No Arabic abstract
We report the details of an XMM observation of the cluster of galaxies ZW 1305.4+2941 at the intermediate redshift of z=0.241, increasing the small number of interesting X-ray constraints on properties of ~3 keV systems above z=0.1. Based on the 45 ks XMM observation, we find that within a radius of 228 kpc the cluster has an unabsorbed X-ray flux of 2.07 +/- 0.06 x 10^{-13} erg/cm^2/s, a temperature of kT = 3.17 +/-0.19 keV, in good agreement with the previous ROSAT determination, and an abundance of 0.93 (+0.24,-0.29} solar. Within r_500 = 723 +/- 6 kpc the rest-frame bolometric X-ray luminosity is L_X (r_500)= 1.25 +/- 0.16 x 10^{44} erg/s. The cluster obeys the scaling relations for L_X, T and the velocity dispersion derived at intermediate redshift for kT < 4 keV, for which we provide new fits for all literature objects. The mass derived from an isothermal NFW model fit is, M_vir = 2.77 +/- 0.21 x 10^{14} solar masses, with a concentration parameter, c = 7.9 +/- 0.5.
The maximum number density of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), as deduced from X-ray studies, occurs at z<~1, with lower luminosity objects peaking at smaller redshifts. Optical studies lead to a different evolutionary behaviour, with a number density peaking at z~2 independently of the intrinsic luminosity, but this result is limited to active nuclei brighter than the host galaxy. A selection based on optical variability can detect low luminosity AGNs (LLAGNs), where the host galaxy light prevents the identification by non-stellar colours. We want to collect X-ray data in a field where it exists an optically-selected sample of variable galaxies, i.e. variable objects with diffuse appearance, to investigate the X-ray and optical properties of the population of AGNs, particularly of low luminosity ones, where the host galaxy is visible. We observed a field of 0.2 deg^2 in the Selected Area 57, for 67ks with XMM-Newton. We detected X-ray sources, and we correlated the list with a photographic survey of SA 57, complete to B_J~23 and with available spectroscopic data. We obtained a catalogue of 140 X-ray sources to limiting fluxes 5x10^-16, 2x10^-15 erg/cm^2/s in the 0.5-2 keV and 2-10 keV respectively, 98 of which are identified in the optical bands. The X-ray detection of part of the variability-selected candidates confirms their AGN nature. Diffuse variable objects populate the low luminosity side of the sample. Only 25/44 optically-selected QSOs are detected in X-rays. 15% of all QSOs in the field have X/O<0.1.
An XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy analysis of the galaxy cluster A1644 is presented. A1644 is a complex merging system consisting of a main and a sub cluster. A trail of cool, metal-rich gas has been discovered close to the sub cluster. The combination of results from X-ray, optical, and radio data, and a comparison to a hydrodynamical simulation suggest that the sub cluster has passed by the main cluster off-axis and a fraction of its gas has been stripped off during this process. Furthermore, for this merging system, simple effects are illustrated which can affect the use of clusters as cosmological probes. Specifically, double clusters may affect estimates of the cluster number density when treated as a single system. Mergers, as well as cool cores, can alter the X-ray luminosity and temperature measured for clusters, causing these values to differ from those expected in equilibrium.
We present results from the XMM-Newton observation of the non-cooling flow cluster A1060. Large effective area of XMM-Newton enables us to investigate the nature of this cluster in unprecedented detail. From the observed surface brightness distribution, we have found that the gravitational mass distribution is well described by the NFW profile but with a central density slope of ~1.5. We have undoubtedly detected a radial temperature decrease of as large as ~30% from the center to the outer region (r ~13), which seems much larger than that expected from the temperature profile averaged over nearby clusters. We have established that the temperature of the region ~7 southeast of the center is higher than the azimuthally averaged temperature of the same radius by ~20%. Since the pressure of this region already reaches equilibrium with the environment, the temperature structure can be interpreted as having been produced between 4*10^7 yr (the sound-crossing time) and 3*10^8 yr (the thermal conduction time) ago. We have found that the high-metallicity blob located at ~1.5 northeast of NGC 3311 is more extended and its iron mass of 1.9*10^7 M_solar is larger by an order of magnitude than estimated from our Chandra observation. The amount of iron can still be considered as being injected solely from the elliptical galaxy NGC3311.
We present results from the XMM-Newton observation of the binary cluster A1750 at z = 0.086. We have performed a detailed study of the surface brightness, temperature and entropy distribution and confirm that the two main clusters of the system (A1750 N and A1750 C) have just started to interact. From the temperature distribution, we calculate that they are likely to merge sometime in the next 1 Gyr. The more massive cluster, A1750 C, displays a more complicated temperature structure than expected. We detect a hot region associated with a density jump ~450 kpc east of the cluster centre, which appears to be a shock wave. This shock is not connected with the binary merger, but it is intrinsic to A1750 C itself. From simple physical arguments and comparison with numerical simulations, we argue that this shock is related to a merging event that A1750 C has suffered in the past 1-2 Gyr. The larger scale structure around A1750 suggests that the system belongs to a rich supercluster, which would presumably increase the likelihood of merger events. These new XMM-Newton data thus show that A1750 is a complex system, where two clusters are starting to interact before having re-established equilibrium after a previous merger. This merger within a merger indicates that the present day morphology of clusters may depend not only on on-going interactions or the last major merging event, but also on the more ancient merger history, especially in dense environments.
(Abridged) We present a spectral analysis of a deep (220 ks) XMM-Newton observation of the Phoenix cluster (SPT-CL J2344-4243), which we also combine with Chandra archival ACIS-I data. We extract CCD and RGS X-ray spectra from the core region to search for the signature of cold gas, and constrain the mass deposition rate in the cooling flow which is thought to be responsible of the massive star formation episode observed in the BCG. We find an average mass deposition rate of $dot M = 620 (-190 +200)_{stat} (-50 +150)_{syst} M_odot$/yr in the temperature range 0.3-3.0 keV from MOS data. A temperature-resolved analysis shows that a significant amount of gas is deposited only above 1.8 keV, while upper limits of the order of hundreds of $M_odot$/yr can be put in the 0.3-1.8 keV temperature range. From pn data we obtain $dot M = 210 (-80 +85)_{stat} ( -35 +60)_{syst} M_odot$/yr, and the upper limits from the temperature-resolved analysis are typically a factor of 3 lower than MOS data. In the RGS spectrum, no line emission from ionization states below Fe XXIII is seen above $12 AA$, and the amount of gas cooling below $sim 3$ keV has a best-fit value $dot M = 122_{-122}^{+343}$ $M_{odot}$/yr. In addition, our analysis of the FIR SED of the BCG based on Herschel data provides $SFR = (530 pm 50) M_odot$/yr, significantly lower than previous estimates by a factor 1.5. Current data are able to firmly identify substantial amount of cooling gas only above 1.8 keV in the core of the Phoenix cluster. While MOS data analysis is consistent with values as high as $dot M sim 1000$ within $1 sigma$, pn data provide $dot M < 500 M_odot$ yr$^{-1}$ at $3sigma$ c.l. at temperature below 1.8 keV. At present, this discrepancy cannot be explained on the basis of known calibration uncertainties or other sources of statistical noise.