arXiv subjects

Maxim Markevitch

Publications and source records attributed to Maxim Markevitch.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Constraining gas motion and non-thermal pressure beyond the core of the Abell 2029 galaxy cluster with XRISM

We report a detailed spectroscopic study of the gas dynamics and hydrostatic mass bias of the galaxy cluster Abell 2029, utilizing high-resolution observations from XRISM Resolve. Abell 2029, known for its cool core and relaxed X-ray morphology, provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the influence of gas motions beyond the central region. Expanding upon prior studies that revealed low turbulence and bulk motions within the core, our analysis covers regions out to the scale radius $R_{2500}$ (670~kpc) based on three radial pointings extending from the cluster center toward the northern side. We obtain accurate measurements of bulk and turbulent velocities along the line of sight. The results indicate that non-thermal pressure accounts for no more than 2% of the total pressure at all radii, with a gradual decrease outward. The observed radial trend differs from many numerical simulations, which often predict an increase in non-thermal pressure fraction at larger radii. These findings suggest that deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium are small, leading to a hydrostatic mass bias of around 2% across the observed area.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

XRISM forecast for the Coma cluster: stormy, with a steep power spectrum

The XRISM Resolve microcalorimeter array measured the velocities of hot intracluster gas at two positions in the Coma galaxy cluster: 3'x3' squares at the center and at 6' (170 kpc) to the south. We find the line-of-sight velocity dispersions in those regions to be sigma_z=208+-12 km/s and 202+-24 km/s, respectively. The central value corresponds to a 3D Mach number of M=0.24+-0.015 and the ratio of the kinetic pressure of small-scale motions to thermal pressure in the intracluster plasma of only 3.1+-0.4%, at the lower end of predictions from cosmological simulations for merging clusters like Coma, and similar to that observed in the cool core of the relaxed cluster A2029. Meanwhile, the gas in both regions exhibits high line-of-sight velocity differences from the mean velocity of the cluster galaxies, Delta v_z=450+-15 km/s and 730+-30 km/s, respectively. A small contribution from an additional gas velocity component, consistent with the cluster optical mean, is detected along a sightline near the cluster center. The combination of the observed velocity dispersions and bulk velocities is not described by a Kolmogorov velocity power spectrum of steady-state turbulence; instead, the data imply a much steeper effective slope (i.e., relatively more power at larger linear scales). This may indicate either a very large dissipation scale resulting in the suppression of small-scale motions, or a transient dynamic state of the cluster, where large-scale gas flows generated by an ongoing merger have not yet cascaded down to small scales.

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arXiv2024

The Multi-Epoch Jet Outbursts in Abell 496: synchrotron ageing and buoyant X-ray cavities draped by warm gas filaments

The galaxy cluster Abell 496 has been extensively studied in the past for the clear sloshing motion of the hot gas on large scales, but the interplay between the central radio galaxy and the surrounding cluster atmosphere is mostly unexplored. We present a dedicated radio, X-ray, and optical study of Abell 496 aimed at investigating this connection. We use deep radio images obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at 150, 330 and 617 MHz, Very Large Array at 1.4 and 4.8 GHz, and VLA Low Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment at 340 MHz, with angular resolutions ranging from 0.''5 to 25''. Additionally, we use archival Chandra and Very Large Telescope MUSE observations. The radio images reveal three distinct periods of jet activity: an ongoing episode on sub-kpc scales with an inverted radio spectrum; an older episode that produced lobes on scales $\sim$20 kpc which now have a steep spectral index ($α= 2.0 \pm 0.1$); and an oldest episode that produced lobes on scales of $\sim$50 - 100 kpc with an ultra-steep spectrum ($α= 2.7 \pm 0.2$). Archival Chandra X-ray observations show that the older and oldest episodes have excavated two generations of cavities in the hot gas of the cluster. The outermost X-ray cavity has a clear mushroom-head shape, likely caused by its buoyant rise in the cluster's potential. Cooling of the hot gas is ongoing in the innermost 20 kpc, where H$α$-bright warm filaments are visible in VLT-MUSE data. The H$α$-filaments are stretched towards the mushroom-head cavity, which may have stimulated ICM cooling in its wake. We conclude by commenting on the non-detection of a radio mini-halo in this vigorously sloshing, but low-mass, galaxy cluster.

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arXiv2024

Mapping the imprints of stellar and AGN feedback in the circumgalactic medium with X-ray microcalorimeters

The Astro2020 Decadal Survey has identified the mapping of the circumgalactic medium (CGM, gaseous plasma around galaxies) as a key objective. We explore the prospects for characterizing the CGM in and around nearby galaxy halos with a future, large grasp X-ray microcalorimeter. We create realistic mock observations from hydrodynamical simulations (EAGLE, IllustrisTNG, and Simba) that demonstrate a wide range of potential measurements, which will address the open questions in galaxy formation and evolution. By including all background and foreground components in our mock observations, we show why it is impossible to perform these measurements with current instruments, such as X-ray CCDs, and only microcalorimeters will allow us to distinguish the faint CGM emission from the bright Milky Way (MW) foreground emission lines. We find that individual halos of MW mass can, on average and depending on star formation rate, be traced out to large radii, around R500, and for larger galaxies even out to R200, using prominent emission lines, such as OVII, or OVIII. Furthermore, we show that emission line ratios for individual halos can reveal the radial temperature structure. Substructure measurements show that it will be possible to relate azimuthal variations to the feedback mode of the galaxy. We demonstrate the ability to construct temperature, velocity, and abundance ratio maps from spectral fitting for individual galaxy halos, which reveal rotation features, AGN outbursts, and enrichment.

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arXiv2023

Revolutionary Solar System Science Enabled by the Line Emission Mapper X-ray Probe

The Line Emission Mapper's (LEM's) exquisite spectral resolution and effective area will open new research domains in Astrophysics, Planetary Science and Heliophysics. LEM will provide step-change capabilities for the fluorescence, solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) and auroral precipitation processes that dominate X-ray emissions in our Solar System. The observatory will enable novel X-ray measurements of historically inaccessible line species, thermal broadening, characteristic line ratios and Doppler shifts - a universally valuable new astrophysics diagnostic toolkit. These measurements will identify the underlying compositions, conditions and physical processes from km-scale ultra-cold comets to the MK solar wind in the heliopause at 120 AU. Here, we focus on the paradigm-shifts LEM will provide for understanding the nature of the interaction between a star and its planets, especially the fundamental processes that govern the transfer of mass and energy within our Solar System, and the distribution of elements throughout the heliosphere. In this White Paper we show how LEM will enable a treasure trove of new scientific contributions that directly address key questions from the National Academies' 2023-2032 Planetary Science and 2013-2022 Heliophysics Decadal Strategies. The topics we highlight include: 1. The richest global trace element maps of the Lunar Surface ever produced; insights that address Solar System and planetary formation, and provide invaluable context ahead of Artemis and the Lunar Gateway. 2. Global maps of our Heliosphere through Solar Wind Charge Exchange (SWCX) that trace the interstellar neutral distributions in interplanetary space and measure system-wide solar wind ion abundances and velocities; a key new understanding of our local astrosphere and a synergistic complement to NASA IMAP observations of heliospheric interactions...

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

Are radio minihalos confined by cold fronts in galaxy clusters? Minihalos and large-scale sloshing in A3444 and MS 1455.0+2232

We present radio and X-ray studies of A3444 and MS1455.0+2232, two galaxy clusters with radio minihalos in their cool cores. A3444 is imaged using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 333, 607 and 1300 MHz and the Very Large Array at 1435 MHz. Most of the minihalo is contained within r<120 kpc, but a fainter extension, stretching out to 380 kpc South-West of the center, is detected at 607 MHz. Using Chandra, we detect four X-ray sloshing cold fronts: three in the cool core at r=60, 120 and 230 kpc, and a fourth one at r=400 kpc - in the region of the southwestern radio extension - suggesting that the intracluster medium (ICM) is sloshing on a cluster-wide scale. The radio emission is contained within the envelope defined by these fronts. We also analyzed archival 383 MHz GMRT and Chandra observations of MS1455.0+2232, which exhibits a known minihalo with its bright part delineated by cold fronts inside the cool core, but with a faint extension beyond the core. Similarly to A3444, we find a cold front at r~425 kpc, containing the radio emission. Thus the entire diffuse radio emission seen in these clusters appears to be related to large-scale sloshing of the ICM. The radio spectrum of the A3444 minihalo is a power law with a steep index $α=1.0\pm0.1$. The spectrum steepens with increasing distance from the center, as expected if the minihalo originates from re-acceleration of relativistic particles by the sloshing-induced turbulence in the ICM.

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arXiv2023

A Deep uGMRT view of the ultra steep spectrum radio halo in Abell 521

We present the first detailed analysis of the ultra-steep spectrum radio halo in the merging galaxy cluster Abell 521, based on upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio telescope (uGMRT) observations. The combination of radio observations (300-850 MHz) and archival X-ray data provide a new window into the complex physics occurring in this system. When compared to all previous analyses, our sensitive radio images detected the centrally located radio halo emission to a greater extent of $\sim$ 1.3 Mpc. A faint extension of the southeastern radio relic has been discovered. We detected another relic, recently discovered by MeerKAT, and coincident with a possible shock front in the X-rays, at the northwest position of the center. We find that the integrated spectrum of the radio halo is well-fitted with a spectral index of $-1.86 \pm 0.12$. A spatially resolved spectral index map revealed the spectral index fluctuations, as well as an outward radial steepening of the average spectral index. The radio and X-ray surface brightness are well correlated for the entire and different sub-parts of the halo, with sub-linear correlation slopes (0.50$-$0.65). We also found a mild anti-correlation between the spectral index and X-ray surface brightness. Newly detected extensions of the SE relic and the counter relic are consistent with the merger in the plane of the sky.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

LEM All-Sky Survey: Soft X-ray Sky at Microcalorimeter Resolution

The Line Emission Mapper (LEM) is an X-ray Probe with with spectral resolution ~2 eV FWHM from 0.2 to 2.5 keV and effective area >2,500 cm$^2$ at 1 keV, covering a 33 arcmin diameter Field of View with 15 arcsec angular resolution, capable of performing efficient scanning observations of very large sky areas and enabling the first high spectral resolution survey of the full sky. The LEM-All-Sky Survey (LASS) is expected to follow the success of previous all sky surveys such as ROSAT and eROSITA, adding a third dimension provided by the high resolution microcalorimeter spectrometer, with each 15 arcsec pixel of the survey including a full 1-2 eV resolution energy spectrum that can be integrated over any area of the sky to provide statistical accuracy. Like its predecessors, LASS will provide both a long-lasting legacy and open the door to the unknown, enabling new discoveries and delivering the baseline for unique GO studies. No other current or planned mission has the combination of microcalorimeter energy resolution and large grasp to cover the whole sky while maintaining good angular resolution and imaging capabilities. LASS will be able to probe the physical conditions of the hot phases of the Milky Way at multiple scales, from emission in the Solar system due to Solar Wind Charge eXchange, to the interstellar and circumgalactic media, including the North Polar Spur and the Fermi/eROSITA bubbles. It will measure velocities of gas in the inner part of the Galaxy and extract the emissivity of the Local Hot Bubble. By maintaining the original angular resolution, LASS will also be able to study classes of point sources through stacking. For classes with ~$10^4$ objects, it will provide the equivalent of 1 Ms of high spectral resolution data. We describe the technical specifications of LASS and highlight the main scientific objectives that will be addressed. (Abridged)

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

On the Origin of the Ancient, Large-Scale Cold Front in the Perseus Cluster of Galaxies

The intracluster medium of the Perseus Cluster exhibits spiral-shaped X-ray surface brightness discontinuities known as ``cold fronts'', which simulations indicate are caused by the sloshing motion of the gas after the passage of a subcluster. Recent observations of Perseus have shown that these fronts extend to large radii. In this work, we present simulations of the formation of sloshing cold fronts in Perseus using the AREPO magnetohydrodynamics code, to produce a plausible scenario for the formation of the large front at a radius of 700 kpc. Our simulations explore a range of subcluster masses and impact parameters. We find that low-mass subclusters cannot generate a cold front that can propagate to such a large radius, and that small impact parameters create too much turbulence which leads to the disruption of the cold front before it reaches such a large distance. Subclusters which make only one core passage produce a stable initial front that expands to large radii, but without a second core passage of the subcluster other fronts are not created at a later time in the core region. We find a small range of simulations with subclusters with mass ratios of $R \sim 1:5$ and initial impact parameter of $θ~\sim~20-25^\circ$ which not only produce the large cold front but a second set in the core region at later times. These simulations indicate that the ``ancient' cold front is $\sim$6-8.5 Gyr old. For the simulations providing the closest match with observations, the subcluster has completely merged into the main cluster.

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.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Mapping the Intracluster Medium in the Era of High-resolution X-ray Spectroscopy

High-resolution spectroscopy in soft X-rays will open a new window to map multiphase gas in galaxy clusters and probe physics of the intracluster medium (ICM), including chemical enrichment histories, circulation of matter and energy during large-scale structure evolution, stellar and black hole feedback, halo virialization, and gas mixing processes. An eV-level spectral resolution, large field-of-view, and effective area are essential to separate cluster emissions from the Galactic foreground and efficiently map the cluster outskirts. Several mission concepts that meet these criteria have been proposed recently, e.g., LEM, HUBS, and SuperDIOS. This theoretical study explores what information on ICM physics could be recovered with such missions and the associated challenges. We emphasize the need for a comprehensive comparison between simulations and observations to interpret the high-resolution spectroscopic observations correctly. Using Line Emission Mapper (LEM) characteristics as an example, we demonstrate that it enables the use of soft X-ray emission lines (e.g., O VII/VIII and Fe-L complex) from the cluster outskirts to measure the thermodynamic, chemical, and kinematic properties of the gas up to $r_{200}$ and beyond. By generating mock observations with full backgrounds, analysing their images/spectra with observational approaches, and comparing the recovered characteristics with true ones from simulations, we develop six key science drivers for future missions, including the exploration of multiphase gas in galaxy clusters (e.g., temperature fluctuations, phase-space distributions), metallicity, ICM gas bulk motions and turbulence power spectra, ICM-cosmic filament interactions, and advances for cluster cosmology.

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arXiv2023

X-ray metal line emission from the hot circumgalactic medium: probing the effects of supermassive black hole feedback

We derive predictions from state-of-the-art cosmological galaxy simulations for the spatial distribution of the hot circumgalactic medium (CGM, ${\rm [0.1-1]R_{200c}}$) through its emission lines in the X-ray soft band ($[0.3-1.3]$ keV). In particular, we compare IllustrisTNG, EAGLE, and SIMBA and focus on galaxies with stellar mass $10^{10-11.6}\, \MSUN$ at $z=0$. The three simulation models return significantly different surface brightness radial profiles of prominent emission lines from ionized metals such as OVII(f), OVIII, and FeXVII as a function of galaxy mass. Likewise, the three simulations predict varying azimuthal distributions of line emission with respect to the galactic stellar planes, with IllustrisTNG predicting the strongest angular modulation of CGM physical properties at radial range ${\gtrsim0.3-0.5\,R_{200c}}$. This anisotropic signal is more prominent for higher-energy lines, where it can manifest as X-ray eROSITA-like bubbles. Despite different models of stellar and supermassive black hole (SMBH) feedback, the three simulations consistently predict a dichotomy between star-forming and quiescent galaxies at the Milky-Way and Andromeda mass range, where the former are X-ray brighter than the latter. This is a signature of SMBH-driven outflows, which are responsible for quenching star formation. Finally, we explore the prospect of testing these predictions with a microcalorimeter-based X-ray mission concept with a large field-of-view. Such a mission would probe the extended hot CGM via soft X-ray line emission, determine the physical properties of the CGM, including temperature, from the measurement of line ratios, and provide critical constraints on the efficiency and impact of SMBH feedback on the CGM.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

A detached double X-ray tail in the merging galaxy cluster Z8338 with a large double tail

When subhalos infall into galaxy clusters, their gas content is ram pressure stripped by the intracluster medium (ICM) and may turn into cometary tails. We report the discovery of two spectacular X-ray double tails in a single galaxy cluster, Z8338, revealed by 70 ks Chandra observations. The brighter one, with an X-ray bolometric luminosity of $3.9 \times 10^{42}{\rm\ erg\ s}^{-1}$, is a detached tail stripped from the host halo and extended at least 250 kpc in projection. The head of the detached tail is a cool core with the front tip of the cold front $\sim$ 30 kpc away from the nucleus of its former host galaxy. The cooling time of the detached cool core is $\sim 0.3$ Gyr. For the detached gas, the gravity of the once-associated dark matter halo further enhances the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability. From its survival, we find that a magnetic field of a few $μ$G is required to suppress the hydrodynamic instability. The X-ray temperature in the tail increases from 0.9 keV at the front tip to 1.6 keV in the wake region, which suggests the turbulent mixing with the hotter ICM. The fainter double X-ray tail, with a total X-ray luminosity of $2.7 \times 10^{42}{\rm\ erg\ s}^{-1}$, appears to stem from the cool core of a subcluster in Z8338, and likely was formed during the ongoing merger. This example suggests that X-ray cool cores can be displaced and eventually destroyed by mergers, while the displaced cool cores can survive for some extended period of time.

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arXiv2023

Resonant scattering of the OVII X-ray emission line in the circumgalactic medium of TNG50 galaxies

We study the impact of resonantly scattered X-ray line emission on the observability of the hot circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies. We apply a Monte Carlo radiative transfer post-processing analysis to the high-resolution TNG50 cosmological magnetohydrodynamical galaxy formation simulation. This allows us to model the resonant scattering of OVII(r) X-ray photons within the complex, multi-phase, multi-scale CGM. The resonant transition of the OVII He-like triplet is one of the brightest, and most promising, X-ray emission lines for detecting the hot CGM and measuring its physical properties. We focus on galaxies with stellar masses 10 < log(M*/Msun) < 11 at z ~ 0. After constructing a model for OVII(r) emission from the central galaxy as well as from CGM gas, we forward model these intrinsic photons to derive observable surface brightness maps. We find that scattering significantly boosts the observable OVII(r) surface brightness of the extended and diffuse CGM. This enhancement can be large -- an order of magnitude on average at a distance of 200 projected kpc for high-mass M* = 10^10.7 Msun galaxies. The enhancement is larger for lower mass galaxies, and can even reach a factor of 100, across the extended CGM. Galaxies with higher star formation rates, AGN luminosities, and central OVII(r) luminosities all have larger scattering enhancements, at fixed stellar mass. Our results suggest that next-generation X-ray spectroscopic missions including XRISM, LEM, ATHENA, and HUBS -- which aim to detect the hot CGM in emission -- could specifically target halos with significant enhancements due to resonant scattering.

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arXiv2023

Circumgalactic Medium on the Largest Scales: Detecting X-ray Absorption Lines with Large-Area Microcalorimeters

The circumgalactic medium (CGM) plays a crucial role in galaxy evolution as it fuels star formation, retains metals ejected from the galaxies, and hosts gas flows in and out of galaxies. For Milky Way-type and more massive galaxies, the bulk of the CGM is in hot phases best accessible at X-ray wavelengths. However, our understanding of the CGM remains largely unconstrained due to its tenuous nature. A promising way to probe the CGM is via X-ray absorption studies. Traditional absorption studies utilize bright background quasars, but this method probes the CGM in a pencil beam, and, due to the rarity of bright quasars, the galaxy population available for study is limited. Large-area, high spectral resolution X-ray microcalorimeters offer a new approach to exploring the CGM in emission and absorption. Here, we demonstrate that the cumulative X-ray emission from cosmic X-ray background sources can probe the CGM in absorption. We construct column density maps of major X-ray ions from the Magneticum simulation and build realistic mock images of nine galaxies to explore the detectability of X-ray absorption lines arising from the large-scale CGM. We conclude that the OVII absorption line is detectable around individual massive galaxies at the $3σ-6σ$ confidence level. For Milky Way-type galaxies, the OVII and OVIII absorption lines are detectable at the $\sim\,6σ$ and $\sim\,3σ$ levels even beyond the virial radius when co-adding data from multiple galaxies. This approach complements emission studies, does not require additional exposures, and will allow probing of the baryon budget and the CGM at the largest scales.

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arXiv2023

Line Emission Mapper (LEM): Probing the physics of cosmic ecosystems

The Line Emission Mapper (LEM) is an X-ray Probe for the 2030s that will answer the outstanding questions of the Universe's structure formation. It will also provide transformative new observing capabilities for every area of astrophysics, and to heliophysics and planetary physics as well. LEM's main goal is a comprehensive look at the physics of galaxy formation, including stellar and black-hole feedback and flows of baryonic matter into and out of galaxies. These processes are best studied in X-rays, and emission-line mapping is the pressing need in this area. LEM will use a large microcalorimeter array/IFU, covering a 30x30' field with 10" angular resolution, to map the soft X-ray line emission from objects that constitute galactic ecosystems. These include supernova remnants, star-forming regions, superbubbles, galactic outflows (such as the Fermi/eROSITA bubbles in the Milky Way and their analogs in other galaxies), the Circumgalactic Medium in the Milky Way and other galaxies, and the Intergalactic Medium at the outskirts and beyond the confines of galaxies and clusters. LEM's 1-2 eV spectral resolution in the 0.2-2 keV band will make it possible to disentangle the faintest emission lines in those objects from the bright Milky Way foreground, providing groundbreaking measurements of the physics of these plasmas, from temperatures, densities, chemical composition to gas dynamics. While LEM's main focus is on galaxy formation, it will provide transformative capability for all classes of astrophysical objects, from the Earth's magnetosphere, planets and comets to the interstellar medium and X-ray binaries in nearby galaxies, AGN, and cooling gas in galaxy clusters. In addition to pointed observations, LEM will perform a shallow all-sky survey that will dramatically expand the discovery space.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

Surface brightness discontinuities in radio halos. Insights from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey

Dynamical motions in the ICM can imprint distinctive features on X-ray images that map the thermal emission from galaxy clusters, such as sharp surface brightness discontinuities due to shocks and cold fronts. The gas dynamics during cluster mergers may also drive large-scale turbulence in the ICM, which in turn generates extended synchrontron sources known as radio halos. Surface brightness edges have been found numerous times in the thermal gas of clusters based on X-ray observations. In contrast, edges in radio halos have only been observed in a handful of cases. Our goal is to search for new radio surface brightness discontinuities in the ICM. We inspected the images of the Bullet Cluster and the other 25 radio halos reported in the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey. To aid the identification of surface brightness discontinuities, we applied a gradient-filtering edge-detection method to the radio images. We find that the adopted filtering technique is helpful in identifying surface brightness edges in radio images, allowing us to identify at least one gradient in half of the radio halos studied. For the Bullet Cluster, we find excellent agreement between the locations of the 4 radio discontinuities detected and the X-ray edges. This similarity informs us that there is substantial interplay between thermal and nonthermal components in galaxy clusters. This interplay is likely due to the frozen-in ICM magnetic field, which mediates the advection of cosmic rays while being dragged by thermal gas flows. We conclude that radio halos are shaped by dynamical motions in the ICM and that they often display surface brightness discontinuities, which appear to be co-located with edges in the thermal gas emission. Our results demonstrate that new and future generations of radio telescopes will provide a complementary approach to X-rays to efficiently detect shocks and cold fronts in the ICM.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

How merger-driven gas motions in galaxy clusters can turn AGN bubbles into radio relics

Radio relics in galaxy clusters are extended synchrotron sources produced by cosmic-ray electrons in the $μ$G magnetic field. Many relics are found in the cluster periphery and have a cluster-centric, narrow arc-like shape, which suggests that the electrons are accelerated or re-accelerated by merger shock fronts propagating outward in the intracluster plasma. In the X-ray, some relics do exhibit such shocks at the location of the relic, but many do not. We explore the possibility that radio relics trace not the shock fronts but the shape of the underlying distribution of seed relativistic electrons, lit up by a recent shock passage. We use magnetohydrodynamic simulations of cluster mergers and include bubbles of relativistic electrons injected by jets from the central AGN or from an off-center radio galaxy. We show that the merger-driven gas motions (a) can advect the bubble cosmic rays to very large radii, and (b) spread the relativistic seed electrons preferentially in tangential direction -- along the gravitational equipotential surfaces -- producing extended, filamentary or sheet-like regions of intracluster plasma enriched with aged cosmic rays, which resemble radio relics. Once a shock front passes across such a region, the sharp radio emission edges would trace the sharp boundaries of these enriched regions rather than the front. We also show that these elongated cosmic ray features are naturally associated with magnetic fields stretched tangentially along their long axis, which could help explain the high polarization of relics.

astro-ph.HE↗