The eROSITA view of the Abell 3391/95 field: The Northern Clump. The largest infalling structure in the longest known gas filament observed with eROSITA, XMM-Newton, and Chandra

TL;DR

This study uses multi-wavelength X-ray, radio, optical, and simulation data to analyze the dynamical state and properties of the Northern Clump as it infalls into the Abell 3391/95 cluster system along a cosmic filament.

Contribution

It provides a detailed multi-wavelength analysis of the Northern Clump's properties and dynamics, revealing its interaction with the main cluster and identifying analogs in simulations.

Findings

Northern Clump is a WCC cluster with a WAT radio galaxy.

Detected a surface brightness edge indicating subsonic motion.

Observed a downstream tail likely caused by ram pressure stripping.

Abstract

SRG/eROSITA PV observations revealed the A3391/95 cluster system and the Northern Clump (MCXC J0621.7-5242 galaxy cluster) are aligning along a cosmic filament in soft X-rays, similarly to what has been seen in simulations before. We aim to understand the dynamical state of the Northern Clump as it enters the atmosphere ($3\times R_{200}$) of A3391. We analyzed joint eROSITA, XMM-Newton, and Chandra observations to probe the morphological, thermal, and chemical properties of the Northern Clump from its center out to a radius of 988 kpc ($R_{200}$). We utilized the ASKAP/EMU radio data, DECam optical image, and Planck y-map to study the influence of the WAT radio source on the Northern Clump central ICM. From the Magneticum simulation, we identified an analog of the A3391/95 system along with an infalling group resembling the Northern Clump. The Northern Clump is a WCC cluster centered on a WAT radio galaxy. The gas temperature over $0.2-0.5R_{500}$ is $k_BT_{500}=1.99\pm0.04$ keV. We employed the $M-T$ scaling relation and obtained a mass estimate of $M_{500}=(7.68\pm0.43)\times10^{13}M_{\odot}$ and $R_{500}=(636\pm12)$ kpc. Its atmosphere has a boxy shape and deviates from spherical symmetry. We identify a southern surface brightness edge, likely caused by subsonic motion relative to the filament gas. At $\sim\! R_{500}$, the southern atmosphere appears to be 42% hotter than its northern atmosphere. We detect a downstream tail pointing toward the north with a projected length of $\sim318$ kpc, plausibly the result of ram pressure stripping. The analog group in the Magneticum simulation is experiencing changes in its gas properties and a shift between the position of the halo center and that of the bound gas while approaching the main cluster pair.