paper

Ram pressure histories of cluster galaxies

arXiv:0710.5580 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.12670.x

Abstract

Ram pressure stripping can remove significant amounts of gas from galaxies that orbit in clusters and massive groups, and thus has a large impact on the evolution of cluster galaxies. In this paper, we reconstruct the present-day distribution of ram-pressure, and the ram pressure histories of cluster galaxies. To this aim, we combine the Millennium Simulation and an associated semi-analytic model of galaxy evolution with analytic models for the gas distribution in clusters. We find that about one quarter of galaxies in massive clusters are subject to strong ram-pressures that are likely to cause an expedient loss of all gas. Strong ram-pressures occur predominantly in the inner core of the cluster, where both the gas density and the galaxy velocity are higher. Since their accretion onto a massive system, more than 64 per cent of galaxies that reside in a cluster today have experienced strong ram-pressures of dyn cm which most likely led to a substantial loss of the gas.

MNRAS accepted

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