Metal Enrichment of the Intra-Cluster Medium: Ram-Pressure Stripping of Cluster Galaxies

Abstract

We present numerical simulations of the dynamical and chemical evolution of galaxy clusters. X-ray spectra show that the intra-cluster medium contains a significant amount of metals. As heavy elements are produced in the stars of galaxies material from the galaxies must have been expelled to enrich the ambient medium. We have performed hydrodynamic simulations investigating various processes. In this presentation we show the feedback from gas which is stripped from galaxies by ram-pressure stripping. The efficiency, resulting spatial distribution of the metals and the time dependency of this enrichment process on galaxy cluster scale is shown.

4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the XXXIXth Rencontres de Moriond "Exploring the Universe" La Tuile 28.3 - 4.4 2004