Cluster winds blow along supercluster axes

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 304; no. 1; pp. L5 - L9
• Main Authors: Novikov, Dmitri I., Melott, Adrian L., Wilhite, Brian C., Kaufman, Michael, Burns, Jack O., Miller, Christopher J., Batuski, David J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 21-03-1999
• Subjects: galaxies: clusters: general; intergalactic medium; large-scale structure of Universe
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02428.x

Within Abell galaxy clusters containing wide-angle tailed (WAT) radio sources, there is evidence of a ‘prevailing wind’ which directs the WAT jets. We study the alignment of WAT jets and nearby clusters to test the idea that this wind may be a fossil of drainage along large-scale supercluster axes. We also test this idea with a study of the alignment of WAT jets and supercluster axes. Statistical tests indicate no alignment of WAT jets towards nearest neighbour clusters, but do indicate approximately 98 per cent confidence in alignment with the long axis of the supercluster in which the cluster lies. We find a preferred scale for such superclusters of order 25 h−1 Mpc.