Open AccessThe impact of cooling flows on the T X – L Bol relation for the most luminous clusters
Author(s) -
Allen S. W.,
Fabian A. C.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01737.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , rosat , relation (database) , galaxy , database , computer science
We examine the effects of cooling flows on the T X – L Bol relation for a sample of the most X‐ray luminous ( L Bol > 10 45 erg s −1 ) clusters of galaxies known. Using high‐quality ASCA X‐ray spectra and ROSAT images we explicitly account for the effects of cooling flows on the X‐ray properties of the clusters and show that this reduces the previously noted dispersion in the T X – L Bol relationship. More importantly, the slope of the relationship is flattened from L Bol ∝ T 3 X to approximately L Bol ∝ T 2 X , in agreement with recent theoretical models which include the effects of shocks and pre‐heating on the X‐ray gas. We find no evidence for evolution in the T X – L Bol relation within z ∼ 0.3. Our results demonstrate that the effects of cooling flows must be accounted for before cosmological parameters can be determined from X‐ray observations of clusters. The results presented here should provide a reliable basis for modelling the T X – L Bol relation at high X‐ray luminosities.