XMM-Newton follow-up of a sample of apparent low surface brightness galaxy groups detected in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey

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Hauptverfasser: Spinelli, Claudia, Veronica, Angie, Pacaud, Florian, Reiprich, Thomas H., Migkas, Konstantinos, Xu, Weiwei, Ramos-Ceja, Miriam E.
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Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Spinelli, Claudia
Veronica, Angie
Pacaud, Florian
Reiprich, Thomas H.
Migkas, Konstantinos
Xu, Weiwei
Ramos-Ceja, Miriam E.
author_facet Spinelli, Claudia
Veronica, Angie
Pacaud, Florian
Reiprich, Thomas H.
Migkas, Konstantinos
Xu, Weiwei
Ramos-Ceja, Miriam E.
contents Galaxy cluster cosmology relies on complete and pure samples spanning a large range of masses and redshifts. In Xu et al. (2018) and Xu et al. (2022), we discovered an apparently new population of galaxy groups and clusters with, on average, flatter X-ray surface brightness profiles than known clusters; this cluster population was missed in previous cluster surveys. The discovery of such a new class of objects could have a significant impact on cosmological applications of galaxy clusters. In this work we use a subsample of these systems to assess whether they belong to a new population. We follow up three of these galaxy groups and clusters with high-quality XMM-Newton observations. We produce clean images and spectra and use them for model fitting. We also identify known galaxies, groups, or clusters in the field. The observations reveal that all three systems are composed of multiple groups each, either at the same or at different redshifts. In total, we characterize nine groups. We measure flat surface brightness profiles with slope parameter $β< 0.6$; i.e, less than the canonical $β= 2/3$. For the two main central groups, we even measure $β< 0.4$. When the fluxes for the three observations are split up across the nine identified groups, none of them exceeds the typical flux limit adopted in previous RASS cluster catalogs, $\approx 3 \times 10^{-12}\,\mathrm{erg s^{-1}cm^{-2}}$ in the 0.1$-$2.4 keV energy band. The observations reveal that groups with flat surface brightness profiles exist. Whether they form a new, separate population requires additional follow-up observations of further systems from the Xu et al. sample, given the complexity we have discovered. Such extended low surface brightness systems, as well as multiple systems and projection effects, need to be taken into account when determining selection functions of group and cluster samples.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_19718
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle XMM-Newton follow-up of a sample of apparent low surface brightness galaxy groups detected in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey
Spinelli, Claudia
Veronica, Angie
Pacaud, Florian
Reiprich, Thomas H.
Migkas, Konstantinos
Xu, Weiwei
Ramos-Ceja, Miriam E.
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Galaxy cluster cosmology relies on complete and pure samples spanning a large range of masses and redshifts. In Xu et al. (2018) and Xu et al. (2022), we discovered an apparently new population of galaxy groups and clusters with, on average, flatter X-ray surface brightness profiles than known clusters; this cluster population was missed in previous cluster surveys. The discovery of such a new class of objects could have a significant impact on cosmological applications of galaxy clusters. In this work we use a subsample of these systems to assess whether they belong to a new population. We follow up three of these galaxy groups and clusters with high-quality XMM-Newton observations. We produce clean images and spectra and use them for model fitting. We also identify known galaxies, groups, or clusters in the field. The observations reveal that all three systems are composed of multiple groups each, either at the same or at different redshifts. In total, we characterize nine groups. We measure flat surface brightness profiles with slope parameter $β< 0.6$; i.e, less than the canonical $β= 2/3$. For the two main central groups, we even measure $β< 0.4$. When the fluxes for the three observations are split up across the nine identified groups, none of them exceeds the typical flux limit adopted in previous RASS cluster catalogs, $\approx 3 \times 10^{-12}\,\mathrm{erg s^{-1}cm^{-2}}$ in the 0.1$-$2.4 keV energy band. The observations reveal that groups with flat surface brightness profiles exist. Whether they form a new, separate population requires additional follow-up observations of further systems from the Xu et al. sample, given the complexity we have discovered. Such extended low surface brightness systems, as well as multiple systems and projection effects, need to be taken into account when determining selection functions of group and cluster samples.
title XMM-Newton follow-up of a sample of apparent low surface brightness galaxy groups detected in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.19718