Speaker
Description
Galaxy clusters form through the accretion of smaller structures, with mergers of subclumps and the sloshing of cold gas in higher-entropy environments affecting their intracluster medium (ICM) distribution. These processes leave observable imprints, such as edges, shocks, cold fronts, and discontinuities in surface brightness, as well as variations in integrated quantities.
In this study, we systematically investigate the occurrence, distribution, and properties of surface brightness discontinuities in the X-ray maps of the CHEX-MATE objects, a large, minimally biased, signal-to-noise-limited sample of 118 galaxy clusters detected by Planck through the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect. These clusters have been observed in X-ray with XMM-Newton through dedicated 3 Msec exposures within the Heritage program, and are designed to become the reference for clusters in the local volume and in the high-mass regime. We objectively identify discontinuities, minimizing biases from prior assumptions about merger geometry or the presence of features in other wavelengths (e.g., radio relics). To achieve this, we focus on regions where local deviations from a smooth surface brightness distribution occur.
This work provides the first comprehensive characterization of the frequency, location, extent, and halo dependence of these features in a large and representative sample of galaxy clusters, offering new insights into the physical mechanisms shaping the ICM.
| Would you be interested in presenting a poster if the conference is oversubcribed? | Yes |
|---|
