The major cluster merger in Abell 2034 as seen by XRISM: Strong turbulence and spectral anomalies?

TL;DR

XRISM observations of Abell 2034 reveal high turbulence, spectral anomalies, and complex gas dynamics, providing insights into cluster mergers and ICM physics.

Contribution

First detailed XRISM measurement of gas turbulence and spectral anomalies in Abell 2034, highlighting complex ICM behavior during a major cluster merger.

Findings

Velocity dispersion of ~470 km/s indicating high turbulence.

Detection of a gas velocity gradient opposite to galaxy motion.

Tentative spectral anomalies suggesting non-equilibrium ionization.

Abstract

XRISM observations to date have shown that gas kinetic pressures in the intracluster medium (ICM) tend towards the low end of predictions from cosmological simulations. Here, we present a XRISM observation of the merging cluster Abell 2034, which exhibits the broadest emission lines yet observed in a galaxy cluster. We measure a velocity dispersion of ~470 km/s, corresponding to a kinetic pressure fraction of ~15%. This places A2034 at or above the high end of the theoretical predictions for similar-mass clusters. This large velocity dispersion may reflect Mach ~0.5 turbulence in the ICM and/or result from a core disruption driven by the ongoing head-on merger. We also detect a ~380 km/s gas bulk velocity gradient along the merger axis with an opposite sign to the galaxy velocity gradient, indicating a decoupling of the cluster galaxies (and dark matter) from the ICM. Finally, we report tentative evidence of several spectral anomalies, including a suppressed Fe He$\alpha$-z line, an enhanced Fe Ly$\alpha$-2 line, and a potential absorption feature at ~8.7 keV. The first two features may be explained by the combination of a multi-phase ICM and a non-equilibrium ionization state in the wake of a merger shock. Deeper XRISM observations of this cluster are required to confirm these features. This work highlights the importance of kinematic measurements across a large sample of merging clusters as well as the need for deep XRISM observations to unveil more exotic physics in the ICM.