X-ray Luminous Galaxy Clusters Research Articles

Giant cavities, cooling and metallicity substructure in Abell 2204

We present results from deep Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the relaxed X-ray luminous galaxy cluster Abell 2204. We detect metallicity inhomogeneities in the intracluster medium on a variety of distance scales, from a ∼12 kpc enhancement containing a few times 10 7 M ⊙ of iron in the centre to a region at 400 kpc radius with an excess of a few times 10 9 M ⊙ . Subtracting an average surface brightness profile from the X-ray image yields two surface brightness depressions to the north and south of the cluster. Their morphology is similar to the cavities observed in the cluster cores, but they have radii of 240 and 160 kpc and a total enthalpy of 2 x 10 62 erg. If they are fossil radio bubbles, their buoyancy time-scales imply a total mechanical heating power of 5 x 10 46 erg s -1 , the largest such bubble heating power known. More likely, they result from the accumulation of many past bubbles. Energetically this is more feasible, as the enthalpy of these regions could combat X-ray cooling in this cluster to 500 kpc radius for around 2 Gyr. The core of the cluster also contains five to seven ∼4 kpc radius surface brightness depressions that are not associated with the observed radio emission. If they are bubbles generated by the nucleus, they are too small to balance cooling in the core by an order of magnitude. However, if the radio axis is close to the line of sight, projection effects may mask more normal bubbles. Using reflection grating spectrometer (RGS) spectra, we detect a Fe XVII line. Spectral fitting reveals temperatures down to ∼0.7 keV; the cluster, therefore, shows a range in X-ray temperature of at least a factor of 15. The quantity of low temperature gas is consistent with a mass deposition rate of 65 M ⊙ yr -1 .

A radio survey of seven southern X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies

The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) has been used at 1.38 and 2.38 GHz to survey seven southern Abell clusters of galaxies with high X-ray luminosities: A2746, A2837, A3126, A3216, A3230, A3827 and A3836. The clusters have also been surveyed at 0.843 GHz with the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST). We have listed a complete 1.38-GHz sample of 149 radio sources within the Abell circles centred on their X-ray centroids. We compare their identification fractions, emitted 1.38-GHz and optical powers, radio spectral indices and radial variation in projected source density with those of the radio-selected samples of Slee et al. (1998). We compare our fractional radio luminosity function with that of the radio-selected samples of Ledlow and Owen (1996) and Slee et al. (1998). Three significant differences are noted between X-ray and radio-selected samples of clusters; (1) the X-ray sample has an excess of flat-spectrum radio sources; (2) the fractional radio luminosity function for the FR I sources in the X-ray selected sample is much steeper, implying that fewer of their cluster galaxies become hosts for the stronger FR I radio galaxies; (3) a complete absence of FR II radio galaxies in the X-ray selected sample. The average excess projected density of radio sources near our cluster centres is approx. 5 times the background source density.

Suzaku broad-band spectroscopy of RX J1347.5–1145: constraints on the extremely hot gas and non-thermal emission

We present the results from the analysis of long Suzaku observations of the most X-ray luminous galaxy cluster RX J1347.5-1145 at z=0.451. Aims: We study physical properties of the hot (~20 keV) gas clump in the south-east (SE) region discovered by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect observations, to understand the gas physics of a violent cluster merger. We also explore a signature of non-thermal emission using the hard X-ray data. Results: We find that the single-temperature model fails to reproduce the continuum emission and Fe-K lines measured by XIS simultaneously. The two-temperature model with a very hot component improves the fit, although the XIS data can only give a lower bound on its temperature. We detect the hard X-ray emission in the 12-40 keV band at the 7 sigma level; however, the significance becomes marginal when the systematic error in the background estimation is included. With the Suzaku + Chandra joint analysis, we determine the temperature of the SE excess component to be 25.3^{+6.1}_{-4.5} ^{+6.9}_{-9.5} keV (90% statistical and systematic errors), which is in an excellent agreement with the previous SZ + X-ray analysis. This is the first time that the X-ray spectroscopy alone gives a good measurement of the temperature of the hot component in the SE region, which is made possible by Suzaku's unprecedented sensitivity to the wide X-ray band. These results strongly indicate that the cluster has undergone a recent, violent merger. The spectral analysis shows that the SE component is consistent with being thermal. We find the 3 sigma upper limit on the non-thermal flux, F 0.007 micro G.

Resurrecting the red from the dead: optical properties of BCGs in X-ray luminous clusters★

We present measurements of surface brightness and colour profiles for the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a sample of 48 X-ray luminous galaxy clusters. These data were obtained as part of the Canadian Cluster Comparison Project (CCCP). The Kormendy relation of our BCGs is steeper than that of the local ellipticals, suggesting differences in the assembly history of these types of systems. We also find that while most BCGs show monotonic colour gradients consistent with a decrease in metallicity with radius, 25% of the BCGs show colour profiles that turn bluer towards the centre (blue-cores). We interpret this bluing trend as evidence for recent star formation. The excess blue light leads to a typical offset from the red sequence of 0.5 to 1.0 mag in (g'-r'), thus affecting optical cluster studies that may reject the BCG based on colour. All of the blue-core BCGs are located within ~10 kpc of the peak in the cluster X-ray emission. Furthermore, virtually all of the BCGs with recent star formation are in clusters that lie above the Lx-Tx relation. Based on photometry alone, these findings suggest that central star formation is a ubiquitous feature of BCGs in dynamically relaxed cool-core clusters. This implies that while AGNs and other heating mechanisms are effective at tempering cooling, they do not full compensate for the energy lost via radiation.

HAWK-I imaging of the X-ray luminous galaxy cluster XMMU J2235.3-2557

We use HAWK-I, the recently-commissioned near-IR imager on Yepun (VLT-UT4), to obtain wide-field, high-resolution images of the X-ray luminous galaxy cluster XMMU J2235.3-2557 in the J and Ks bands, and we use these images to build a colour-magnitude diagram of cluster galaxies. Galaxies in the core of the cluster form a tight red sequence with a mean colour of 1.9 (Vega system). The intrinsic scatter in the colour of galaxies that lie on the red sequence is similar to that measured for galaxies on the red sequence of the Coma cluster. The slope and location of the red sequence can be modelled by passively evolving the red sequence of the Coma cluster backwards in time. Using simple stellar population (SSP) models, we find that galaxies in the core of XMMU J2235.3-2557 are, even at , already 3 Gyr old, corresponding to a formation redshift of . Outside the core, the intrinsic scatter and the fraction of galaxies actively forming stars increase substantially. Using SSP models, we find that most of these galaxies will join the red sequence within 1.5 Gyr. The contrast between galaxies in the cluster core and galaxies in the cluster outskirts indicates that the red sequence of XMMU J2235.3-2557 is being built from the dense cluster core outwards.

Strong lensing in Abell 1703: constraints on the slope of the inner dark matter distribution

In this article, we apply strong lensing techniques in Abell 1703, a massive X-ray luminous galaxy cluster at z=0.28. Our analysis is based on imaging data both from space and ground in 8 bands, complemented with a spectroscopic survey. Abell 1703 looks rather circular from the general shape of its multiply imaged systems and present a dominant giant elliptical cD galaxy in its centre. This cluster exhibits a remarkable bright 'central ring' formed by 4 bright images at z_{spec}=0.888 located very close to the cD galaxy, providing observational constraints that are potentially very interesting to probe the central mass distribution. The stellar contribution from the cD galaxy (~1.25 10^{12} M_{sun} within 7) is accounted for in our parametric mass modelling, and the underlying smooth dark matter component distribution is described using a generalized NFW profile parametrized with a central logarithmic slope \alpha. We find that within the range where observational constraints are present (from ~5 to ~50), the slope of the dark matter distribution in Abell1703 is equal to 1.09^{+0.05}_{-0.11} (3\sigma confidence level). The concentration parameter is equal to c_{200} ~ 3.5, and the scale radius is constrained to be larger than the region where observational constraints are available. Within this radius, the 2D mass is equal to M(50)=2.4 10^{14} M_{\sun}. We cannot draw any conclusions on cosmological models at this point since we lack results from realistic numerical simulations containing baryons to make a proper comparison. We advocate the need for a sample of observed and simulated unimodal relaxed galaxy clusters in order to make reliable comparisons, and potentially provide a test of cosmological models.

2XMM J083026+524133: the most X-ray luminous cluster at redshift 1

Aims. In the distant universe X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies are rare objects. Large area surveys are therefore needed to probe the high luminosity end of the cluster population at redshifts z > 1. Methods. We correlated extended X-ray sources from the second XMM-Newton source catalogue (2XMM) with the SDSS in order to identify new clusters of galaxies. Distant cluster candidates in empty SDSS fields were imaged in the r -a ndz-bands with the Large Binocular Telescope. We extracted the X-ray spectra of the cluster candidates and fitted thermal plasma models to the data. Results. We determined the redshift 0.99 ± 0.03 for 2XMM J083026.2+524133 from its X-ray spectrum. With a bolometric luminosity of 1.8 × 10 45 erg s −1 this is the most X-ray luminous cluster at redshifts z ≥ 1. We measured a gas temperature of 8.2 ± 0. 9k eV and estimate a cluster mass M500 = 5.6 × 10 14 M� . The optical imaging revealed a rich cluster of galaxies.

Optical analysis of the poor clusters Abell 610, Abell 725, and Abell 796, containing diffuse radio sources

Aims. We study the dynamical status of the poor, low X-ray luminous galaxy clusters Abell 610, Abell 725, and Abell 796 (at z = 0.1, 0.09, and 0.16, respectively), containing diffuse radio sources (relic, relic, and possible halo, respectively). Methods. Our analysis is based on new spectroscopic data obtained at the William Herschel Telescope for 158 galaxies, new photometry obtained at the Isaac Newton Telescope with the addition of data recovered from the Data Release 5 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We use statistical tools to select 57, 36, and 26 cluster members and to analyze the kinematics of cluster galaxies, as well as to study the 2D cluster structure. Results. The low values we compute for the global line-of-sight velocity dispersion of galaxies (σV = 420−700 km s −1 ) confirm that these clusters are low-mass clusters. Abell 610 shows a lot of evidence of substructure. It seems to be formed by two structures separated by ∼700 km s −1 in the cluster rest-frame, having comparable σV ∼ 200 km s −1 and likely causing a velocity gradient. The velocity of the brightest cluster member (BCMI; a bright radio source) is very close to the mean velocity of the higher velocity structure. A third small, low-velocity group hosts the second brightest cluster member (BCMII). The analysis of the 2D galaxy distribution shows a bimodal distribution in the core elongated in the SE–NW direction and likely associated to BCMI and BCMII groups. Abell 725 and Abell 796, which are less sampled, show marginal evidence of substructure in the velocity space. They are elongated in the 2D galaxy distribution. For both Abell 610 and Abell 725 we shortly discuss the possible connection with the hosted diffuse radio relic. Conclusions. Our results show that relic radio sources are likely connected with merger events, but are not limited to massive clusters. About the possible halo source in Abell 796, there is some evidence of a merger event in this non-massive cluster, but a pointed radio observation is necessary to confirm this halo.

New constraints on dark energy from the observed growth of the most X-ray luminous galaxy clusters

We present constraints on the mean matter density, Omega_m, the normalization of the density fluctuation power spectrum, sigma_8, and the dark-energy equation-of-state parameter, w, obtained from measurements of the X-ray luminosity function of the largest known galaxy clusters at redshifts z<0.7, as compiled in the Massive Cluster Survey (MACS) and the local BCS and REFLEX galaxy cluster samples. Our analysis employs an observed mass-luminosity relation, calibrated by hydrodynamical simulations, including corrections for non-thermal pressure support and accounting for the presence of intrinsic scatter. Conservative allowances for all known systematic uncertainties are included, as are standard priors on the Hubble constant and mean baryon density. We find Omega_m=0.28 +0.11 -0.07 and sigma_8=0.78 +0.11 -0.13 for a spatially flat, cosmological-constant model, and Omega_m=0.24 +0.15 -0.07, sigma_8=0.85 +0.13 -0.20 and w=-1.4 +0.4 -0.7 for a flat, constant-w model. Future work improving our understanding of redshift evolution and observational biases affecting the mass--X-ray luminosity relation have the potential to significantly tighten these constraints. Our results are consistent with those from recent analyses of type Ia supernovae, cosmic microwave background anisotropies, the X-ray gas mass fraction of relaxed galaxy clusters, baryon acoustic oscillations and cosmic shear. Combining the new X-ray luminosity function data with current supernova, cosmic microwave background and cluster gas fraction data yields the improved constraints Omega_m=0.269 +- 0.016, sigma_8=0.82 +- 0.03 and w=-1.02 +- 0.06. (Abridged)

Indications for 3 Mpc-scale large-scale structure associated with an X-ray luminous cluster of galaxies at z = 0.95

Context. X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies at z ~ 1 are emerging as major cosmological probes and are fundamental tools to study the cosmic large-scale structure and environmental effects of galaxy evolution at large look-back times.

LoCuSS: comparison of observed X-ray and lensing galaxy cluster scaling relations with simulations

The Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS, Smith et al.) is a systematic multi-wavelength survey of more than 100 X-ray luminous galaxy clusters in the redshift range 0.14-0.3 selected from the ROSAT All Sky Survey. We used data on 37 LoCuSS clusters from the XMM-Newton archive to investigate the global scaling relations of galaxy clusters. The scaling relations based solely on the X-ray data (S-T, S-Yx, P-Y x , M-T, M-Y x , M-Mg as , M gas -T, L-T, L-Y x , and L-M) obey empirical self-similarity and reveal no additional evolution beyond the large-scale structure growth. They also reveal up to 17 per cent segregation between all 37 clusters and non-cool core clusters. Weak lensing mass measurements are also available in the literature for 19 of the clusters with XMM-Newton data. The average of the weak lensing mass to X-ray based mass ratio is 1.09 ± 0.08, setting the limit of the non-thermal pressure support to 9 ± 8 per cent. The mean of the weak lensing mass to X-ray based mass ratio of these clusters is ∼1, indicating good agreement between X-ray and weak lensing masses for most clusters, although with 31-51 per cent scatter. The scatter in the mass-observable relations (M-Y x , M-Mg as , and M-T) is smaller using X-ray based masses than using weak lensing masses by a factor of 2. With the scaled radius defined by the Y x profile - r YX,X 500 , rY X,W1 500 , and r YX,Si 500 , we obtain lower scatter in the weak lensing mass based mass-observable relations, which means the origin of the scatter is M W1 and M X instead of Y x . The normalization of the M-Yx relation using X-ray mass estimates is lower than the one from simulations by up to 18-24 per cent at 3cr significance. This agrees with the M-Y x relation based on weak lensing masses, the normalization of the latter being ∼20 per cent lower than the one from simulations at ∼2σ significance. This difference between observations and simulations is also indicated in the M-M gas and M-T relations. Despite the large scatter in the comparison of X-ray to lensing, the agreement between these two completely independent observational methods is an important step towards controlling astrophysical and measurement systematics in cosmological scaling relations.

Entropy profiles in X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at z &gt; 0.1

[Abridged] The entropy distribution of the intracluster gas reflects both accretion history of the gas and processes of feedback which provide a further non-gravitational energy besides the potential one. In this work, we study the profiles and the scaling properties of the gas entropy in 24 hot (kT_{gas} > 6 keV) galaxy clusters observed with Chandra in the redshift range 0.14-0.82 and showing different states of relaxation. We recover the gas density, temperature and entropy profiles in a non-parametric way. Adding the hydrostatic equilibrium hypothesis, radial profiles are also obtained from the deprojection of the surface brightness, allowing to verify whether the hydrostatic equilibrium is a tenable hypothesis by comparison with the spectral measurements. We confirm that this is the case on scales larger than 100 kpc and discuss the deviations observed in few non-cooling core clusters in the inner regions. We show that the entropy profiles are remarkably similar outside the core and can be described by simple power-laws with slope of 1.0-1.2. We measure an entropy level at 0.1 R_{200} of 100-500 keV cm^2 and a central plateau which spans a wide range of value (~ a few-200 keV cm^2) depending on the state of relaxation of the source. To characterize the energetic of the central regions, we compare the radial behaviour of the temperature of the gas with the temperature of the dark matter T_{DM} by estimating the excess of energy Delta E = 3/2 k(T_{gas}- T_{DM}). We point out that Delta E ranges from ~ 0 in typical cooling-core clusters to few keV within 100 kpc in non-cooling core systems. We also measure a significant correlation between the total iron mass and the entropy outside the cooling region,whereas in the inner regions they anti-correlate strongly.

X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich scaling relations in galaxy clusters

[Abridged] We present an analysis of the scaling relations between X-ray properties and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) parameters for a sample of 24 X-ray luminous galaxy clusters observed with Chandra and with measured SZ effect. These objects are in the redshift range 0.14--0.82 and have X-ray bolometric luminosity L>10^45 erg/s. We perform a spatially resolved spectral analysis and recover the density, temperature and pressure profiles of the ICM, just relying on the spherical symmetry of the cluster and the hydrostatic equilibrium hypothesis. We observe that the correlations among X-ray quantities only are in agreement with previous results obtained for samples of high-z X-ray luminous galaxy clusters. On the relations involving SZ quantities, we obtain that they correlate with the gas temperature with a logarithmic slope significantly larger than the predicted value from the self-similar model. The measured scatter indicates, however, that the central Compton parameter y_0 is a proxy of the gas temperature at the same level of other X-ray quantities like luminosity. Our results on the X-ray and SZ scaling relations show a tension between the quantities more related to the global energy of the system (e.g. gas temperature, gravitating mass) and the indicators of the structure of the ICM (e.g. gas density profile, central Compton parameter y_0), showing the most significant deviations from the values of the slope predicted from the self-similar model in the L-T, L-M_{tot}, M_{gas}-T, y_0-T relations. When the slope is fixed to the self-similar value, these relations consistently show a negative evolution suggesting a scenario in which the ICM at higher redshift has lower both X-ray luminosity and pressure in the central regions than the expectations from self-similar model.

A comparison of weak-lensing masses and X-ray properties of galaxy clusters

We present measurements of the masses of 20 X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies at intermediate redshifts, determined from a weak-lensing analysis of deep archival R-band data obtained using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Compared to previous work, our analysis accounts for a number of effects that are typically ignored, but can lead to small biases, or incorrect error estimates. We derive masses that are essentially model-independent and find that they agree well with measurements of the velocity dispersion of cluster galaxies and with the results of X-ray studies. Assuming a power law between the lensing mass and the X-ray temperature, M 2500 oc T α , we find a best-fitting slope of a = 1.34 +0.30 -0.28 . This slope agrees with self-similar cluster models and studies based on X-ray data alone. For a cluster with a temperature of kT = 5 keV we obtain a mass M 2500 = (1.4 ± 0.2) x 10 14 h -1 M⊙ in fair agreement with recent Chandra and XMM studies.

Scaling relations and mass calibration of the X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at redshift ~0.2: XMM-Newton observations

We present the X-ray properties and scaling relations of a flux-limited morphology-unbiased sample of 12 X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at redshift around 0.2 based on XMM-Newton observations. The scaled radial profiles are characterized by a self-similar behavior at radii outside the cluster cores (> 0.2 r_(500)) for the temperature (T ∝ r^(−0.36)), surface brightness, entropy (S ∝ r^(1.01)), gas mass and total mass. The cluster cores contribute up to 70% of the bolometric X-ray luminosity. The X-ray scaling relations and their scatter are sensitive to the presence of the cool cores. Using the X-ray luminosity corrected for the cluster central region and the temperature measured excluding the cluster central region, the normalization agrees to better than 10% for the cool core clusters and non-cool core clusters, irrelevant to the cluster morphology. No evolution of the X-ray scaling relations was observed comparing this sample to the nearby and more distant samples. With the current observations, the cluster temperature and luminosity can be used as reliable mass indicators with the mass scatter within 20%. Mass discrepancies remain between X-ray and lensing and lead to larger scatter in the scaling relations using the lensing masses (e.g. ~40% for the luminosity-mass relation) than using the X-ray masses (<20%) due to the possible reasons discussed.

A Keck Spectroscopic Survey of MS 1054−03 (z= 0.83): Forming the Red Sequence

Using a magnitude-limited, spectroscopic survey of the X-ray luminous galaxy cluster MS1054-03, we isolate 153 cluster galaxies and measure MS1054's redshift and velocity dispersion to be z=0.8307 and sigma_z=1156 km/s. The absorption-line, post-starburst (``E+A''), and emission-line galaxies respectively make up 63%, 15%, and 23% of the cluster population. With photometry from HST/ACS, we find that the absorption-line members define an exceptionally tight red sequence over a span of ~3.5 magnitudes in i775: their intrinsic scatter in (V-i) color is only 0.048, corresponding to a (U-B)_z scatter of 0.041. Their color scatter is comparable to that of the ellipticals (sigma_Vi=0.055), but measurably smaller than that of the combined E+S0 sample (sigma_Vi=0.072). The color scatter of MS1054's absorption-line population is approximately twice that of the ellipticals in Coma; this difference is consistent with passive evolution where most of the absorption-line members (>75%) formed by z~2, and all of them by z~1.2. For red members, we find a trend (>95% confidence) of weakening Hdelta absorption with redder colors that we conclude is due to age: in MS1054, the color scatter on the red sequence is driven by differences in mean stellar age of up to ~1.5 Gyr. We also generate composite spectra and estimate that the average S0 in MS1054 is ~0.5-1 Gyr younger than the average elliptical; this difference in mean stellar age is mainly due to a number of S0s that are blue (18%) and/or are post-starburst systems (21%).

Internal dynamics of the massive cluster Abell 697: a multiwavelength analysis

Aims. We conduct an intensive study of the rich, X-ray luminous, and hot galaxy cluster Abell 697 (at z = 0.282), likely containing a diffuse radio-emission, to determine its dynamical status. Methods. Our analysis is based on new spectroscopic data obtained at the TNG telescope for 93 galaxies and on new photometric data obtained at the INT telescope in a large field. We combine galaxy velocity and position information to select 68 cluster members (out to ∼1.3 h −1 70 Mpc from the cD galaxy), determine global dynamical properties, and detect possible substructures. The investigation of the dynamical status is also performed by using X-ray data stored in the Chandra archive. Results. We compute the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity dispersion of galaxies, σv = 1334 +114 −95 km s −1 , in agreement with the high average X-ray temperature TX = (10.2±0.8) keV recovered from Chandra data, as expected in the case of energy-density equipartition between galaxies and gas. Assuming that the cluster is in dynamical equilibrium and mass follows the galaxy distribution, we find that A697 is a very massive cluster obtaining M(<Rmax = 0.75 h −1 70 Mpc) = 9.5 +1.8 −1.5 ×10 14 h −1

A Systematic X‐Ray Search for Clusters of Galaxies behind the Milky Way. II. The Second CIZA Subsample

We present the latest results of the Clusters in the Zone of Avoidance (CIZA) survey, which is mapping the large-scale matter distribution behind the Milky Way by performing the first systematic search for X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at low Galactic latitudes. The survey's approach, which uses X-ray emission to locate cluster candidates, overcomes the problems faced by optically selected cluster surveys which have traditionally avoided this region of the sky due to the severe extinction present along the Galactic plane. We here present the second flux-limited CIZA cluster catalog containing 60 X-ray luminous galaxy clusters, 88% of which are new discoveries. We also examine the degree to which known superclusters extend into the Zone of Avoidance and highlight newly discovered structures which have previously gone unnoticed. We show that the survey has found far fewer rich clusters in the Great Attractor region than would be expected given the region's proposed mass. Instead, we find a significant increase in the number of clusters behind the Great Attractor, with the most notable being an association of clusters near the Shapley supercluster. We propose these clusters trace an extension of the large-scale filament network in which the Shapley concentration is embedded. We also highlight an association of clusters near the Galactic anticenter, which is the first supercluster found to be completely hidden by the Milky Way. Our finding of a less massive Great Attractor and the detection of significant structures behind the complex supports studies which suggest the motion of nearby galaxies, including that of the Local Group, is due, in part, to a large-scale bulk flow which is induced by overdensities beyond the Great Attractor region.

Light on dark matter: gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters

I discuss the use the weak gravitational lensing effect to study the mass distribution and dynamical state of a sample of 24 X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies. By comparing the mass and light distributions of the clusters it is found that their mass centers, for the majority of the clusters, is consistent with the positions of optical centers. Some clusters present significant mass substructures which generally have optical counterparts. At least in one cluster (Abell 1451), it is detected a mass substructure without an obvious luminous counterpart. Clusters with intra-cluster gas colder than 8 keV show a good agreement between the different mass determinations, but clusters with gas hotter than 8 keV present weak lensing masses smaller than those inferred by the other methods and therefore have been diagnosed to be out of equilibrium.

A Hubble Space Telescope lensing survey of X-ray luminous galaxy clusters - IV. Mass, structure and thermodynamics of cluster cores at z = 0.2

We present a comprehensive space-based study of ten X-ray luminous galaxy clusters (L_X>=8e44erg/s[0.1-2.4keV]) at z=0.2. Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal numerous gravitationally-lensed arcs for which we present four new spectroscopic redshifts, bringing the total to thirteen confirmed arcs in this cluster sample. We combine the multiple-image systems with the weakly-sheared background galaxies to model the total mass distribution in the cluster cores (R<=500kpc). These models are complemented by high-resolution X-ray data from Chandra and used to develop quantitative criteria to classify the clusters as relaxed or unrelaxed. Formally, (30+/-20)% of the clusters form a homogeneous sub-sample of relaxed clusters; the remaining (70+/-20)% are unrelaxed and are a much more diverse population. Most of the clusters therefore appear to be experiencing a cluster-cluster merger, or relaxing after such an event. We also study the normalization and scatter of scaling relations between cluster mass, luminosity and temperature. The scatter in these relations is dominated by the unrelaxed clusters and is typically sigma~0.4. Most notably, we detect 2-3 times more scatter in the mass-temperature relation than theoretical simulations and models predict. The observed scatter is also asymmetric - the unrelaxed systems are systematically 40% hotter than the relaxed clusters at 2.5 sigma significance. This structural segregation should be a major concern for experiments designed to constrain cosmological parameters using galaxy clusters. Overall our results are consistent with a scenario of cluster-cluster merger induced boosts to cluster X-ray luminosities and temperatures. [Abridged]