Issue |
A&A
Volume 586, February 2016
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A32 | |
Number of page(s) | 6 | |
Section | Extragalactic astronomy | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201527356 | |
Published online | 22 January 2016 |
A critical assessment of the metal content of the intracluster medium
1
INAF–IASF Milano, via E.
Bassini 15, 20133
Milano, Italy
e-mail:
silvano@iasf-milano.inaf.it
2
Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva,
Ch. d’Ecogia 16, 1290
Versoix,
Switzerland
3
INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera,
via E. Bianchi 46, 23807
Merate,
Italy
4
INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna,
via Ranzani 1, 40127
Bologna,
Italy
5
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at
Irvine, 4129 Frederick Reines
Hall, Irvine,
CA
92697-4575,
USA
6
Laboratoire AIM, IRFU/Service d’Astrophysique – CEA/DSM – CNRS –
Université Paris Diderot, Bât. 709,
CEA-Saclay, 91191
Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex,
France
7
Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università degli Studi di
Milano, via Celoria
16, 20133
Milano,
Italy
Received: 14 September 2015
Accepted: 12 November 2015
Aims. Our goal is to provide a robust estimate of the metal content of the intracluster medium (ICM) in massive clusters.
Methods. We made use of published abundance profiles for a sample of ~60 nearby systems. We included in our estimate uncertainties associated with the measurement process and with the almost total lack of information in cluster outskirts.
Results. We performed a first, albeit rough, census of metals and find that the mean abundance of the ICM within r180 is very poorly constrained, 0.06 Z⊙ ≲ Z ≲ 0.26 Z⊙ and presents no disagreement with expectations. Similarly, whether and how the bulk of the metal content in clusters varies with cosmic time are very much open questions.
Conclusions. A solid estimate of abundances in cluster outskirts could be achieved by combining observations of the two experiments that will operate on board Athena, the XIFU and the WFI, provided they do not fall victim to the de-scoping process that has afflicted several space observatories over the last decade.
Key words: galaxies: clusters: intracluster medium / X-rays: galaxies: clusters
© ESO, 2016
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