A Simple and Accurate Model for Intracluster Gas

Starting with the well-known NFW dark matter halo distribution, we construct a simple polytropic model for the intracluster medium which is in good agreement with high resolution numerical hydrodynamical simulations, apply this model to a very large scale concordance dark matter simulation, and compare the resulting global properties with recent observations of X-ray clusters, including the mass-temperature and luminosity-temperature relations. We make allowances for a non-negligible surface pressure, removal of low entropy (short cooling time) gas, energy injection due to feedback, and for a relativistic (non-thermal) pressure component. A polytropic index n=5 (Gamma=1. 2) provides a good approximation to the internal gas structure of massive clusters (except in the very central regions where cooling become important), and allows one to recover the observed M₅00-T, Lₓ-T and T/nₑ^2/3 ~ T⁰. 65 relations. Using these concepts and generalizing this method so that it can be applied to fully three-dimensional N-body simulations, one can predict the global X-ray and SZE trends for any specified cosmological model. We find a good fit to observations when assuming that twelve percent of the initial baryonic mass condenses into stars, the fraction of rest mass of this condensed component transferred back to the remaining gas (feedback) is 3. 9x10^-5, and the fraction of total pressure from a nonthermal component is less than ten percent.