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A. Mahdavi (University of Hawaii)
I discuss a gravitational potential that is a generalization of the Hernquist and Plummer models. A gas embedded in this potential has purely hydrostatic density and temperature profiles that are elementary functions of the matter density slope. The model can reproduce the rising temperature profiles and steep density gradients seen in many clusters of galaxies; however, it does not provide an explanation of the very short cooling time in these clusters. If a separate energy conservation mechanism is found, the model allows efficient use of the X-ray data to constrain the shape of the matter distribution in clusters with cold cores.
This work is supported by NASA through a Chandra Postdoctoral Fellowship Award issued by the Chandra X-ray Observatory Center, which is operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory for and on behalf of NASA under contract NAS 8-39073.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: amahdavi@ifa.hawaii.edu
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society,
35#2
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.