ASTRO-H White Paper - Clusters of Galaxies and Related Science

T. Kitayama, M. Bautz, M. Markevitch, K. Matsushita, S. Allen, M. Kawaharada, B. McNamara, N. Ota, H. Akamatsu, J. de Plaa, M. Galeazzi, G. Madejski, R. Main, E. Miller, K. Nakazawa, H. Russell, K. Sato, N. Sekiya, A. Simionescu, T. Tamura, Y. Uchida, E. Ursino, N. Werner, I. Zhuravleva, J. ZuHone, on behalf of the ASTRO-H Science Working Group

Published 2014-12-03Version 1

The next generation X-ray observatory ASTRO-H will open up a new dimension in the study of galaxy clusters by achieving for the first time the spectral resolution required to measure velocities of the intracluster plasma, and extending at the same time the spectral coverage to energies well beyond 10 keV. This white paper provides an overview of the capabilities of ASTRO-H for exploring gas motions in galaxy clusters including their cosmological implications, the physics of AGN feedback, dynamics of cluster mergers as well as associated high-energy processes, chemical enrichment of the intracluster medium, and the nature of missing baryons and unidentified dark matter.