New Constraints on the Complex Mass Substructure in Abell 1689 from Gravitational Flexion

Abstract

In a recent publication, the flexion aperture mass statistic was found to provide a robust and effective method by which substructure in galaxy clusters might be mapped. Moreover, we suggested that the masses and mass profile of structures might be constrained using this method. In this paper, we apply the flexion aperture mass technique to HST ACS images of Abell 1689. We demonstrate that the flexion aperture mass statistic is sensitive to small-scale structures in the central region of the cluster. While the central potential is not constrained by our method, due largely to missing data in the central 0.5${}^{\prime }$ of the cluster, we are able to place constraints on the masses and mass profiles of prominent substructures. We identify 4 separate mass peaks, and use the peak aperture mass signal and zero signal radius in each case to constrain the masses and mass profiles of these substructures. The three most massive peaks exhibit complex small-scale structure, and the masses indicated by the flexion aperture mass statistic suggest that these three peaks represent the dominant substructure component of the cluster ($\sim 7\times 10^{14}{h}^{-1}{M}_{\odot }$). Their complex structure indicates that the cluster -- far from being relaxed -- may have recently undergone a merger. The smaller, subsidiary peak is located coincident with a group of galaxies within the cluster, with mass $\sim 1\times 10^{14}{h}^{-1}{M}_{\odot }$. These results are in excellent agreement with previous substructure studies of this cluster.

18 pages, 10 figures, MNRAS accepted (7 Dec 2010)

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• The duty cycle of radio-mode feedback in complete samples of clusters
• A Free-Form Lensing Grid Solution for A1689 with New Mutiple Images
• Discovery of diffuse emission in the galaxy cluster A1689
• Measuring Gravitational Lensing Flexions in Abell 1689 Using an Analytic Image Model
• Shear-flexion cross-talk in weak-lensing measurements
• Flexion measurement in simulations of Hubble Space Telescope data
• The mass profile and dynamical status of the z~0.8 galaxy cluster LCDCS 0504
• Internal Cluster Structure
• Constraining primordial non-Gaussianity with cosmological weak lensing: shear and flexion