SLOSHING GAS IN THE CORE OF THE MOST LUMINOUS GALAXY CLUSTER RXJ1347.5-1145

We present new constraints on the merger history of the most X-ray luminous cluster of galaxies, RXJ1347.5-1145, based on its unique multiwavelength morphology. Our X-ray analysis confirms that the core gas is undergoing “sloshing” resulting from a prior, large-scale, gravitational perturbation. In combination with multiwavelength observations, the sloshing gas points to the primary and secondary clusters having had at least two prior strong gravitational interactions. The evidence supports a model in which the secondary subcluster with mass M = 4.8 ± 2.4 × 1014 M☉ has previously (≳0.6 Gyr ago) passed by the primary cluster, and has now returned for a subsequent crossing where the subcluster's gas has been completely stripped from its dark matter halo. RXJ1347 is a prime example of how core gas sloshing may be used to constrain the merger histories of galaxy clusters through multiwavelength analyses.

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