EXOSAT Observations of the Hot Gas in the A1060 Cluster of Galaxies

Abstract

We have used the EXOSAT Observatory to map and to obtain the X-ray spectrum of the hot gas in the A1060 cluster of galaxies. The density and temperature profiles of the intracluster gas have been determined by spherical deprojection of the X-ray surface brightness distribution obtained. We assume hydrostatic equilibrium and a cluster gravitational potential as described analytically by a King law, with a total binding mass of 10^14^ M_sun_. The electron density and the temperature of the hot gas within a radius of 16 kpc from the cluster center are found to lie in the range (1.1-1.2) x 10^-2^ cm^-3^ and (1.0-1.5) x 10^7^ K, respectively, when the effects of an extra "galaxy-like" potential are also included. We confirm the presence of cooling inflow in the central regions (<70 kpc) of the cluster with mass accretion rate falling from 7-14 M_sun_ yr^-1^ at the periphery of the start of the cooling flow to 2-4 M_sun_ yr^-1^ in the innermost bin. The observed X-ray gas when extrapolated out to a radius of ~500 kpc has ~5% of the total binding mass.