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W.H. Baumgartner (University of Maryland), M. Loewenstein (NASA GSFC), D.J. Horner (STScI), R.F. Mushotzky (NASA GSFC)
Galaxy clusters provide a unique opportunity to study the abundances of the intermediate elements. The large gravitational potential of clusters retains the integrated products of stellar nucleosynthesis and the relatively simple physics in clusters allows for an uncomplicated understanding of the observational data.
We present results obtained from an analysis of all the cluster observations in the archives of the ASCA X-ray telescope. Included will be new results for the abundances of S, Ca, Ar, and Ni, and much improved results for Fe and Si. The abundances of the most well-determined elements Fe, Si, and S when combined with theoretical supernovae yields do not give a consistent solution for the fraction of material produced in Type Ia and Type II supernovae. The pattern of elemental abundances requires a new source of metals from massive, metal-poor stars that is consistent with an important contribution to clusters from early Population III stars.
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society,
35#2
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.