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Extent of hot intergalactic gas in the cluster Abell 2218

Abstract

A SMALL cooling of the microwave background towards the centre of the rich, distant cluster of galaxies Abell 2218 has been detected1–3. This decrement has been attributed to the inverse Compton scattering of photons of the background radiation by electrons in a hot intracluster plasma, as predicted by Sunyaev and Zel'dovich4. We report here new observations in several different directions towards the cluster which confirm the earlier results and provide an estimate of the extent of the gas.

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References

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BIRKINSHAW, M., GULL, S. & NORTHOVER, K. Extent of hot intergalactic gas in the cluster Abell 2218. Nature 275, 40–41 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/275040a0

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