Thermal and Nonthermal Effects of Merger Shocks in Clusters of Galaxies

Abstract

Cluster mergers drive shocks into the intracluster medium which heat and compress the thermal gas. X-ray observations of shocks can be used to determine the geometry and kinematics of the merger. Merger shocks should also accelerate relativistic particles. Electrons with gamma about 300 (E about 150 MeV) are expected to be particularly common. Relativistic particles produce observed EUV emission, hard X-ray tails, and diffuse radio emission. The predicted gamma-ray fluxes of clusters should make them easily observable with GLAST.