THE DENSITY PROFILES OF MASSIVE, RELAXED GALAXY CLUSTERS. I. THE TOTAL DENSITY OVER THREE DECADES IN RADIUS
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, MS 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)
- Astronomy Department, University of Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)
- CRAL, Observatorie de Lyon, Universite Lyon 1, 9 Avenue Ch. Andre, F-69561 Saint Genis Laval Cedex (France)
- Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Universite d'Aix-Marseille and CNRS, UMR7326, 38 rue F. Joliot-Curie, F-13388 Marseille Cedex 13 (France)
Clusters of galaxies are excellent locations to probe the distribution of baryons and dark matter (DM) over a wide range of scales. We study a sample of seven massive (M {sub 200} = 0.4-2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} M {sub Sun }), relaxed galaxy clusters with centrally located brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) at z = 0.2-0.3. Using the observational tools of strong and weak gravitational lensing, combined with resolved stellar kinematics within the BCG, we measure the total radial density profile, comprising both dark and baryonic matter, over scales of {approx_equal} 3-3000 kpc. We present Keck spectroscopy yielding seven new spectroscopic redshifts of multiply imaged sources and extended stellar velocity dispersion profiles of the BCGs. Lensing-derived mass profiles typically agree with independent X-ray estimates within {approx_equal} 15%, suggesting that departures from hydrostatic equilibrium are small and that the clusters in our sample (except A383) are not strongly elongated or compressed along the line of sight. The inner logarithmic slope {gamma}{sub tot} of the total density profile measured over r/r {sub 200} = 0.003-0.03, where {rho}{sub tot}{proportional_to}r{sup -{gamma}{sub t}{sub o}{sub t}}, is found to be nearly universal, with a mean ({gamma}{sub tot}) = 1.16 {+-} 0.05(random){sup +0.05} {sub -0.07} (systematic) and an intrinsic scatter {sigma}{sub {gamma}} < 0.13 (68% confidence). This is further supported by the very homogeneous shape of the observed velocity dispersion profiles, which are mutually consistent after a simple scaling. Remarkably, this slope agrees closely with high-resolution numerical simulations that contain only DM, despite the significant contribution of stellar mass on the scales we probe. The Navarro-Frenk-White profile characteristic of collisionless cold DM is a better description of the total mass density at radii {approx}> 5-10 kpc than that of DM alone. Hydrodynamical simulations that include baryons, cooling, and feedback currently provide a poorer match. We discuss the significance of our findings for understanding the physical processes governing the assembly of BCGs and cluster cores, particularly the influence of baryons on the inner DM halo.
- OSTI ID:
- 22167641
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 765, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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