No Arabic abstract
We present here the first analysis of the XMM Newton EPIC-MOS data of the galaxy group around NGC4839, which lies at a projected distance to the Coma cluster center of 1.6Mpc. In our analysis, which includes imaging, spectro-imaging and spectroscopy we find compelling evidence for the sub group being on its first infall onto the Coma cluster. The complex temperature structure around NGC 4839 is consistent with simulations of galaxies falling into a cluster environment. We see indications of a bow shock and of ram pressure stripping around NGC4839. Furthermore our data reveal a displacement between NGC4839 and the center of the hot gas in the group of about 300kpc. With a simple approximation we can explain this displacement by the pressure force originating from the infall, which acts much stronger on the group gas than on the galaxies.
We present in this paper a substructure and spectroimaging study of the Coma cluster of galaxies based on XMM-Newton data. XMM-Newton performed a mosaic of observations of Coma to ensure a large coverage of the cluster. We add the different pointings together and fit elliptical beta-models to the data. We subtract the cluster models from the data and look for residuals, which can be interpreted as substructure. We find several significant structures: the well-known subgroup connected to NGC4839 in the South-West of the cluster, and another substructure located between NGC 4839 and the centre of the Coma cluster. Constructing a hardness ratio image, which can be used as a temperature map we see that in front of this new structure the temperature is significantly increased (higher or equal 10 keV). We interpret this temperature enhancement as the result of heating as this structure falls onto the Coma cluster. We furthermore reconfirm the filament-like structure South-East of the cluster centre. This region is significantly cooler than the mean cluster temperature. We estimate the temperature of this structure to be equal or below 1keV. A possible scenario to explain the observed features is stripping caused by the infall of a small group of galaxies located around the two galaxies NGC4921 and NGC4911 into the Coma cluster with a non-zero impact parameter. We also see significant X-ray depressions North and South-East of NGC4921, which might either be linked to tidal forces due to the merger with the Western structure or connected to an older cluster merger.
Using XMM Newton data, we investigate the nature of the X-ray emission in the radio relic 1253+275 in the Coma cluster. We determine the conditions of the cluster gas to check current models of relic formation, and we set constraints on the intracluster magnetic field. Both imaging and spectral analysis are performed, and the X-ray emission is compared with the radio emission. We found that the emission is of thermal origin and is connected to the sub-group around NGC 4839. The best-fit gas temperature in the region of the relic and in its vicinity is in the range 2.8 - 4.0 keV, comparable to the temperature of the NGC 4839 sub-group. We do not detect any high temperature gas, resulting from a possible shock in the region of the Coma relic. We therefore suggest that the main source of energy for particles radiating in the radio relic is likely to be turbulence. From the X-ray data, we can also set a flux upper limit of 3.2 x 10e-13 erg/cm^2 s, in the 0.3 - 10 keV energy range, to the non-thermal emission in the relic region. This leads to a magnetic field B > 1.05 microG.
In A0-1 we proposed an ambitious long-term survey of selected regions of our Galaxy (the XGPS survey) using the EPIC CCD cameras on XMM-Newton. The first phase of the programme, which aims to survey a strip of the Galactic Plane in the Scutum region, is currently underway. Here we report on the preliminary results from the first 15 survey pointings. We show that the XGPS survey strategy of fairly shallow (5-10 ks) exposures but wide-angle coverage is well tuned to the goal of providing a large catalogue of predominantly Galactic sources at relatively faint X-ray fluxes in the hard 2-6 keV band.
Analysis of observations with XMM-Newton have made a significant contribution to the study of Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) X-ray afterglows. The effective area, bandpass and resolution of the EPIC instrument permit the study of a wide variety of spectral features. In particular, strong, time-dependent, soft X-ray emission lines have been discovered in some bursts. The emission mechanism and energy source for these lines pose major problems for the current generation of GRB models. Other GRBs have intrinsic absorption, possibly related to the environment around the progenitor, or possible iron emission lines similar to those seen in GRBs observed with BeppoSAX. Further XMM-Newton observations of GRBs discovered by the Swift satellite should help unlock the origin of the GRB phenomenon over the next few years.
We present a temperature map and a temperature profile of the central part (r < 20 or 1/4 virial radius) of the Coma cluster. We combined 5 overlapping pointings made with XMM/EPIC/MOS and extracted spectra in boxes of 3.5 X 3.5. The temperature distribution around the two central galaxies is remarkably homogeneous (r<10), contrary to previous ASCA results, suggesting that the core is actually in a relaxed state. At larger distance from the cluster center we do see evidence for recent matter accretion. We confirm the cool area in the direction of NGC 4921, probably due to gas stripped from an infalling group. We find indications of a hot front in the South West, in the direction of NGC4839, probably due to an adiabatic compression.