Metal enrichment processes in the intra-cluster medium
/ Authors
/ Abstract
Institut fu¨r Astronomie, Universit¨at Wien, Tu¨rkenschanzstr. 17, 1180 Vienna, AustriaReceived / AcceptedAbstract. We present numerical simulations of galaxy clusters which include interaction processes between thegalaxies and the intra-cluster gas. The considered interaction processes are galactic winds and ram-pressurestripping, which both transfer metal-enriched interstellar medium into the intra-cluster gas and hence increase itsmetallicity. We investigate the efficiency and time evolution of the interaction processes by simulated metallicitymaps, which are directly comparable to those obtained from X-ray observations. We find that ram-pressurestripping is more efficient than quiet (i.e. non-starburst driven) galactic winds in the redshift interval between 1and 0. The expelled metals are not mixed immediately with the intra-cluster gas, but inhomogeneities are visiblein the metallicity maps. Even stripes of higher metallicity that a single galaxy has left behind can be seen. Thespatial distribution of the metals transported by ram-pressure stripping and by galactic winds are very differentfor massive clusters: the former process yields a centrally concentrated metal distribution while the latter resultsin an extended metal distribution.Key words. Galaxies:clusters:general – Galaxies:abundances – Galaxies:interactions – Galaxies:ISM – X-ray:galaxies:clusters
Journal: Astronomy and Astrophysics