5,598 research outputs found
Constraints on the Asymptotic Baryon Fractions of Galaxy Clusters at Large Radii
While X-ray measurements have so far revealed an increase in the
volume-averaged baryon fractions of galaxy clusters with cluster radii
, should asymptotically reach a universal value ,
provided that clusters are representative of the Universe. In the framework of
hydrostatic equilibrium for intracluster gas, we have derived the necessary
conditions for : The X-ray surface brightness profile
described by the model and the temperature profile approximated by the
polytropic model should satisfy and
for , respectively, which sets
a stringent limit to the polytropic index: . In particular, a
mildly increasing temperature with radius is required if the observationally
fitted parameter is in the range . It is likely that a
reliable determination of the universal baryon fraction can be achieved in the
small clusters because the disagreement between the exact and
asymptotic baryon fractions for clusters with breaks down at rather
large radii (\ga30r_c) where hydrostatic equilibrium has probably become
inapplicable. We further explore how to obtain the asymptotic value
of baryon fraction from the X-ray measurement made primarily over
the finite central region of a cluster. We demonstrate our method using a
sample of 19 strong lensing clusters, which enables us to place a useful
constraint on : .
An optimal estimate of based on three cooling flow clusters with
or .Comment: 6 pages + 4 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA
Constraints on the warm dark matter model from gravitational lensing
Formation of sub-galactic halos is suppressed in warm dark matter (WDM) model
due to thermal motion of WDM particles. This may provide a natural resolution
to some puzzles in standard cold dark matter (CDM) theory such as the cusped
density profiles of virialized dark halos and the overabundance of low mass
satellites. One of the observational tests of the WDM model is to measure the
gravitationally lensed images of distant quasars below sub-arcsecond scales. In
this Letter, we report a comparison of the lensing probabilities of multiple
images between CDM and WDM models using a singular isothermal sphere model for
the mass density profiles of dark halos and the Press-Schechter mass function
for their distribution and cosmic evolution. It is shown that the differential
probability of multiple images with small angular separations down to 10
milliarcseconds should allow one to set useful constraints on the WDM particle
mass. We discuss briefly the feasibility and uncertainties of this method in
future radio surveys (e.g. VLBI) for gravitational lensing.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in ApJ Let
Sweeping cluster algorithm for quantum spin systems with strong geometric restrictions
Quantum spin systems with strong geometric restrictions give rise to rich
quantum phases such as valence bond solids and spin liquid states. However, the
geometric restrictions often hamper the application of sophisticated numerical
approaches. Based on the stochastic series expansion method, we develop an
efficient and exact quantum Monte Carlo "sweeping cluster" algorithm which
automatically satisfies the geometrical restrictions. Here we use the quantum
dimer model as a benchmark to demonstrate the reliability and power of this
algorithm. Comparing to existing numerical methods, we can obtain higher
accuracy results for a wider parameter region and much more substantial system
sizes
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