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X-ray archaeology in the Coma clusterWe present images of X-ray emission from hot gas within the Coma cluster of galaxies. These maps, made with the ROSAT satellite, have much higher SNR than any previous X-ray image of a galaxy cluster, and allow cluster structure to be analyzed in unprecedented detail. They show greater structural irregularity than might have been anticipated from earlier observations of Coma. Emission is detected from a number of bright cluster galaxies in addition to the two known previously. In four cases, there is evidence that these galaxies lie at the center of an extended subconcentration within the cluster, possibly the remnant of their associated groups. For at least two galaxies, the images show direct evidence for ongoing disruption of their gaseous atmosphere. The luminosity associated with these galaxies is comparable to that detected around similar ellipticals in much poorer environments. Emission is easily detected to the limit of our field, about 1 deg from the cluster center, and appears to become more regular at large radii. The data show clearly that this archetype of a rich and regular galaxy cluster was, in fact, formed by the merging of several distinct subunits which are not yet fully destroyed.
Document ID
19930048330
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
White, Simon D. M.
(Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ; Cambridge Univ. Inst. of Astronomy, United Kingdom)
Briel, Ulrich G.
(Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Extraterrestrische Physik Garching, Germany)
Henry, J. P.
(Hawaii Univ. Honolulu, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
March 15, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Royal Astronomical Society, Monthly Notices
Volume: 261
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0035-8711
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
93A32327
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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