Nature and properties of fossil groups

• Grant number: 07/04710-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2007
• Effective date (End): May 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Extragalactic Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Claudia Lucia Mendes de Oliveira
• Grantee: Raimundo Lopes de Oliveira Filho
• Home Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fossil Groups (FGs) are groups of galaxies dominated by a giant elliptical galaxy, which is most likely a result from a merger of luminous galaxies (with L ~ L*). The nature and properties of FGs are not well known. There has been a lot of recent interest of the astronomical community on fossil groups, due to the challenges they represent - notably, on the "small scale dark matter model crisis" and the formation of superluminous galaxies from merger of giant L* galaxies. The IAG/Extragalactic group has contributed significantly to this topic, in the discovery and investigation of FGs, from optical studies. This project intends to expand this effort to the X-ray domain, exploring the X-ray database of the XMM-Newton and Chandra observatories on the 13 FGs already observed. Special attention will be given to the determination of mass, temperature, metalicity and dynamical state (morfology) of the intragalactic medium, total mass of the FG and, whether possible, maps of temperature and metalicity. On the other hand, but not less important, we will explore the notable capability of the XMM-Newton archive and its newest catalogue - published in July 2006 - to carry out an extensive and unprecedent search for new FGs, and the investigation of the X-rays of the eventually identified objects. This part of the project will result in the discovery of new groups or cluster of galaxies, for which this project can be enlarged following their scientific relevance. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE OLIVEIRA, R. LOPES; SMITH, M. A.; MOTCH, C. gamma Cassiopeiae: an X-ray Be star with personality. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 512, MAR-APR 2010. Web of Science Citations: 19.

DE OLIVEIRA, R. LOPES; CARRASCO, E. R.; DE OLIVEIRA, C. MENDES; BORTOLETTO, D. R.; CYPRIANO, E.; SODRE, JR., L.; LIMA NETO, G. B. REVISITING THE FOSSIL GROUP CANDIDATES UGC 842 AND NGC 6034. ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL, v. 139, n. 1, p. 216-227, JAN 2010. Web of Science Citations: 7.