To the virial radius of the most luminous local group: UGC03957

• Applicant: Dr. Lorenzo Lovisari
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2013 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 242324319

Most matter in the Universe is bound in galaxy groups, therefore they play a key role in astrophysics and cosmology. The upcoming X-ray survey with eROSITA requires precise calibration between X-ray observables (e.g., luminosity and temperature) and mass, down to the low mass regime to set tight constraints on the fundamental cosmological parameters. Detailed and extended measurements out to large radii have the potential of improving this by directly exploring most of the systems' volume and getting rid of biases derived from extrapolations. Furthermore, studying galaxy group and cluster outskirts allows us to unveil the details of the dominant physical processes at play in these systems. This includes turbulence in the intracluster medium, bulk motions, gas clumping, and the breakdown of thermal, ionization, and hydrostatic equilibrium. Last but not least, studying the properties of these systems up to the virial radius provides tight observational constraints on the processes of structure formation and accretion, and on metal enrichment. Together with other research groups, we have demonstrated that the Suzaku X-ray satellite is a powerful tool to address this kind of studies with massive galaxy clusters.Therefore, now we want to extent these studies to the most luminous local galaxy group, UGC03957. We have obtained 180 ks in Suzaku AO6 and expect an additional 90 ks in AO7 for UGC03957. Here, we request funds to analyze these data.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria
• Participating Persons: Max Haider, Ph.D.; Brenda Miranda, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Thomas H. Reiprich