A MINOT-based Study of Gamma-ray emission from SPT-CL J2012-5649/Abell 3667

TL;DR

This study models the gamma-ray emission from galaxy cluster Abell 3667 using the MINOT framework, comparing predictions with Fermi-LAT observations and analyzing the non-thermal processes involved.

Contribution

It applies the MINOT non-thermal emission model to a merging galaxy cluster, providing detailed predictions of gamma-ray flux and comparing them with observational data.

Findings

Predicted hadronic gamma-ray flux is in approximate agreement with Fermi-LAT measurements.

Cosmic-ray electron IC contribution is subdominant to hadronic gamma-ray emission.

Observed spectral index is steeper than the model prediction, indicating potential additional processes.

Abstract

We present an analysis of the non-thermal properties of the merging galaxy cluster SPT-CL J2012-5649/Abell~3667 ($z = 0.0556$, $M_{500} = 7.16 \times 10^{14}\ M_\odot$) using the MINOT non-thermal emission modelling framework. The predicted hadronic gamma-ray flux from $pp$ interactions in the $1$--$300\ \mathrm{GeV}$ band is $2.82 \times 10^{-11}\ \mathrm{cm^{-2}\ s^{-1}}$ within $R_{500}$, rising to $1.15 \times 10^{-10}\ \mathrm{cm^{-2}\ s^{-1}}$ at the truncation radius ($3.7\,R_{500}$), in order-of-magnitude agreement with the Fermi-LAT reported flux of $1.3 \times 10^{-10}\ \mathrm{cm^{-2}\ s^{-1}}$. Approximately $76\%$ of the predicted hadronic flux originates from beyond $R_{500}$. The IC contribution from cosmic-ray electrons is subdominant relative to the hadronic $\pi^0$-decay gamma-ray component by a factor of ${\sim}20$ in the $1$--$300\ \mathrm{GeV}$ energy band, and therefore does not contribute significantly to the observable signal. Although the expected hadronic flux is in approximate agreement with the observed Fermi-LAT flux level in the $1$--$300\ \mathrm{GeV}$ band, the observed spectral index ($\Gamma = -3.61 \pm 0.33$) is in tension with the hadronic prediction ($\Gamma \approx -2.4$ to $-2.6$).