Tempestuous life beyond R500: X-ray view on the Coma cluster with SRG/eROSITA. II. Shock & Relic

TL;DR

This study uses SRG/eROSITA X-ray data to analyze the Coma cluster's shock and radio relic, revealing complex shock geometry and discrepancies between X-ray and radio-derived Mach numbers, with implications for understanding particle acceleration.

Contribution

First detailed X-ray analysis of the Coma cluster's shock and relic region, highlighting complex shock geometry and differences between X-ray and radio Mach numbers.

Findings

X-ray surface brightness shows steep gradient near radio relic

X-ray derived Mach number (~1.9) is lower than radio-based estimate (~3.5)

Complex shock geometry and non-thermal structures may influence measurements

Abstract

This is the second paper in a series of studies of the Coma cluster using the SRG/eROSITA X-ray data obtained during the calibration and performance verification phase of the mission. Here, we focus on the region adjacent to the radio source 1253+275 (radio relic, RR, hereafter). We show that the X-ray surface brightness exhibits its steepest gradient at $\sim 79'$ ($\sim 2.2\,{\rm Mpc}\approx R_{200c}$), which is almost co-spatial to the outer edge of the RR. As in the case of several other relics, the Mach number of the shock derived from the X-ray surface brightness profile ($M_X\approx 1.9$) appears to be lower than needed to explain the slope of the integrated radio spectrum in the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) model ($M_R\approx 3.5$) if the magnetic field is uniform and the radiative losses are fast. However, the shock geometry is plausibly much more complicated than a spherical wedge centered on the cluster, given the non-trivial correlation between radio, X-ray, and SZ images. While the complicated shock geometry alone might cause a negative bias in $M_X$, we speculate on a few other possibilities that may affect the $M_X$-$M_R$ relation, including the shock substructure that might be modified by the presence of non-thermal filaments stretching across the shock and the propagation of relativistic electrons along the non-thermal filaments with a strong magnetic field. We also discuss the "history" of the radio galaxy NGC4789, which is located ahead of the relic in the context of the Coma-NGC4839 merger scenario.