Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userTowards mapping turbulence in the intra-cluster medium -- II. Measurement uncertainties in the estimation of structure functions
82
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
X-ray observations of the hot gas filling the intra-cluster medium provide a wealth of information on the dynamics of clusters of galaxies. The global equilibrium of the ICM is believed to be partially ensured by non-thermal pressure support, notably the dissipation of energy through turbulent motions. Accurate mapping of turbulence using X-ray emission lines is challenging due to the lack of spatially-resolved spectroscopy. Only future instruments such as the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) on Athena will have the spatial and spectral resolution to quantitatively investigate the ICM turbulence at all scales. Powerful diagnostics for these studies are line shift and the line broadening maps, and the second-order structure function. When estimating these quantities, instruments will be limited by uncertainties of their measurements, and by the sample variance (aka cosmic variance) of the observation. We extend here the formalism started in our companion paper I to include the effect of statistical uncertainties in the estimation of these line diagnostics, in particular for structure functions. We demonstrate that statistics contribute to the total variance through different terms, which depend on the geometry of the detector, the spatial binning and the nature of the turbulent field. These terms are important when probing the small scales of the turbulence. An application of these equations is performed for the X-IFU, using synthetic turbulent velocity maps of a Coma-like cluster of galaxies. Results are in excellent agreement with the formulas both for the structure function estimation (<3%) and its variance (<10%). The expressions derived here and in paper I are generic, and ensure an estimation of the total errors in any X-ray measurement of turbulent structure functions. They also open the way for optimisations in the upcoming instrumentation and in observational strategies.
rate research
Read More
X-ray observations of galaxy clusters provide insights on the nature of gaseous turbulent motions, their physical scales and on the fundamental processes they are related to. Spatially-resolved, high-resolution spectral measurements of X-ray emission lines provide diagnostics on the nature of turbulent motions in emitting atmospheres. Since they are acting on scales comparable to the size of the objects, the uncertainty on these physical parameters is limited by the number of observational measurements, through sample variance. We propose a different and complementary approach for the computation of sample variance to repeating numerical simulations (i.e. Monte-Carlo sampling) by introducing new analytical developments for lines diagnosis. We consider the model of a turbulent gas cloud, consisting in isotropic and uniform turbulence described by a universal Kolmogorov power-spectrum with random amplitudes and phases in an optically thin medium. Following a simple prescription for the 4-term correlation of Fourier coefficients, we derive generic expressions for the sample mean and variance of line centroid shift, line broadening and projected velocity structure function. We perform a numerical validation based on Monte-Carlo simulations for two popular models of gas emissivity based on the beta-model. Generic expressions for the sample variance of line centroid shifts and broadening in arbitrary apertures are derived and match the simulations within their range of applicability. Generic expressions for the mean and variance of the structure function are provided and verified against simulations. An application to the Athena/X-IFU and XRISM/Resolve instruments forecasts the potential of sensitive, spatially-resolved spectroscopy to probe the inertial range of turbulent velocity cascades in a Coma-like galaxy cluster.
FEARLESS (Fluid mEchanics with Adaptively Refined Large Eddy SimulationS) is a new numerical scheme arising from the combined use of subgrid scale (SGS) model for turbulence at the unresolved length scales and adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) for resolving the large scales. This tool is especially suitable for the study of turbulent flows in strongly clumped media. In this contribution, the main features of FEARLESS are briefly outlined. We then summarize the main results of FEARLESS cosmological simulations of galaxy cluster evolution. In clusters, the production of turbulence is closely correlated with merger events; for minor mergers, we find that turbulent dissipation affects the cluster energy budget only locally. The level of entropy in the cluster core is enhanced in FEARLESS simulations, in accord with a better modeling of the unresolved flow, and with its feedback on the resolved mixing in the ICM.
Astro-H will be able for the first time to map gas velocities and detect turbulence in galaxy clusters. One of the best targets for turbulence studies is the Coma cluster, due to its proximity, absence of a cool core, and lack of a central active galactic nucleus. To determine what constraints Astro-H will be able to place on the Coma velocity field, we construct simulated maps of the projected gas velocity and compute the second-order structure function, an analog of the velocity power spectrum. We vary the injection scale, dissipation scale, slope, and normalization of the turbulent power spectrum, and apply measurement errors and finite sampling to the velocity field. We find that even with sparse coverage of the cluster, Astro-H will be able to measure the Mach number and the injection scale of the turbulent power spectrum--the quantities determining the energy flux down the turbulent cascade and the diffusion rate for everything that is advected by the gas (metals, cosmic rays, etc.). Astro-H will not be sensitive to the dissipation scale or the slope of the power spectrum in its inertial range, unless they are outside physically motivated intervals. We give the expected confidence intervals for the injection scale and the normalization of the power spectrum for a number of possible pointing configurations, combining the structure function and velocity dispersion data. Importantly, we also determine that measurement errors on the line shift will bias the velocity structure function upward, and show how to correct this bias.
Aims. We aim to provide constraints on evolutionary scenarios in clusters. One of our main goals is to understand whether, as claimed by some, the cool core/non-cool core division is established once and for all during the early history of a cluster. Methods. We employ a sample of about 60 objects to classify clusters according to different properties: we characterize cluster cores in terms of their thermo-dynamic and chemical properties and clusters as a whole in terms of their dynamical properties. Results. We find that: I) the vast majority of merging systems feature high entropy cores (HEC); II) objects with lower entropy cores feature more pronounced metallicity peaks than objects with higher entropy cores. We identify a small number of medium (MEC) and high (HEC) entropy core systems which, unlike most other such objects, feature a large central metallicity. The majority of these outliers are mergers, i.e. systems far from their equilibrium configuration. Conclusions. We surmise that medium (MEC) and high (HEC) entropy core systems with a large central metallicity recently evolved from low entropy core (LEC) clusters that have experienced a heating event associated to AGN or merger activity.
Stars in globular clusters (GCs) lose a non negligible amount of mass during their post-main sequence evolution. This material is then expected to build up a substantial intra-cluster medium (ICM) within the GC. However, the observed gas content in GCs is a couple of orders of magnitude below these expectations. Here we follow the evolution of this stellar wind material through hydrodynamical simulations to attempt to reconcile theoretical predictions with observations. We test different mechanisms proposed in the literature to clear out the gas such as ram-pressure stripping by the motion of the GC in the Galactic halo medium and ionisation by UV sources. We use the code ramses to run 3D hydrodynamical simulations to study for the first time the ICM evolution within discretised multi-mass GC models including stellar winds and full radiative transfer. We find that the inclusion of both ram-pressure and ionisation is mandatory to explain why only a very low amount of ionised gas is observed in the core of GCs. The same mechanisms operating in ancient GCs that clear the gas could also be efficient at younger ages, meaning that young GCs would not be able to retain gas and form multiple generations of stars as assumed in many models to explain multiple populations. However, this rapid clearing of gas is consistent with observations of young massive clusters.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
