1998/10/01 by Kinwah Wu, K. K. S. Wu, A. C. Fabian +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Brightest cluster galaxy #Cluster (spacecraft) #Deposition (geology) #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Galaxy cluster #Galaxy formation and evolution #Luminosity #Physics #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Supernova #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.02156.x
5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS as a letter
arxiv created 1998/10/01 · openalex publication_date 1998/11/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Models of galaxy formation should be able to predict the properties of clusters of galaxies, in particular their gas fractions, metallicities, X-ray luminosity—temperature relation, temperature function and mass deposition rate function. Fitting these properties places important constaints on galaxy formation on all scales. By following gas processes in detail, our semi-analytic model (based on that of Nulsen & Fabian) is the only such model able to predict all of the above cluster properties. We use realistic gas fractions and gas density profiles, and as required by observations we break the self-similarity of cluster structure by including supernova heating of intracluster gas, the amount of which is indicated by the observed metallicities. We also highlight the importance of the mass deposition rate function as an independent and very sensitive probe of cluster structure.