Graduation Year
2021
Date of Submission
11-2020
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Physics
Reader 1
Rachel Paterno-Mahler
Reader 2
Janet Sheung
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2020 Anne C. J. Poy
Abstract
Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects in the Universe. Studying them can teach us about how they merge and grow, which in turn provides unparalleled information about the history of the evolution of the Universe. X-ray observations of galaxy clusters have uncovered substructure in the hot, X-ray emitting gas known as the intracluster mediums (ICM). Substructure indicates that the ICM has been churned up, possibly by a significant off-axis merger event. This substructure includes cold fronts, sloshing spirals, and shocks. We present deep Chandra observations of the merging cluster Abell 2163. We investigate the global spectrum and find that a single temperature plasma model with temperature $kT = 21.93_{-1.03}^{+0.97}$ keV is the best fit for this cluster. These observations reveal a surface brightness discontinuity. A surface brightness profile and temperature profile show that this surface brightness discontinuity is a cold front.
Recommended Citation
Poy, Anne, "A Detailed X-Ray Analysis of the Cold Front in RELICS Cluster A2163" (2021). CMC Senior Theses. 2581.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2581
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External Galaxies Commons, Other Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons, Physics Commons, Stars, Interstellar Medium and the Galaxy Commons
