Athena X-IFU synthetic observations of galaxy clusters to probe the chemical enrichment of the Universe

Journal
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
•
Pointecouteau, E.
•
Peille, P.
•
Clerc, N.
•
•
•
•
•
Dolag, K.
•
Roncarelli, M.
•
•
•
Bulbul, E.
•
Dauser, T.
•
Wilms, J.
•
Pajot, F.
•
Barret, D.
DOI
Abstract
Answers to the metal production of the Universe can be found in galaxy clusters, notably within their intra-cluster medium (ICM). The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) on board the next-generation European X-ray observatory Athena (2030s) will provide the necessary leap forward in spatially-resolved spectroscopy required to disentangle the intricate mechanisms responsible for this chemical enrichment. In this paper, we investigate the future capabilities of the X-IFU in probing the hot gas within galaxy clusters. From a test sample of four clusters extracted from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, we present comprehensive synthetic observations of these clusters at different redshifts (up to z ≤ 2) and within the scaled radius R500 performed using the instrument simulator SIXTE. Through 100 ks exposures, we demonstrate that the X-IFU will provide spatially resolved mapping of the ICM physical properties with little to no biases (⪉5%) and well within statistical uncertainties. The detailed study of abundance profiles and abundance ratios within R500 also highlights the power of the X-IFU in providing constraints on the various enrichment models. From synthetic observations out to z = 2, we have also quantified its ability to track the chemical elements across cosmic time with excellent accuracy, and thereby to investigate the evolution of metal production mechanisms as well as the link to the stellar initial mass-function. Our study demonstrates the unprecedented capabilities of the X-IFU of unveiling the properties of the ICM but also stresses the data analysis challenges faced by future high-resolution X-ray missions such as Athena.
Volume
620
Start page
A173
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0004-6361
Ads BibCode
2018A&A...620A.173C
Rights
open.access
File(s)
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

aa33927-18.pdf

Description
Pdf editoriale
Size

19.57 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

f29c5c8e7c8d5233335ad3d8acec8de2

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

29277-aa33927-18_P02.pdf

Description
Miur
Size

8.72 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

cef55cf51a28c076c45093dacc39c0e5