This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
New Insights into Galaxy Cluster Evolution from the South Pole Telescope
We present the latest results from the South Pole Telescope collaboration, focusing on a large follow-up program to observe the 80 most massive clusters at 0.4 < z < 1.2 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This survey has led to the discovery of the exotic Phoenix cluster, which harbors a massive starburst at its center, perhaps fueled by the first bonafide cooling flow. We present the latest results of a multi-wavelength follow-up of the Phoenix cluster, revealing in detail the extreme nature of this system. The full sample of 80+ clusters has provided new clues to the formation of cool cores, and the evolution of the cooling/feedback balance in cluster cores, as we will discuss. Finally, we will describe work in progress to constrain the evolution of the “Universal” temperature, pressure, and entropy profiles as a function of redshift. This work is providing the most detailed look at how the intracluster medium in an ensemble of clusters has assembled and evolved over the past ~8 Gyr.
