[Previous] | [Session 69] | [Next]
A. J. Young, A. S. Wilson (University of Maryland), C. G. Mundell (Liverpool John Moores University)
We report sub-arcsecond X-ray imaging spectroscopy of M87 and the core of the Virgo cluster. The X-ray morphology shows structure on arcsecond to tens of arcminute scales, the most prominent feature being an ``arc'' running from the east, across the nucleus and off to the southwest. Depressions in the X-ray surface brightness correspond to the inner radio lobes, and farther out there are a series of X-ray ``halos''. A ridge in the radio map, ending in an ``ear''-shaped structure, follows the arc to the east, and the radio emission appears to be wrapped around the arc to the southwest. We compute temperature, pressure and cooling time maps, and confirm that the X-ray gas in the arc is cooler than, and in approximate pressure equilibrium with, the ambient cluster gas. The metal abundances of the gas in the arc are difficult to determine accurately, but the cooler gas is tentatively over-abundant relative to the ambient cluster gas, favoring a ``buoyant bubbles'' origin for the X-ray arc.
This research was supported by NASA grants NAG 81027 and NAG 81755.
If you would like more information about this abstract, please follow the link to http://www.astro.umd.edu/~ayoung/papers. This link was provided by the author. When you follow it, you will leave the Web site for this meeting; to return, you should use the Back comand on your browser.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: ayoung@astro.umd.edu