of galaxy clusters reveal a dynamical intracluster medium (ICM). The wealth of structures includes signatures of interactions between active galactic nuclei (AGN) and the ICM, such as cavities and shocks, as well as signatures of bulk motions, e.g. cold fronts. Aiming at understanding the physics of the ICM, we study individual clusters by both, deep high resolution observations and numerical simulations which include processes suspected to be at work, and aim at reproducing the observed properties. By comparing observations and simulations in detail, we gain deeper insights into cluster properties and processes. Here we present two examples of our approach: the large-scale shock in the Hydra A cluster, and sloshing cold fronts.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

The role of black holes in galaxy formation and evolution

Virtually all massive galaxies, including our own, host central black holes ranging in mass from millions to billions of solar masses. The growth of these black holes releases vast amounts of energy that powers quasars and other weaker active galactic nuclei. A tiny fraction of this energy, if absorbed by the host galaxy, could halt star formation by heating and ejecting ambient gas. A central question in galaxy evolution is the degree to which this process has caused the decline of star formation in large elliptical galaxies, which typically have little cold gas and few young stars, unlike spiral galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

Prospects of High-Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy for AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters

One of the legacies of the {\rm Chandra} era is the discovery of AGN-inflated X-ray cavities in virtually all cool-core clusters, with mechanical luminosities comparable to or larger than the cluster cooling rate, suggesting that AGN might be responsible for heating clusters. This discovery poses a new set of questions that cannot be addressed by X-ray imaging or modeling alone: Are AGN actually responsible for halting cooling flows? How is the AGN energy transferred to heat? How tight is the observed balance between heating and cooling? Using numerical simulations and a new virtual X-ray observatory tool, we demonstrate that high-resolution, high-throughput X-ray spectroscopy can address these questions and that the International X-ray Observatory \ixo will have the necessary capabilities to deliver these measurements.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

Self-Regulation of AGN in Galaxy Clusters

Cool cores of galaxy clusters are thought to be heated by low-power active galactic nuclei (AGN), whose accretion is regulated by feedback. However, the interaction between the hot gas ejected by the AGN and the ambient intracluster medium is extremely difficult to simulate as it involves a wide range of spatial scales and gas that is Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) unstable. Here we present a series of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of a self-regulating AGN in a galaxy cluster. Our adaptive-mesh simulations include prescriptions for radiative cooling, AGN heating and a subgrid model for RT-driven turbulence, which is crucial to simulate this evolution. AGN heating is taken to be proportional to the rest-mass energy that is accreted onto the central region of the cluster. For a wide range of feedback efficiencies, the cluster regulates itself for at least several $10^9$ years. Heating balances cooling through a string of outbursts with typical recurrence times of around 80 Myrs, a timescale that depends only on global cluster properties. Under certain conditions we find central dips in the metallicity of the intracluster medium. Provided the sub-grid model used here captures all its key properties, turbulence plays an essential role in the AGN self-regulation in cluster cores.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2008

In-depth Chandra study of the AGN feedback in Virgo elliptical galaxy M84

Using deep Chandra observations of M84 we study the energetics of the interaction between the black hole and the interstellar medium of this early-type galaxy. We perform a detailed two dimensional reconstruction of the properties of the X-ray emitting gas using a constrained Voronoi tessellation method, identifying the mean trends and carrying out the fluctuation analysis of the thermodynamical properties of the hot ISM. In addition to the PV work associated with the bubble expansion, we identify and measure the wave energy associated with the mildly supersonic bubble expansion. We show that, depending on the age of the cavity and the associated wave, the waves can have a substantial contribution to the total energy release from the AGN. The energy dissipated in the waves tends to be concentrated near the center of M84 and in the direction perpendicular to the bubble outflow, possibly due to the interference of the waves generated by the expansion of northern and southern bubbles. We also find direct evidence for the escape of radio plasma from the ISM of the host galaxy into the intergalactic medium.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2008

Diffuse radio emission from clusters in the MareNostrum Universe simulation

Large-scale diffuse radio emission is observed in some clusters of galaxies. There is ample of evidence that the emission has its origin in synchrotron losses of relativistic electrons, accelerated in the course of clusters mergers. In a cosmological simulation we locate the structure formation shocks and estimate their radio emission. We proceed as follows: Introducing a novel approach to identify strong shock fronts in an SPH simulation, we determine the Mach number as well as the downstream density and temperature in the MareNostrum Universe simulation which has 2x1024^3 particles in a 500 Mpc/h box and was carried out with non-radiative physics. Then, we estimate the radio emission using the formalism derived in Hoeft & Brueggen (2007) and produce artificial radio maps of massive clusters. Several of our clusters show radio objects with similar morphology to large-scale radio relics found in the sky, whereas about half of the clusters show only very little radio emission. In agreement with observational findings, the maximum diffuse radio emission of our clusters depends strongly on their X-ray temperature. We find that the so-called accretion shocks cause only very little radio emission. We conclude that a moderate efficiency of shock acceleration, namely xi_e <= 0.005, and moderate magnetic fields in the region of the relics, namely 0.07 to 0.8 muGauss are sufficient to reproduce the number density and luminosity of radio relics.

astro-ph↗