Soft X-ray emission from warm gas in IllustrisTNG circum-cluster environments

I. Sample properties, methods, and initial results

¹ Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
e-mail: celine.gouin@ias.u-psud.fr
² University of Alabama in Huntsville, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
³ Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85741 Garching, Germany

Received: 8 June 2023
Accepted: 8 September 2023

Abstract

Context. Whereas X-ray clusters are extensively used for cosmology, their idealised modelling, through the hypotheses of spherical symmetry and hydrostatic equilibrium, is being questioned more and more. The soft X-ray emission detected in tens of clusters with ROSAT was found to be higher than what was expected from the idealised hot gas modelling, pointing to our incomplete understanding of these objects.

Aims. Given that cluster environments are at the interface between the hot intra-cluster medium (ICM), warm circum-galactic medium (WCGM), and warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM), we aim to explore the relative soft X-ray emission of different gas phases in circum-cluster environments.

Method. By using the most massive halos in IllustrisTNG at z = 0, we have predicted the hydrodynamical properties of the gas from cluster centres to their outskirts (5 R₂₀₀), and modelled their X-ray radiation for various plasma phases.

Results. First, we found that the radial profile of temperature, density, metallicity and clumpiness of the ICM are in good agreement with recent X-ray observations of clusters. Secondly, we have developed a method to predict the radial profile of soft X-ray emission in different bands, the column density of ions, and the X-ray absorption lines (O VIII, O VII, Ne IX, and Ne IX) of warm-hot gas inside and around clusters.

Conclusion. The warm gas (in the form of both WCGM and WHIM gas) is a strong emitter in soft X-ray bands and is qualitatively consistent with the observational measurements. Our results suggest that the cluster soft excess is induced by the thermal emission of warm gas in the circum-cluster environments.