Dynamics and Magnetization in Galaxy Cluster Cores Traced by X-ray Cold Fronts
Author
Keshet, Uri
Markevitch, Maxim
Birnboim, Yuval
Loeb, Abraham
Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/719/1/L74Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Keshet, Uri, Maxim Markevitch, Yuval Birnboim, and Abraham Loeb. 2010. “DYNAMICS AND MAGNETIZATION IN GALAXY CLUSTER CORES TRACED BY X-RAY COLD FRONTS.” The Astrophysical Journal 719 (1): L74–78. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/719/1/l74.Abstract
Cold fronts (CFs)-density and temperature plasma discontinuities-are ubiquitous in cool cores of galaxy clusters, where they appear as X-ray brightness edges in the intracluster medium, nearly concentric with the cluster center. We analyze the thermodynamic profiles deprojected across core CFs found in the literature. While the pressure appears continuous across these CFs, we find that all of them require significant centripetal acceleration beneath the front. This is naturally explained by a tangential, nearly sonic bulk flow just below the CF, and a tangential shear flow involving a fair fraction of the plasma beneath the front. Such shear should generate near-equipartition magnetic fields on scales less than or similar to 50 pc from the front and could magnetize the entire core. Such fields would explain the apparent stability of cool core CFs and the recently reported CF-radio minihalo association.Terms of Use
This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#LAACitable link to this page
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41412222
Collections
- FAS Scholarly Articles [18304]
Contact administrator regarding this item (to report mistakes or request changes)