Analysis of the velocity data of cluster A562
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Date
2014
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Abstract
We present a recent study of the dynamics of the cluster of galaxies Abell 562 intended to determine if ram pressure is responsible for the jet bending in the Wide-Angle Tailed (WAT) radio source located in the central elliptical galaxy. Given the properties of the jet and of the intra-cluster medium (ICM), a relative velocity between the galaxy and the ICM greater than 800 km/s is needed for this mechanism to bend the WAT jet. We find that the peculiar velocity of the WAT galaxy is 170 ± 140 km/s which is not enough to produce the bending. This is based on the analysis of the velocity of 146 galaxy cluster members obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrometer (GMOS) at Gemini North. However, our analysis of these velocity data and archival Chandra data suggests that an off-axis merger occurred in this system. This type of merger typically produces bulk flow motions with peak velocities greater than 1000 km/s which should be enough to explain the bending of the jets....