Density Profiles Of Clusters Research Articles

Inferring the Mass Content of Galaxy Clusters with Satellite Kinematics and Jeans Anisotropic Modeling

Satellite galaxies can be used to indicate the dynamic mass of galaxy groups and clusters. In this study, we apply the axisymmetric Jeans Anisotropic Multi-Gaussian Expansion (JAM) modeling to satellite galaxies in 28 galaxy clusters selected from the TNG300-1 simulation with halo masses of log10M200/M⊙>14.3 . If using true bound satellites as tracers, the best constrained total mass within the half-mass radius of satellites, M(<r half), and the virial mass, M 200, have average biases of −0.01 and 0.03 dex, with average scatters of 0.11 dex and 0.15 dex. If selecting companions in the redshift space with a line-of-sight depth of 2000 km s−1, the biases are −0.06 and 0.01 dex, while the scatters are 0.12 and 0.18 dex for M(<r half) and M 200. By comparing the best-fitting and actual density profiles, we find that ∼29% of the best-fitting density profiles show very good agreement with the truth, ∼32% display over/underestimates at most of the radial range with biased M(<r half), and 39% show under/overestimates in central regions and over/underestimates in the outskirts, with good constraints on M(<r half); yet most of the best constraints are still consistent with the true profiles within 1σ statistical uncertainties for the three circumstances. Using a mock DESI Bright Galaxy Survey catalog with the effect of fiber incompleteness, we find DESI fiber assignments and the choice of flux limits barely modify the velocity dispersion profiles and are thus unlikely to affect the dynamical modeling outcomes. Our results show that with current and future deep spectroscopic surveys, JAM can be a powerful tool to constrain the underlying density profiles of individual massive galaxy clusters.

The FLAMINGO project: Galaxy clusters in comparison to X-ray observations

Abstract Galaxy clusters are important probes for both cosmology and galaxy formation physics. We test the cosmological, hydrodynamical FLAMINGO simulations by comparing to observations of the gaseous properties of clusters measured from X-ray observations. FLAMINGO contains unprecedented numbers of massive galaxy groups (&amp;gt;106) and clusters (&amp;gt;105) and includes variations in both cosmology and galaxy formation physics. We predict the evolution of cluster scaling relations as well as radial profiles of the temperature, density, pressure, entropy, and metallicity for different masses and redshifts. We show that the differences between volume-, and X-ray-weighting of particles in the simulations, and between cool-core non cool-core samples, are similar in size as the differences between simulations for which the stellar and AGN feedback has been calibrated to produce significantly different gas fractions. Compared to thermally-driven AGN feedback, kinetic jet feedback calibrated to produce the same gas fraction at R500c yields a hotter core with higher entropies and lower densities, which translates into a smaller fraction of cool-core clusters. Stronger feedback, calibrated to produce lower gas fractions and hence lower gas densities, results in higher temperatures, entropies, and metallicities, but lower pressures. The scaling relations and thermodynamic profiles show almost no evolution with respect to self-similar expectations, except for the metallicity decreasing with redshift. We find that the temperature, density, pressure, and entropy profiles of clusters in the fiducial FLAMINGO simulation are in excellent agreement with observations, while the metallicities in the core are too high.

Correction to: X-ray surface brightness and gas density profiles of galaxy clusters up to 3 × R500c with SRG/eROSITA

Correction to: X-ray surface brightness and gas density profiles of galaxy clusters up to 3 × <i>R</i>500c with SRG/eROSITA

MaNGA DynPop – IV. Stacked total density profile of galaxy groups and clusters from combining dynamical models of integral-field stellar kinematics and galaxy–galaxy lensing

ABSTRACT We present the measurement of total and stellar/dark matter decomposed mass density profile around a sample of galaxy groups and clusters with dynamical masses derived from integral-field stellar kinematics from the MaNGA survey in Paper I and weak lensing derived from the DECaLS imaging survey. Combining the two data sets enables accurate measurement of the radial density distribution from several kpc to Mpc scales. Intriguingly, we find that the excess surface density derived from stellar kinematics in the inner region cannot be explained by simply adding an NFW dark matter halo extrapolated from lensing measurement at a larger scale to a stellar mass component derived from the NASA-Sloan Atlas (NSA) catalogue. We find that a good fit to both data sets requires a stellar mass normalization about three times higher than that derived from the NSA catalogue, which would require an unrealistically too-heavy initial mass function for stellar mass estimation. If we keep the stellar mass normalization to that of the NSA catalogue but allow a varying inner dark matter density profile, we obtain an asymptotic slope of γgnfw = $1.82_{-0.25}^{+0.15}$ and γgnfw = $1.48_{-0.41}^{+0.20}$ for the group bin and the cluster bin, respectively, significantly steeper than the NFW case. We also compare the total mass inner density slopes with those from TNG300 and find that the values from the simulation are lower than the observation by about 2σ level.

X-ray surface brightness and gas density profiles of galaxy clusters up to 3 × R500c with SRG/eROSITA

ABSTRACT Using the data of the SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey, we stacked a sample of ∼40 galaxy cluster images in the 0.3–2.3 keV band, covering the radial range up to 10 × R500c. The excess emission on top of the Galactic and extragalactic X-ray backgrounds and foregrounds is detected up to ∼3 × R500c. At these distances, the surface brightness of the stacked image drops below ∼1 per cent of the background. The density profile reconstructed from the X-ray surface brightness profile agrees well (within ∼30 per cent) with the mean gas profile found in numerical simulations, which predict the local gas overdensity of ∼ 20–30 at 3 × R500c and the gas fraction close to the universal value of $\frac{\Omega _b}{\Omega _m}\approx 0.15$ in the standard Λ cold dark matter model. Taking at face value, this agreement suggests that up to ∼3 × R500c the X-ray signal is not strongly boosted by the gas clumpiness, although a scenario with a moderately inhomogeneous gas cannot be excluded. A comparison of the derived gas density profile with the electron pressure profile based on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect measurements suggests that by r ∼ 3 × R500c the gas temperature drops by a factor of ∼ 4–5 below the characteristic temperature of a typical cluster in the sample within R500c, while the entropy keeps growing up to this distance. Better constraints on the gas properties just beyond 3 × R500c should be possible with a sample larger than used for this pilot study.

Weak-lensing Mass Bias in Merging Galaxy Clusters

Although weak lensing (WL) is a powerful method to estimate a galaxy cluster mass without any dynamical assumptions, a model bias can arise when the cluster density profile departs from the assumed model profile. In a merging system, the bias is expected to become most severe because the constituent halos undergo significant structural changes. In this study, we investigate WL mass bias in binary cluster mergers using a suite of idealized hydrodynamical simulations. Realistic WL shear catalogs are generated by matching the source galaxy properties, such as intrinsic shape dispersion, measurement noise, source densities, etc., to those from Subaru and Hubble Space Telescope observations. We find that, with the typical mass–concentration (M–c) relation and the Navarro–Frenk–White profile, the halo mass bias depends on the time since the first pericenter passage and increases with the mass of the companion cluster. The time evolution of the mass bias is similar to that of the concentration, indicating that, to first order, the mass bias is modulated by the concentration change. For a collision between two ∼1015 M ⊙ clusters, the maximum bias amounts to ∼60%. This suggests that previous WL studies may have significantly overestimated the mass of the clusters in some of the most massive mergers. Finally, we apply our results to three merger cases: A2034, MACS J1752.0 + 4440, and ZwCl 1856.8 + 6616, and report their mass biases at the observed epoch, as well as their pre-merger masses, utilizing their merger shock locations as tracers of the merger phases.

Constraints on dark matter self-interaction from the internal density profiles of X-COP galaxy clusters

The fundamental properties of the postulated dark matter (DM) affect the internal structure of gravitationally bound structures. In the cold dark matter paradigm, DM particles interact only via gravity. Their distribution is well represented by an Einasto profile with shape parameter α ≈ 0.18 in the smallest dwarf galaxies or the most massive galaxy clusters alike. Conversely, if DM particles self-interact via additional forces, we expect the mass density profiles of DM halos to flatten in their central regions, thereby increasing the Einasto shape parameter. We measured the structural properties of 12 massive galaxy clusters from observations of their hot gaseous atmosphere, using the X-ray observatory XMM-Newton, and of the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect using the Planck all-sky survey. After removing morphologically disturbed systems, we measured Einasto shape parameters with mean ⟨α⟩=0.19 ± 0.03 and intrinsic scatter σα = 0.06, which is in close agreement with the prediction of the cold dark matter paradigm. We used cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of cluster formation with self-interacting DM (BAHAMAS-SIDM) to determine how the Einasto shape parameter depends on the self-interaction cross section. We used the fitted relation to turn our measurements of α into constraints on the self-interaction cross section, which imply σ/m &lt; 0.19 cm2 g−1 (95% confidence level) at collision velocity vDM − DM ∼ 1000 km s−1. This is lower than the interaction cross section required for DM self-interactions to solve the core-cusp problem in dwarf spheroidal galaxies, unless the cross section is a strong function of velocity.

The detection of cluster magnetic fields via radio source depolarisation

It has been well established that galaxy clusters have magnetic fields. The exact properties and origin of these magnetic fields are still uncertain even though these fields play a key role in many astrophysical processes. Various attempts have been made to derive the magnetic field strength and structure of nearby galaxy clusters using Faraday rotation of extended cluster radio sources. This approach needs to make various assumptions that could be circumvented when using background radio sources. However, because the number of polarised radio sources behind clusters is low, at the moment such a study can only be done statistically. In this paper, we investigate the depolarisation of radio sources inside and behind clusters in a sample of 124 massive clusters at z &lt; 0.35 observed with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We detect a clear depolarisation trend with the cluster impact parameter, with sources at smaller projected distances to the cluster centre showing more depolarisation. By combining the radio observations with ancillary X-ray data from Chandra, we compare the observed depolarisation with expectations from cluster magnetic field models using individual cluster density profiles. The best-fitting models have a central magnetic field strength of 5−10 μG with power-law indices between n = 1 and n = 4. We find no strong difference in the depolarisation trend between sources embedded in clusters and background sources located at similar projected radii, although the central region of clusters is still poorly probed by background sources. We also examine the depolarisation trend as a function of cluster properties such as the dynamical state, mass, and redshift. We see a hint that dynamically disturbed clusters show more depolarisation than relaxed clusters in the r &gt; 0.2R500 region. In the core region, we did not observe enough sources to detect a significant difference between cool-core and non-cool-core clusters. Our findings show that the statistical depolarisation of radio sources is a good probe of cluster magnetic field parameters. Cluster members can be used for this purpose as well as background sources because the local interaction between the radio galaxies and the intracluster medium does not strongly affect the observed depolarisation trend.

On the response of a star cluster to a tidal perturbation

ABSTRACT We study the response of star clusters to individual tidal perturbations using controlled N-body simulations. We consider perturbations by a moving point mass and by a disc, and vary the duration of the perturbation as well as the cluster density profile. For fast perturbations (i.e. ‘shocks’), the cluster gains energy in agreement with theoretical predictions in the impulsive limit. For slow disc perturbations, the energy gain is lower, and this has previously been attributed to adiabatic damping. However, the energy gain due to slow perturbations by a point-mass is similar to, or larger than that due to fast shocks, which is not expected because adiabatic damping should be almost independent of the nature of the tides. We show that the geometric distortion of the cluster during slow perturbations is of comparable importance for the energy gain as adiabatic damping, and that the combined effect can qualitatively explain the results. The half-mass radius of the bound stars after a shock increases up to ∼7 per cent for low-concentration clusters, and decreases ∼3 per cent for the most concentrated ones. The fractional mass loss is a non-linear function of the energy gain, and depends on the nature of the tides and most strongly on the cluster density profile, making semi-analytic model predictions for cluster lifetimes extremely sensitive to the adopted density profile.

Why are we still using 3D masses for cluster cosmology?

ABSTRACT The abundance of clusters of galaxies is highly sensitive to the late-time evolution of the matter distribution, since clusters form at the highest density peaks. However, the 3D cluster mass cannot be inferred without deprojecting the observations, introducing model-dependent biases and uncertainties due to the mismatch between the assumed and the true cluster density profile and the neglected matter along the sightline. Since projected aperture masses can be measured directly in simulations and observationally through weak lensing, we argue that they are better suited for cluster cosmology. Using the Mira–Titan suite of gravity-only simulations, we show that aperture masses correlate strongly with 3D halo masses, albeit with large intrinsic scatter due to the varying matter distribution along the sightline. Nonetheless, aperture masses can be measured ≈2–3 times more precisely from observations, since they do not require assumptions about the density profile and are only affected by the shape noise in the weak lensing measurements. We emulate the cosmology dependence of the aperture mass function directly with a Gaussian process. Comparing the cosmology sensitivity of the aperture mass function and the 3D halo mass function for a fixed survey solid angle and redshift interval, we find the aperture mass sensitivity is higher for Ωm and $w_a$, similar for σ8, ns, and $w_0$, and slightly lower for h. With a carefully calibrated aperture mass function emulator, cluster cosmology analyses can use cluster aperture masses directly, reducing the sensitivity to model-dependent mass calibration biases and uncertainties.

Introducing a new multi-particle collision method for the evolution of dense stellar systems

Context.In a previous paper we introduced a new method for simulating collisional gravitationalN-body systems with linear time scaling onN, based on the multi-particle collision (MPC) approach. This allows us to easily simulate globular clusters with a realistic number of stellar particles (105 − 106) in a matter of hours on a typical workstation.Aims.We evolve star clusters containing up to 106stars to core collapse and beyond. We quantify several aspects of core collapse over multiple realizations and different parameters while always resolving the cluster core with a realistic number of particles.Methods.We run a large set ofN-body simulations with our new code MPCDSS. The cluster mass function is a pure power law with no stellar evolution, allowing us to clearly measure the effects of the mass spectrum on core collapse.Results.Leading up to core collapse, we find a power-law relation between the size of the core and the time left to core collapse. Our simulations thus confirm the theoretical self-similar contraction picture but with a dependence on the slope of the mass function. The time of core collapse has a non-monotonic dependence on the slope, which is well fitted by a parabola. This also holds for the depth of core collapse and for the dynamical friction timescale of heavy particles. Cluster density profiles at core collapse show a broken-power-law structure, suggesting that central cusps are a genuine feature of collapsed cores. The core bounces back after collapse, with visible fluctuations, and the inner density slope evolves to an asymptotic value. The presence of an intermediate-mass black hole inhibits core collapse, making it much shallower, irrespective of the mass-function slope.Conclusions.We confirm and expand on several predictions of star cluster evolution before, during, and after core collapse. Such predictions were based on theoretical calculations or small-size directN-body simulations. Here we put them to the test in MPC simulations with a much larger number of particles, allowing us to resolve the collapsing core.

Super interacting dark sector: An improvement on self-interacting dark matter via scaling relations of galaxy clusters

Self-interacting dark matter is known as one of the most appropriate candidates for dark matter. Due to its excellent success in removing many astrophysical problems, particularly in small scale structure, studying this model has taken on added significance. In this paper, we focus on the results of two previously performed simulations of cluster sized halos with self-interacting dark matter and introduce a new function for the density profile of galaxy clusters, which can perfectly describe the result of these simulations. This density profile helps to find a velocity dispersion profile and also a relation between cluster mass and concentration parameter. Using these relations, we investigate two scaling relations of galaxy clusters, namely mass-velocity dispersion and mass-temperature relations. The scaling relations reveal that in the self-interacting dark matter model, halos are more massive than what the standard non-interacting model predicts for any fixed temperature. We also study the mass-temperature relation for a hybrid interacting model, which is a combination of self-interacting dark matter idea with another model of the dark sector in which dark matter particle mass is determined according to its interaction with dark energy. This super interacting dark sector (SIDS) model can change the mass-temperature relation to a modified form that has the same result as a non-interacting model. Finally, we provide quantitative expressions which can describe the constants of this interacting model with the value of cross-section per unit mass of dark matter particles.

Weak lensing mass modeling bias and the impact of miscentring

ABSTRACT Parametric modeling of galaxy cluster density profiles from weak lensing observations leads to a mass bias, whose detailed understanding is critical in deriving accurate mass-observable relations for constraining cosmological models. Drawing from existing methods, we develop a robust framework for calculating this mass bias in one-parameter fits to simulations of dark matter haloes. We show that our approach has the advantage of being independent of the absolute noise level, so that only the number of haloes in a given simulation and the representativeness of the simulated haloes for real clusters limit the accuracy of the bias estimation. While we model the bias as a lognormal distribution and the haloes with a Navarro–Frenk–White profile, our method can be generalized to any bias distribution and parametric model of the radial mass distribution. We find that the lognormal assumption is not strictly valid in the presence of miscentring of haloes. We investigate the use of cluster centres derived from weak lensing in the context of mass bias, and tentatively find that such centroids can yield sensible mass estimates if the convergence peak has a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approximately greater than 4. In this context we also find that the standard approach to estimating the positional uncertainty of weak lensing mass peaks using bootstrapping severely underestimates the true positional uncertainty for peaks with low SNRs. Though we determine the mass and redshift dependence of the bias distribution for a few experimental setups, our focus remains providing a general approach to computing such distributions.

The GOGREEN survey: Internal dynamics of clusters of galaxies at redshift 0.9–1.4

Context.The study of galaxy cluster mass profiles (M(r)) provides constraints on the nature of dark matter and on physical processes affecting the mass distribution. The study of galaxy cluster velocity anisotropy profiles (β(r)) informs the orbits of galaxies in clusters, which are related to their evolution. The combination of mass profiles and velocity anisotropy profiles allows us to determine the pseudo phase-space density profiles (Q(r)); numerical simulations predict that these profiles follow a simple power law in cluster-centric distance.Aims.We determine the mass, velocity anisotropy, and pseudo phase-space density profiles of clusters of galaxies at the highest redshifts investigated in detail to date.Methods.We exploited the combination of the GOGREEN and GCLASS spectroscopic data-sets for 14 clusters with massM200 ≥ 1014 M⊙at redshifts 0.9 ≤ z ≤ 1.4. We constructed anensemblecluster by stacking 581 spectroscopically identified cluster members with stellar massM⋆ ≥ 109.5 M⊙. We used the MAMPOSSt method to constrain severalM(r) andβ(r) models, and we then inverted the Jeans equation to determine theensembleclusterβ(r) in a non-parametric way. Finally, we combined the results of theM(r) andβ(r) analysis to determineQ(r) for theensemblecluster.Results.The concentrationc200of theensemblecluster mass profile is in excellent agreement with predictions from Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological numerical simulations, and with previous determinations for clusters of similar mass and at similar redshifts, obtained from gravitational lensing and X-ray data. We see no significant difference between the total mass density and either the galaxy number density distributions or the stellar mass distribution. Star-forming galaxies are spatially significantly less concentrated than quiescent galaxies. The orbits of cluster galaxies are isotropic near the center and more radial outside. Star-forming galaxies and galaxies of low stellar mass tend to move on more radially elongated orbits than quiescent galaxies and galaxies of high stellar mass. The profileQ(r), determined using either the total mass or the number density profile, is very close to the power-law behavior predicted by numerical simulations.Conclusions.The internal dynamics of clusters at the highest redshift probed in detail to date are very similar to those of lower-redshift clusters, and in excellent agreement with predictions of numerical simulations. The clusters in our sample have already reached a high degree of dynamical relaxation.

The surprising accuracy of isothermal Jeans modelling of self-interacting dark matter density profiles

ABSTRACT Recent claims of observational evidence for self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) have relied on a semi-analytic method for predicting the density profiles of galaxies and galaxy clusters containing SIDM. We present a thorough description of this method, known as isothermal Jeans modelling, and then test it with a large ensemble of haloes taken from cosmological simulations. Our simulations were run with cold and collisionless dark matter (CDM) as well as two different SIDM models, all with dark matter only variants as well as versions including baryons and relevant galaxy formation physics. Using a mix of different box sizes and resolutions, we study haloes with masses ranging from 3 × 1010 to $3 \times 10^{15} \mathrm{\, M_\odot }$. Overall, we find that the isothermal Jeans model provides as accurate a description of simulated SIDM density profiles as the Navarro–Frenk–White profile does of CDM haloes. We can use the model predictions, compared with the simulated density profiles, to determine the input DM–DM scattering cross-sections used to run the simulations. This works especially well for large cross-sections, while with CDM our results tend to favour non-zero (albeit fairly small) cross-sections, driven by a bias against small cross-sections inherent to our adopted method of sampling the model parameter space. The model works across the whole halo mass range we study, although including baryons leads to DM profiles of intermediate-mass ($10^{12} - 10^{13} \mathrm{\, M_\odot }$) haloes that do not depend strongly on the SIDM cross-section. The tightest constraints will therefore come from lower and higher mass haloes: dwarf galaxies and galaxy clusters.

Cosmology with the submillimetre galaxies magnification bias: Proof of concept

Context. As recently demonstrated, high-z submillimetre galaxies (SMGs) are the perfect background sample for tracing the mass density profiles of galaxies and clusters (baryonic and dark matter) and their time-evolution through gravitational lensing. Their magnification bias, a weak gravitational lensing effect, is a powerful tool for constraining the free parameters of a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model and potentially also some of the main cosmological parameters. Aims. The aim of this work is to test the capability of the magnification bias produced on high-z SMGs as a cosmological probe. We exploit cross-correlation data to constrain not only astrophysical parameters (Mmin, M1, and α), but also some of the cosmological ones (Ωm, σ8, and H0) for this proof of concept. Methods. The measured cross-correlation function between a foreground sample of GAMA galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.2 &lt; z &lt; 0.8 and a background sample of H-ATLAS galaxies with photometric redshifts &gt; 1.2 is modelled using the traditional halo model description that depends on HOD and cosmological parameters. These parameters are then estimated by performing a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis using different sets of priors to test the robustness of the results and to study the performance of this novel observable with the current set of data. Results. With our current results, Ωm and H0 cannot be well constrained. However, we can set a lower limit of &gt; 0.24 at 95% confidence level (CL) on Ωm and we see a slight trend towards H0 &gt; 70 values. For our constraints on σ8 we obtain only a tentative peak around 0.75, but an interesting upper limit of σ8 ≲ 1 at 95% CL. We also study the possibility to derive better constraints by imposing more restrictive priors on the astrophysical parameters.

Constraining the inner density slope of massive galaxy clusters

ABSTRACT We determine the inner density profiles of massive galaxy clusters (M200 &amp;gt; 5 × 1014 M⊙) in the Cluster-EAGLE (C-EAGLE) hydrodynamic simulations, and investigate whether the dark matter density profiles can be correctly estimated from a combination of mock stellar kinematical and gravitational lensing data. From fitting mock stellar kinematics and lensing data generated from the simulations, we find that the inner density slopes of both the total and the dark matter mass distributions can be inferred reasonably well. We compare the density slopes of C-EAGLE clusters with those derived by Newman et al. for seven massive galaxy clusters in the local Universe. We find that the asymptotic best-fitting inner slopes of ‘generalized’ Navarro–Frenk–White (gNFW) profiles, γgNFW, of the dark matter haloes of the C-EAGLE clusters are significantly steeper than those inferred by Newman et al. However, the mean mass-weighted dark matter density slopes of the simulated clusters are in good agreement with the Newman et al. estimates. We also find that the estimate of γgNFW is very sensitive to the constraints from weak lensing measurements in the outer parts of the cluster and a bias can lead to an underestimate of γgNFW.

CLASH-VLT: a full dynamical reconstruction of the mass profile of Abell S1063 from 1 kpc out to the virial radius

Context. The shape of the mass density profiles of cosmological halos informs us of the nature of dark matter (DM) and DM-baryons interactions. Previous estimates of the inner slope of the mass density profiles of clusters of galaxies are in opposition to predictions derived from numerical simulations of cold dark matter (CDM). Aims. We determine the inner slope of the DM density profile of a massive cluster of galaxies, Abell S1063 (RXC J2248.7−4431) at z = 0.35, with a dynamical analysis based on an extensive spectroscopic campaign carried out with the VIMOS and MUSE spectrographs at the ESO VLT. This new data set provides an unprecedented sample of 1234 spectroscopic members, 104 of which are located in the cluster core (R ≲ 200 kpc), extracted from the MUSE integral field spectroscopy. The latter also allows the stellar velocity dispersion profile of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) to be measured out to 40 kpc. Methods. We used an upgraded version of the MAMPOSSt technique to perform a joint maximum likelihood fit to the velocity dispersion profile of the BCG and to the velocity distribution of cluster member galaxies over a radial range from 1 kpc to the virial radius (r200 ≈ 2.7 Mpc). Results. We find a value of γDM = 0.99 ± 0.04 for the inner logarithmic slope of the DM density profile after marginalizing over all the other parameters of the mass and velocity anisotropy models. Moreover, the newly determined dynamical mass profile is found to be in excellent agreement with the mass density profiles obtained from the independent X-ray hydrostatic analysis based on deep Chandra data, as well as the strong and weak lensing analyses. Conclusions. Our value of the inner logarithmic slope of the DM density profile γDM is in very good agreement with predictions from cosmological CDM simulations. We will extend our analysis to more clusters in future works. If confirmed on a larger cluster sample, our result makes this DM model more appealing than alternative models.

Signatures of self-interacting dark matter on cluster density profile and subhalo distributions

Non-gravitational interactions between dark matter particles with strong scattering, but relatively small annihilation and dissipation, has been proposed to match various observables on cluster and group scales. In this paper, we present the results from large cosmological simulations which include the effects of different self-interaction scenarios. In particular we explore a model with the differential cross section that can depend on both the relative velocity of the interacting particles and the angle of scattering. We focus on how quantities, such as the stacked density profiles, subhalo counts and the splashback radius change as a function of different forms of self-interaction. We find that self-interactions not only affect the central region of the cluster, the effect well known from previous studies, but also significantly alter the distribution of subhalos and the density of particles out to the splashback radius. Our results suggest that current weak lensing data can already put constraints on the self-interaction cross-section that are only slightly weaker than the Bullet Cluster constraints (σ/m ≲ 2 cm2/g), and future lensing surveys should be able to tighten them even further making halo profiles on cluster scales a competitive probe for DM physics.

An analysis of galaxy cluster mis-centring using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations

ABSTRACT The location of a galaxy cluster’s centroid is typically derived from observations of the galactic and/or gas component of the cluster, but these typically deviate from the true centre. This can produce bias when observations are combined to study average cluster properties. Using data from the BAryons and HAloes of MAssive Systems (BAHAMAS) cosmological hydrodynamic simulations, we study this bias in both two and three dimensions for 2000 clusters over the 1013–1015 M⊙ mass range. We quantify and model the offset distributions between observationally motivated centres and the ‘true’ centre of the cluster, which is taken to be the most gravitationally bound particle measured in the simulation. We fit the cumulative distribution function of offsets with an exponential distribution and a Gamma distribution fit well with most of the centroid definitions. The galaxy-based centres can be seen to be divided into a mis-centred group and a well-centred group, with the well-centred group making up about $60{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of all the clusters. Gas-based centres are overall less scattered than galaxy-based centres. We also find a cluster-mass dependence of the offset distribution of gas-based centres, with generally larger offsets for smaller mass clusters. We then measure cluster density profiles centred at each choice of the centres and fit them with empirical models. Stacked, mis-centred density profiles fit to the Navarro–Frenk–White dark matter profile and Komatsu–Seljak gas profile show that recovered shape and size parameters can significantly deviate from the true values. For the galaxy-based centres, this can lead to cluster masses being underestimated by up to $10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$.