VALIDITY OF HYDROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM IN GALAXY CLUSTERS FROM COSMOLOGICAL HYDRODYNAMICAL SIMULATIONS
- Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397 (Japan)
- Department of Physics, Toho University, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510 (Japan)
- Princeton University Observatory, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
We examine the validity of the hydrostatic equilibrium (HSE) assumption for galaxy clusters using one of the highest-resolution cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. We define and evaluate several effective mass terms corresponding to the Euler equations of gas dynamics, and quantify the degree of the validity of HSE in terms of the mass estimate. We find that the mass estimated under the HSE assumption (the HSE mass) deviates from the true mass by up to {approx}30%. This level of departure from HSE is consistent with the previous claims, but our physical interpretation is rather different. We demonstrate that the inertial term in the Euler equations makes a negligible contribution to the total mass, and the overall gravity of the cluster is balanced by the thermal gas pressure gradient and the gas acceleration term. Indeed, the deviation from the HSE mass is well explained by the acceleration term at almost all radii. We also clarify the confusion of previous work due to the inappropriate application of the Jeans equations in considering the validity of HSE from the gas dynamics extracted from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations.
- OSTI ID:
- 22167394
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 767, 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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