Intracluster medium

Huge groups of stars live in space.

Between these stars is very hot gas. This gas is mostly made of tiny bits. Most of the stuff in these groups is this gas. It is even more mass than the stars.

The gas is very thin. It stays hot and glows with light. This light can be seen by special tools. We can use this light to learn about space. It is a big mystery to study.

Galaxy clusters are large groups of galaxies.

Between these galaxies is a hot gas. We call this the intracluster medium. It is a plasma. Plasma is a gas made of charged bits. This gas is very hot. It can be millions of degrees. Because it is so hot, it gives off X-rays. Scientists use X-ray telescopes to see it.

The gas is mostly hydrogen and helium. It also has heavier elements like iron. These metals come from dying stars. The gas is very thin. It does not have much mass in one small spot. But the whole gas has a lot of mass. It makes up most of the normal matter in a cluster. Stars and galaxies only make up a small part. Most of the mass in a cluster is actually dark matter. We cannot see dark matter. But we know it is there. The hot gas helps us find it. The gas is thicker near the center of a cluster. It is also cooler there than at the edges.

Galaxy clusters are huge groups of galaxies held together by gravity. Between these galaxies sits a very hot gas called the intracluster medium, or ICM. This gas is actually a plasma. A plasma is a gas made of charged bits of matter. The ICM is incredibly hot, reaching temperatures of 10 to 100 megakelvins. Because it is so hot, it sends out strong X-ray radiation.

This gas is very important for understanding the universe. It holds most of the normal matter found in a cluster.

The ICM works in a very interesting way. It is mostly made of ionized hydrogen and helium. It also contains heavier elements like iron. These metals come from exploding stars called supernovae. The gravity of the cluster keeps these metals trapped in the gas. The gas is not very thick or dense. In fact, there are only about 10 to the power of negative 3 particles in every cubic centimeter. However, the density rises as you move toward the center. The temperature also drops in the middle of the cluster.

Scientists have used many tools to study this gas over time. In 2004, Michael Loewenstein wrote about the chemical makeup of the ICM. In 2018, a study found the gas helps trace dark matter. The James Webb Space Telescope began studying its faint light in December 2022. Other tools like the Chandra X-ray Observatory help us see it clearly. The South Pole Telescope can also detect clusters using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. This effect happens when electrons in the gas interact with light from the early universe.

There are many specific facts about the mass of these clusters. In the Virgo Cluster, the ICM has about 3 times 10 to the 14 solar masses. The total mass of that cluster is about 1.2 times 10 to the 15 solar masses. The ICM makes up about 15 percent of a cluster's mass. Stars and galaxies only make up about 5 percent of the mass. Most of the mass in a cluster is actually dark matter. We cannot see dark matter, but the gas helps us find it.

You can think of the ICM like a giant, glowing cloud. It fills the empty space between galaxies just like air fills a room. Even though the gas is very thin, it is very heavy. It acts like a map that shows us where gravity is strongest. When the gas cools, it can flow toward the center. This is called a cooling flow. Some scientists think supermassive black holes might stop this cooling. This keeps the gas from making too many new stars.

The intracluster medium, or ICM, is a vast cloud of superheated plasma. This plasma fills the immense spaces within galaxy clusters. Galaxy clusters are massive structures held together by gravity. While galaxies and stars are the most visible parts, they are not the main source of normal matter. Instead, the ICM accounts for most of the baryonic material in these clusters. Baryonic matter is the ordinary matter that makes up everything we can touch. The ICM is incredibly hot, reaching temperatures between 10 and 100 megakelvins. Because of this extreme heat, the gas emits powerful X-ray radiation.

The composition of the ICM is mostly ionized hydrogen and helium. These are the simplest elements in the universe. However, the plasma is also enriched with heavier elements, such as iron. In astronomy, the amount of these heavy elements compared to hydrogen is called metallicity. The metallicity in the ICM usually ranges from one-third to one-half of the Sun's metallicity. In some specific areas, like the Centaurus Cluster, the metallicity can even rise above that of our Sun. These heavy elements are ejected from exploding stars known as supernovae. The strong gravitational field of the cluster keeps this metal-rich gas trapped.

Understanding the density and temperature of the ICM is vital for astronomers. The gas is actually very thin. Typical values show only 10⁻³ particles per cubic centimeter. The mean free path, or the distance a particle travels before hitting another, is about one light-year. Despite being thin, the density rises sharply toward the cluster's center. Interestingly, the temperature also changes near the core. The temperature in the central regions typically drops to one-half or one-third of the value found in the outer regions. Once the density reaches a certain critical value, the ions interact enough to cause cooling via X-ray radiation.

Scientists use several methods to observe this invisible plasma. Because the ICM is so hot, it emits X-rays through a process called bremsstrahlung. It also produces X-ray emission lines from its heavy elements. Astronomers use X-ray telescopes to study this light. This data helps them determine the temperature, density, and metallicity of the plasma. They can also use hydrostatic equilibrium modeling to find the mass distribution. Another method involves the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect. This happens when relativistic electrons in the ICM interact with low-energy photons from the cosmic microwave background radiation. This interaction causes distortions in the spectrum of that background radiation.

The mass of the ICM provides a way to find dark matter. In the Virgo Cluster, the ICM contains roughly 3 × 10¹⁴ solar masses. The total mass of the Virgo Cluster is estimated at 1.2 × 10¹⁵ solar masses. The ICM makes up about 15% of a cluster's total mass. In contrast, stars and galaxies contribute only about 5%. Most of the mass in a cluster is actually dark matter, which we cannot see directly. However, mass distributions determined from ICM observations reveal much more mass than the visible stars. This is a strong indication that dark matter is present. A 2018 study even described the ICM as an accurate luminous tracer of dark matter.

One fascinating process in the ICM is the cooling flow. Because the density is highest at the center, the radiative cooling time is much shorter there. As the central gas cools, it can no longer support the weight of the hot gas above it. This creates a pressure gradient that drives a cooling flow. In this process, hot gas from the outer regions flows slowly toward the center. Historically, scientists thought this would create large regions of cold gas and new star formation. However, images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory do not show as much new star formation as expected.

Researchers are still looking for the reason why the gas does not cool as much as predicted. There are two popular explanations for this. One idea is feedback from active galactic nuclei. These are powerful centers that inject relativistic jets of plasma into the ICM. These jets can be seen with high-resolution telescopes like Chandra. Another idea is the "sloshing" of plasma during mergers between subclusters. A 2024 simulation by Eric Rohr and others used TNG-Cluster software to study 352 clusters. The simulation suggested that supermassive black holes might be the most important factor. Their kinetic energy might prevent the central ICM from cooling and forming stars.