Testing Omega0 with X-ray Clusters: a Physical Approach

Abstract

The X-ray emission from clusters of galaxies is one of the most pursued observational probe to investigate the distribution of dark matter and the related density parameter Omega0. The crucial link to derive the statistics of observables from a dynamical theory is constituted by the physics for the diffuse baryons (or ICP) responsible of the X-ray emission. Here we present a physical model for the ICP which leads to a definite L-T relation. Then we perform a physically based cosmological test, pointing out three cold dark matter universes: a Tilted critical CDM, a flat CDM with Omega0=0.3, and an Open CDM with Omega0=0.5, which are discussed on the basis of the RDCS survey.