Shocks & fronts in the merging x-ray bright cluster Abell 2219
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Abstract
We present a deep 470 ks Chandra observation of Abell 2219, a very hot and X-ray luminous cluster experiencing a major merger event. Abell 2219, at a redshift of z = 0.225, is only the second galaxy cluster merger where both the forward and reverse shock fronts are identified with X-ray temperature and density measurements (Russell et al., 2012, the other is Abell 2146) and one of only a handful with any shock fronts unambiguously detected as both temperature and density discontinuities. The reason for this rarity is the requirement of a near plane-of-sky merger, to mitigate the effects of projection, and also the inherently low X-ray surface brightness of shocked regions in the outskirts of clusters. Nonetheless, these sharp discontinuities, along with cluster cold fronts, have the potential to illuminate the micro-scale transport processes occurring in the hot intracluster medium. Abell 2219 is also one of the hottest and most X-ray luminous galaxy clusters known, with a system temperature of 12 keV, and unusually, a hot yet dense core, suggesting evidence for ongoing shock activity at the core. It hosts a bright radio halo and three strong radio galaxies. Previous Chandra observations have revealed this system is in the early throes of a violent merger. In this work we present the development of data reduction and analysis pipelines to process our high spatial-resolution, deeper X-ray data, allowing us to confirm the presence of of both shocks and cold fronts within the cluster merger.
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Introduction -- Chandra data preparation -- Analysis -- Conclusions and future projects
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M.S. (Master of Science)