Physical properties of the brightest cluster galaxies

• Grant number: 08/01608-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2008
• End date: February 28, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Extragalactic Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Gastão Cesar Bierrenbach Lima Neto
• Grantee: Tatiana Andrea Zapata Pichinao
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 06/56213-9 - New physics from space: formation and evolution of structures in the universe, AP.TEM

Abstract

The goal of this work is the investigation of the physical properties of nearby (z < 0.1) brightest cluster galaxies, and their relationship with the intracluster medium. This study will be made systematically starting by an objective sample definition of galaxy clusters observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and by the X-ray space observatories XMM-Newton and Chandra. Adopting a low redshift limit we make sure that, besides the SDSS 5 band photometry, it will also be available the optical spectra for the brightest cluster galaxies. All these will give us detailed information about the stellar population in these objects. The X-ray data will provide us information about the intracluster gas, its temperature and metal abundance, as well as knowledge of the dynamical mass distribution in the cluster. With this study we hope to obtain new constraints to scenarios of the large scale structure formation in the universe and insight of the process governing the formation and evolution of brightest cluster galaxies.