We report Chandra X-ray observations and optical weak-lensing measurements from Subaru/Suprime-Cam images of the double galaxy cluster Abell 2465 (z=0.245). The X-ray brightness data are fit to a beta-model to obtain the radial gas density profiles o
f the northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) sub-components, which are seen to differ in structure. We determine core radii, central temperatures, the gas masses within $r_{500c}$, and the total masses for the broader NE and sharper SW components assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. The central entropy of the NE clump is about two times higher than the SW. Along with its structural properties, this suggests that it has undergone merging on its own. The weak-lensing analysis gives virial masses for each substructure, which compare well with earlier dynamical results. The derived outer mass contours of the SW sub-component from weak lensing are more irregular and extended than those of the NE. Although there is a weak enhancement and small offsets between X-ray gas and mass centers from weak lensing, the lack of large amounts of gas between the two sub-clusters indicates that Abell 2465 is in a pre-merger state. A dynamical model that is consistent with the observed cluster data, based on the FLASH program and the radial infall model, is constructed, where the subclusters currently separated by ~1.2Mpc are approaching each other at ~2000km/s and will meet in ~0.4Gyr.
We investigate the relationship between star formation (SF) and level of relaxation in a sample of 379 galaxy clusters at z < 0.2. We use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to measure cluster membership and level of relaxation, and to select star
-forming galaxies based on mid-infrared emission detected with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. For galaxies with absolute magnitudes M_r < -19.5, we find an inverse correlation between SF fraction and cluster relaxation: as a cluster becomes less relaxed, its SF fraction increases. Furthermore, in general, the subtracted SF fraction in all unrelaxed clusters (0.117 +/- 0.003) is higher than that in all relaxed clusters (0.097 +/- 0.005). We verify the validity of our SF calculation methods and membership criteria through analysis of previous work. Our results agree with previous findings that a weak correlation exists between cluster SF and dynamical state, possibly because unrelaxed clusters are less evolved relative to relaxed clusters.
We discuss the potential for using neutron stars to determine bounds on the Higgs-Kretschmann coupling by looking at peculiar shifts in gamma-ray spectroscopic features. In particular, we reanalyse multiple lines observed in GRB781119 detected by two
gamma-ray spectrometers, and derive an upper bound on the Higgs-Kretschmann coupling that is much more constraining than the one recently obtained from white dwarfs. This calls for targeted analyses of spectra of gamma-ray bursts from more recent observatories, dedicated searches for differential shifts on electron-positron and proton-antiproton annihilation spectra in proximity of compact sources, and signals of electron and proton cyclotron lines from the same neutron star.
We investigate the star formation rate and its location in the major merger cluster Abell 2465 at $z$ = 0.245. Optical properties of the cluster are described in Paper I. Measurements of the H$alpha$ and infrared dust emission of galaxies in the clus
ter were made with an interference filter centred on the redshifted line at a wavelength of 817 nm and utilized data from the WISE satellite 12 $mu$m band. Imaging in the Johnson $U$ and $B$ bands was obtained, and along with SDSS $u$ and $r$ was used to study the blue fraction, which appears enhanced, as a further signatures of star formation in the cluster. Star formation rates were calculated using standard calibrations. The total star formation rate normalized by the cluster mass, $Sigma SFR/M_{cl}$ compared to compilations for other clusters indicate that the components of Abell 2465 lie above the mean $z$ and $M_{cl}$ relations, suggestive that interacting galaxy clusters have enhanced star formation. The projected radial distribution of the star forming galaxies does not follow a NFW profile and is relatively flat indicating that fewer star forming galaxies are in the cluster centre. The morphologies of the H$alpha$ sources within $R_{200}$ for the cluster as a whole indicate that many are disturbed or merging, suggesting that a combination of merging or harassment is working.
We report on a search for differential shifts between electronic and vibronic transitions in carbon-rich white dwarfs BPM 27606 and Procyon B. The absence of differential shifts within the spectral resolution and taking into account systematic effect
s such as space motion and pressure shifts allows us to set the first upper bound of astrophysical origin on the coupling between the Higgs field and the Kreschmann curvature invariant. Our analysis provides the basis for a more general methodology to derive bounds to the coupling of long-range scalar fields to curvature invariants in an astrophysical setting complementary to the ones available from high-energy physics or table-top experiments.
We investigate the relationship between star formation (SF) and substructure in a sample of 107 nearby galaxy clusters using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Several past studies of individual galaxy clusters have suggested that cluster
mergers enhance cluster SF, while others find no such relationship. The SF fraction in multi-component clusters (0.228 +/- 0.007) is higher than that in single-component clusters (0.175 +/- 0.016) for galaxies with M^0.1_r < -20.5. In both single- and multi-component clusters, the fraction of star-forming galaxies increases with clustercentric distance and decreases with local galaxy number density, and multi-component clusters show a higher SF fraction than single-component clusters at almost all clustercentric distances and local densities. Comparing the SF fraction in individual clusters to several statistical measures of substructure, we find weak, but in most cases significant at greater than 2 sigma, correlations between substructure and SF fraction. These results could indicate that cluster mergers may cause weak but significant SF enhancement in clusters, or unrelaxed clusters exhibit slightly stronger SF due to their less evolved states relative to relaxed clusters.
