Compton scattering of microwave background radiation by gas in galaxy clusters

Abstract

Based on data on the X-ray spectrum of the Coma cluster, interpreted as thermal bremsstrahlung, the expected brightness depletion from Compton scattering of the microwave background in the direction of the cluster is computed. The calculated depletion is about one-third that recently observed by Gull and Northover, and the discrepancy is discussed. In comparing the observed microwave depletion in the direction of other clusters which are X-ray sources it is found that there is no correlation with the cluster X-ray luminosity. Consequently, the microwave depletion observations cannot yet be taken as good evidence for a thermal bremsstrahlung origin for the X-ray emission. The perturbation from Compton scattering of photons on the high-frequency (Wien) tail of the blackbody distribution is computed and found to be much larger than predicted in previous calculations. In the Wien tail the effect is a relative increase in the blackbody intensity that is appreciably greater in magnitude than the depletion in the Rayleigh-Jeans domain.