Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volume 648, Issue 2, Pages L109-L113Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1086/508162
Keywords
dark matter; galaxies : clusters : individual; (1E 0657-558); gravitational lensing
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We present new weak-lensing observations of 1E 0657-558 (z = 0.296), a unique cluster merger, that enable a z = 0.296 direct detection of dark matter, independent of assumptions regarding the nature of the gravitational force law. Due to the collision of two clusters, the dissipationless stellar component and the fluid-like X-ray-emitting plasma are spatially segregated. By using both wide-field ground-based images and HST/ACS images of the cluster cores, we create gravitational lensing maps showing that the gravitational potential does not trace the plasma distribution, the dominant baryonic mass component, but rather approximately traces the distribution of galaxies. An 8 sigma significance spatial offset of the center of the total mass from the center of the baryonic mass peaks cannot be explained with an alteration of the gravitational force law and thus proves that the majority of the matter in the system is unseen.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available