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X-ray clusters of galaxies as tracers of structure in the Universe

Nature volume 409, pages 39–45 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Clusters of galaxies are visible tracers of the network of matter in the Universe, marking the high-density regions where filaments of dark matter join together. When observed at X-ray wavelengths these clusters shine like cosmic lighthouses, as a consequence of the hot gas trapped within their gravitational potential wells. The X-ray emission is linked directly to the total mass of a cluster, and so can be used to investigate the mass distribution for a sizeable fraction of the Universe. The picture that has emerged from recent studies is remarkably consistent with the predictions for a low-density Universe dominated by cold dark matter.

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Figure 1: Maps of the cosmic web.
Figure 2: Statistical description of clustering.
Figure 3: The power spectrum of the distribution of galaxies and X-ray clusters of galaxies from the data of Fig. 1.
Figure 4: The visual and X-ray appearance of the rich galaxy cluster RXCJ1206.2-0848 at redshift z = 0.44, discovered by the REFLEX survey30.
Figure 5: Correlations between mass and observational properties of galaxy clusters.
Figure 6: The evolution of gravitational clustering simulated using an N-body code for two different models.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the REFLEX collaboration for giving us the opportunity to discuss material in advance of publication; C. Collins, F. Governato and M. Urry for reading the manuscript; D. Lazzati and A. Moretti for their help with some of the figures; and M. Girardi for providing the data files on which Fig. 5 is based. We also acknowledge several discussions on X-ray clusters with P. Rosati.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. c/o Dipartimento di Astronomia dell'Università, INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Via Tiepolo 11, Trieste, I-34131, Italy

    Stefano Borgani

  2. c/o Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università, INFN, Sezione di Perugia,

    Stefano Borgani

  3. Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via Bianchi 46, Merate, I-23807, Italy

    Luigi Guzzo

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Correspondence to Stefano Borgani.

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Borgani, S., Guzzo, L. X-ray clusters of galaxies as tracers of structure in the Universe. Nature 409, 39–45 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35051000

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