Schedule Mar 18, 2011
DLSCL J0916+2953: A New "Bullet-like" Cluster Merger
Will Dawson (UC Davis)

Merging clusters of galaxies are beginning to provide constraints on fundamental physics, such as the dark matter self-interaction cross-section, the matter/antimatter ratio, and some are in tension with LambdaCMD. We are the first to have identified a new “bullet-like” cluster merger using only Weak Lensing and the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich Effect. We have spectroscopically confirmed that the near equal mass sub-clusters are at the same redshift and Chandra X-ray follow-up observations show that the majority of the gas is centered between to two sub-cluster mass peaks. With a 1 Mpc separation between the mass peak centers this is the largest observed post-merger offset to date, providing the opportunity place independent constraints on fundamental physics as well as study a never before observed phase of cluster evolution.

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