No Arabic abstract
We present results from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT observations of the Planck SZ-detected cluster A3716 (PLCKG345.40-39.34 - G345). We show that G345 is, in fact, two subclusters separated on the sky by 400 kpc. We measure the subclusters gas temperatures (~ 2-3 keV), total (~ 1-2 x 10^14 solar masses) and gas (~ 1-2 x 10^13 solar masses) masses, gas mass fraction within r500, entropy profiles, and X-ray luminosities (~ 10^43 erg/s). Using the gas density and temperature profiles for both subclusters, we show that there is good (0.8 sigma) agreement between the expected Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal predicted from the X-ray data and that measured from the Planck mission, and better agreement within 0.6 sigma when we re-computed the Planck value assuming a two component cluster model, with relative amplitudes fixed based on the X-ray data. Dynamical analysis shows that the two galaxy subclusters are very likely (> 97% probability) gravitationally bound, and in the most likely scenario, the subclusters will undergo core passage in 500 +- 200 Myr. The northern subcluster is centrally peaked and has a low entropy core, while the southern subcluster has a high central entropy. The high central entropy in the southern subcluster can be explained either by the mergers of several groups, as suggested by the presence of five giant ellipticals or by AGN energy injection, as suggested by the presence of a strong radio source in one of its massive elliptical galaxies, or by a combination of both processes.
We have obtained deep SZ observations towards 15 of the apparently hottest XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) clusters that can be observed with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI). We use a Bayesian analysis to quantify the significance of our SZ detections. We detect the SZ effect at high significance towards three of the clusters and at lower significance for a further two clusters. Towards the remaining ten clusters, no clear SZ signal was measured. We derive cluster parameters using the XCS mass estimates as a prior in our Bayesian analysis. For all AMI-detected clusters, we calculate large-scale mass and temperature estimates while for all undetected clusters we determine upper limits on these parameters. We find that the large- scale mean temperatures derived from our AMI SZ measurements (and the upper limits from null detections) are substantially lower than the XCS-based core-temperature estimates. For clusters detected in the SZ, the mean temperature is, on average, a factor of 1.4 lower than temperatures from the XCS. For clusters undetected in SZ, the average 68% upper limit on the mean temperature is a factor of 1.9 below the XCS temperature.
We present results from a 577 ks XMM-Newton observation of SPT-CL J0459-4947, the most distant cluster detected in the South Pole Telescope 2500 square degree (SPT-SZ) survey, and currently the most distant cluster discovered through its Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. The data confirm the clusters high redshift, $z=1.71 pm 0.02$, in agreement with earlier, less precise optical/IR photometric estimates. From the gas density profile, we estimate a characteristic mass of $M_{500}=(1.8 pm 0.2) times 10^{14}M_{Sun}$; cluster emission is detected above the background to a radius of $sim 2.2 r_{500}$, or approximately the virial radius. The intracluster gas is characterized by an emission-weighted average temperature of $7.2 pm 0.3$ keV and metallicity with respect to Solar of $0.37 pm 0.08$. For the first time at such high redshift, this deep data set provides a measurement of metallicity outside the cluster center; at radii $r > 0.3 r_{500}$, we find it to be $0.33 pm 0.17$, in good agreement with precise measurements at similar radii in the most nearby clusters, supporting an early enrichment scenario in which the bulk of the cluster gas is enriched to a universal metallicity prior to cluster formation, with little to no evolution thereafter. The leverage provided by the high redshift of this cluster tightens by a factor of 2 constraints on evolving metallicity models, when combined with previous measurements at lower redshifts.
We examine the reconstruction of galaxy cluster radial density profiles obtained from Chandra and XMM X-ray observations, using high quality data for a sample of twelve objects covering a range of morphologies and redshifts. By comparing the results obtained from the two observatories and by varying key aspects of the analysis procedure, we examine the impact of instrumental effects and of differences in the methodology used in the recovery of the density profiles. We find that the final density profile shape is particularly robust. We adapt the photon weighting vignetting correction method developed for XMM for use with Chandra data, and confirm that the resulting Chandra profiles are consistent with those corrected a posteriori for vignetting effects. Profiles obtained from direct deprojection and those derived using parametric models are consistent at the 1% level. At radii larger than $sim$6, the agreement between Chandra and XMM is better than 1%, confirming an excellent understanding of the XMM PSF. We find no significant energy dependence. The impact of the well-known offset between Chandra and XMM gas temperature determinations on the density profiles is found to be negligible. However, we find an overall normalisation offset in density profiles of the order of $sim$2.5%, which is linked to absolute flux cross-calibration issues. As a final result, the weighted ratios of Chandra to XMM gas masses computed at R2500 and R500 are r=1.03$pm$0.01 and r=1.03$pm$0.03, respectively. Our study confirms that the radial density profiles are robustly recovered, and that any differences between Chandra and XMM can be constrained to the $sim$ 2.5% level, regardless of the exact data analysis details. These encouraging results open the way for the true combination of X-ray observations of galaxy clusters, fully leveraging the high resolution of Chandra and the high throughput of XMM.
We present a pilot X-ray study of the five most massive ($M_{500}>5 times 10^{14} M_{odot}$), distant (z~1), galaxy clusters detected via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. We optimally combine XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray observations by leveraging the throughput of XMM to obtain spatially-resolved spectroscopy, and the spatial resolution of Chandra to probe the bright inner parts and to detect embedded point sources. Capitalising on the excellent agreement in flux-related measurements, we present a new method to derive the density profiles, constrained in the centre by Chandra and in the outskirts by XMM. We show that the Chandra-XMM combination is fundamental for morphological analysis at these redshifts, the Chandra resolution being required to remove point source contamination, and the XMM sensitivity allowing higher significance detection of faint substructures. The sample is dominated by dynamically disturbed objects. We use the combined Chandra-XMM density profiles and spatially-resolved temperature profiles to investigate thermodynamic quantities including entropy and pressure. From comparison of the scaled profiles with the local REXCESS sample, we find no significant departure from standard self-similar evolution, within the dispersion, at any radius, except for the entropy beyond 0.7$R_{500}$. The baryon mass fraction tends towards the cosmic value, with a weaker dependence on mass than observed in the local Universe. We compare with predictions from numerical simulations. The present pilot study demonstrates the utility and feasibility of spatially-resolved analysis of individual objects at high-redshift through the combination of XMM and Chandra observations. Observations of a larger sample will allow a fuller statistical analysis to be undertaken, in particular of the intrinsic scatter in the structural and scaling properties of the cluster population. (abridged)
We have analyzed the {it XMM-Newton} and {it Chandra} data overlapping $sim$16.5 deg$^2$ of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82, including $sim$4.6 deg$^2$ of proprietary {it XMM-Newton} data that we present here. In total, 3362 unique X-ray sources are detected at high significance. We derive the {it XMM-Newton} number counts and compare them with our previously reported {it Chandra} Log$N$-Log$S$ relations and other X-ray surveys. The Stripe 82 X-ray source lists have been matched to multi-wavelength catalogs using a maximum likelihood estimator algorithm. We discovered the highest redshift ($z=5.86$) quasar yet identified in an X-ray survey. We find 2.5 times more high luminosity (L$_x geq 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$) AGN than the smaller area {it Chandra} and {it XMM-Newton} survey of COSMOS and 1.3 times as many identified by XBootes. Comparing the high luminosity AGN we have identified with those predicted by population synthesis models, our results suggest that this AGN population is a more important component of cosmic black hole growth than previously appreciated. Approximately a third of the X-ray sources not detected in the optical are identified in the infrared, making them candidates for the elusive population of obscured high luminosity AGN in the early universe.