Dust in Hot Plasma of Nearby Dusty Elliptical Galaxies Observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope

We report on mid- and far-IR Spitzer observations of 7 nearby dusty elliptical galaxies by using the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) and Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). Our sample galaxies are known to contain an excessive amount of interstellar dust against sputtering destruction in hot plasma filling the interstellar space of elliptical galaxies. In order to study the origin and the properties of the excess dust in the hot plasma, we selected galaxies with a wide range of X-ray luminosities but similar optical luminos ities for our Spitzer Guest Observers (GO1) program. The 7 galaxies are detected at the MIPS 24 um, 70 um, and 160 um bands; the far- to mid-IR flux ratios of relatively X-ray-bright elliptical galaxies are lower than those of X-ray-faint galaxies. From the IRS spectra, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission features are detected significantly from 5 of the 7 galaxies; t he emission intensities are weaker as the X-ray luminosity of the galaxy is larger. We have found a correlation between the far- to mid-IR flux ratio and the equivalent width of the PAH emission feature. We have obtained apparent spatial correspondence between mid-IR and X-ray distributions in the outer regions for the three X-ray-brightest galaxies in our sample. Possible interpretations for our observational results are discussed.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japa

Investigating the hard X-ray emission from the hottest Abell cluster A2163 with Suzaku

We present the results from Suzaku observations of the hottest Abell galaxy cluster A2163 at $z=0.2$. To study the physics of gas heating in cluster mergers, we investigated hard X-ray emission from the merging cluster A2163, which hosts the brightest synchrotron radio halo. We analyzed hard X-ray spectra accumulated from two-pointed Suzaku observations. Non-thermal hard X-ray emission should result from the inverse Compton (IC) scattering of relativistic electrons by the CMB photons. To measure this emission, the dominant thermal emission in the hard X-ray band must be modeled in detail. To this end, we analyzed the combined broad-band X-ray data of A2163 collected by Suzaku and XMM-Newton, assuming single- and multi-temperature models for thermal emission and the power-law model for non-thermal emission. From the Suzaku data, we detected significant hard X-ray emission from A2163 in the 12-60 keV band at the $28\sigma$ level (or at the $5.5\sigma$ level if a systematic error is considered). The Suzaku HXD spectrum alone is consistent with the single-T thermal model of gas temperature $kT=14$ keV. From the XMM data, we constructed a multi-T model including a very hot ($kT=18$ keV) component in the NE region. Incorporating the multi-T and the power-law models into a two-component model with a radio-band photon index, the 12-60 keV energy flux of non-thermal emission is constrained within $5.3 \pm 0.9 (\pm 3.8)\times 10^{-12}~{\rm erg\, s^{-1} cm^{-2}}$. The 90% upper limit of detected IC emission is marginal ($< 1.2\times 10^{-11}~{\rm erg\, s^{-1} cm^{-2}}$ in the 12-60 keV). The estimated magnetic field in A2163 is $B > 0.098~{\rm \mu G}$. While the present results represent a three-fold increase in the accuracy of the broad band spectral model of A2163, more sensitive hard X-ray observations are needed to decisively test for the presence of hard X-ray emission due to IC emission.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, A&A accepted. Minor correctio

Extracting Galaxy Cluster Gas Inhomogeneity from X-ray Surface Brightness: A Statistical Approach and Application to Abell 3667

Our previous analysis indicates that small-scale fluctuations in the intracluster medium (ICM) from cosmological hydrodynamic simulations follow the lognormal distribution. In order to test the lognormal nature of the ICM directly against X-ray observations of galaxy clusters, we develop a method of extracting statistical information about the three-dimensional properties of the fluctuations from the two-dimensional X-ray surface brightness. We first create a set of synthetic clusters with lognormal fluctuations. Performing mock observations of these synthetic clusters, we find that the resulting X-ray surface brightness fluctuations also follow the lognormal distribution fairly well. Systematic analysis of the synthetic clusters provides an empirical relation between the density fluctuations and the X-ray surface brightness. We analyze \chandra observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 3667, and find that its X-ray surface brightness fluctuations follow the lognormal distribution. While the lognormal model was originally motivated by cosmological hydrodynamic simulations, this is the first observational confirmation of the lognormal signature in a real cluster. Finally we check the synthetic cluster results against clusters from cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. As a result of the complex structure exhibited by simulated clusters, the empirical relation shows large scatter. Nevertheless we are able to reproduce the true value of the fluctuation amplitude of simulated clusters within a factor of two from their X-ray surface brightness alone. Our current methodology combined with existing observational data is useful in describing and inferring the statistical properties of the three dimensional inhomogeneity in galaxy clusters.Comment: 34 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Systematic Errors in the Hubble Constant Measurement from the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect

The Hubble constant estimated from the combined analysis of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and X-ray observations of galaxy clusters is systematically lower than those from other methods by 10-15 percent. We examine the origin of the systematic underestimate using an analytic model of the intracluster medium (ICM), and compare the prediction with idealistic triaxial models and with clusters extracted from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. We identify three important sources for the systematic errors; density and temperature inhomogeneities in the ICM, departures from isothermality, and asphericity. In particular, the combination of the first two leads to the systematic underestimate of the ICM spectroscopic temperature relative to its emission-weighed one. We find that these three systematics well reproduce both the observed bias and the intrinsic dispersions of the Hubble constant estimated from the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, Minor change

Forming Clusters of Galaxies as the Origin of Unidentified GeV Gamma-Ray Sources

Over half of GeV gamma-ray sources observed by the EGRET experiment have not yet been identified as known astronomical objects. There is an isotropic component of such unidentified sources, whose number is about 60 in the whole sky. Here we calculate the expected number of dynamically forming clusters of galaxies emitting gamma-rays by high energy electrons accelerated in the shock wave when they form, in the framework of the standard theory of structure formation. We find that a few tens of such forming clusters should be detectable by EGRET and hence a considerable fraction of the isotropic unidentified sources can be accounted for, if about 5% of the shock energy is going into electron acceleration. We argue that these clusters are very difficult to detect in x-ray or optical surveys compared with the conventional clusters, because of their extended angular size of about 1 degree. Hence they define a new population of ``gamma-ray clusters''. If this hypothesis is true, the next generation gamma-ray telescopes such as GLAST will detect more than a few thousands of gamma-ray clusters. It would provide a new tracer of dynamically evolving structures in the universe, in contrast to the x-ray clusters as a tracer of hydrodynamically stabilized systems. We also derive the strength of magnetic field required for the extragalactic gamma-ray background by structure formation to extend up to 100 GeV as observed, that is about 10^{-5} of the shock-heated baryon energy density.Comment: Accepted by ApJ after minor revisions. Received May 9, Accepted August 3. 8 pages including 2 figure

Biases on cosmological parameters by general relativity effects

General relativistic corrections to the galaxy power spectrum appearing at the horizon scale, if neglected, may induce biases on the measured values of the cosmological parameters. In this paper, we study the impact of general relativistic effects on non standard cosmologies such as scenarios with a time dependent dark energy equation of state, with a coupling between the dark energy and the dark matter fluids or with non-Gaussianities. We then explore whether general relativistic corrections affect future constraints on cosmological parameters in the case of a constant dark energy equation of state and of non-Gaussianities. We find that relativistic corrections on the power spectrum are not expected to affect the foreseen errors on the cosmological parameters nor to induce large biases on them.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, one added figure, results of Tab. I revised, version accepted for publication in PR

Measuring the Cosmic Equation of State with Counts of Galaxies

The classical dN/dz test allows the determination of fundamental cosmological parameters from the evolution of the cosmic volume element. This test is applied by measuring the redshift distribution of a tracer whose evolution in number density is known. In the past, ordinary galaxies have been used as such a tracer; however, in the absence of a complete theory of galaxy formation, that method is fraught with difficulties. In this paper, we propose studying instead the evolution of the apparent abundance of dark matter halos as a function of their circular velocity, observable via the linewidths or rotation speeds of visible galaxies. Upcoming redshift surveys will allow the linewidth distribution of galaxies to be determined at both z~1 and the present day. In the course of studying this test, we have devised a rapid, improved semi-analytic method for calculating the circular velocity distribution of dark halos based upon the analytic mass function of Sheth et al. (1999) and the formation time distribution of Lacey & Cole (1993). We find that if selection effects are well-controlled and minimal external constraints are applied, the planned DEEP Redshift Survey should allow the measurement of the cosmic equation-of-state parameter w to 10% (as little as 3% if Omega_m has been well-determined from other observations). This type of test has the potential also to provide a constraint on any evolution of w such as that predicted by ``tracker'' models.Comment: 4 pages plus 3 embedded figures; version approved by Ap. J. Letters. A greatly improved error analysis has been added, along with a figure showing complementarity to other cosmological test

Imaging Simulations of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect for ALMA

We present imaging simulations of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect of galaxy clusters for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) including the Atacama Compact Array (ACA). In its most compact configuration at 90GHz, ALMA will resolve the intracluster medium with an effective angular resolution of 5 arcsec. It will provide a unique probe of shock fronts and relativistic electrons produced during cluster mergers at high redshifts, that are hard to spatially resolve by current and near-future X-ray detectors. Quality of image reconstruction is poor with the 12m array alone but improved significantly by adding ACA; expected sensitivity of the 12m array based on the thermal noise is not valid for the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect mapping unless accompanied by an ACA observation of at least equal duration. The observations above 100 GHz will become excessively time-consuming owing to the narrower beam size and the higher system temperature. On the other hand, significant improvement of the observing efficiency is expected once Band 1 is implemented in the future.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in PASJ. Note added in proof is include