Dynamically Evolving Models of Clusters
Session 87 -- Cluster Evolution
Display presentation, Friday, January 14, 9:30-6:45, Salons I/II Room (Crystal Gateway)

## [87.03] Dynamically Evolving Models of Clusters

Paul W. Bode, Robert C. Berrington, Haldan N. Cohn, and Phyllis M. Lugger (Indiana University)

An N-body method, with up to N=10$^{5}$ particles, is used to simulate the dynamical evolution of clusters of galaxies. Each galaxy is represented as an extended structure containing many particles, and the gravitational potential arises from the particles alone. The clusters initially contain 50 or 100 galaxies with masses distributed according to a Schechter function. Mass is apportioned between the galaxies and a smoothly distributed common group halo, or intra-cluster background. The fraction of the total cluster mass initially in this background is varied from 50\% to 90\%. The models begin in a virialized state.

We will be presenting a videotape which contains animations of a number of these models. The animations show important physical processes, such as stripping, merging, and dynamical friction, as they take place, thus allowing one to observe the interplay of these processes in the global evolution of the system. When the galaxies have substantial dark halos (background mass fraction $\leq$75\%) a large, centrally located merger remnant is created. The galaxy number density profile around this dominant member becomes cusped, approaching an isothermal distribution. At the same time, the number of multiple nuclei increases. Comparing the 50-galaxy models to MKW/AWM clusters, the values of $\Delta M_{12}$ and the peculiar velocities of the first-ranked galaxies are best fit by a mix of model ages in the range 8--11 Gyr. The growth in luminosity of the first-ranked galaxy during this amount of time is consistent only with weak cannibalism.