High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with XRISM/Resolve reveals super-solar abundance ratios in Virgo/M87

@article{martin2026highresolution,
  title = {{High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with XRISM/Resolve reveals super-solar abundance ratios in Virgo/M87}},
  author = {J Martin and A Simionescu and F Mernier and C Kilbourne and A Tümer and H.R Russell and M Charbonneau and N Dizdar and D Eckert and Y Ezoe and R Fujimoto and M Fujita and K Fukushima and L Gu and E Hodges-Kluck and Y Ichinohe and D Ito and S Kitamoto and M.A Leutenegger and M Loewenstein and H Mccall and B.R Mcnamara and E.D Miller and I Mitsuishi and K Nakazawa and A Ogorzalek and K Sato and A Szymkowiak and I Zhuravleva},
  journal = {Astron.Astrophys.},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202659739},
  eprint = {2605.18989},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05830219v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with XRISM/Resolve reveals super-solar abundance ratios in Virgo/M87
AU  - J Martin
AU  - A Simionescu
AU  - F Mernier
AU  - C Kilbourne
AU  - A Tümer
AU  - H.R Russell
AU  - M Charbonneau
AU  - N Dizdar
AU  - D Eckert
AU  - Y Ezoe
AU  - R Fujimoto
AU  - M Fujita
AU  - K Fukushima
AU  - L Gu
AU  - E Hodges-Kluck
AU  - Y Ichinohe
AU  - D Ito
AU  - S Kitamoto
AU  - M.A Leutenegger
AU  - M Loewenstein
AU  - H Mccall
AU  - B.R Mcnamara
AU  - E.D Miller
AU  - I Mitsuishi
AU  - K Nakazawa
AU  - A Ogorzalek
AU  - K Sato
AU  - A Szymkowiak
AU  - I Zhuravleva
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Astron.Astrophys.
DO  - 10.1051/0004-6361/202659739
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05830219v1
AB  - Context. The chemical composition of the intracluster medium (ICM) provides key insights into the enrichment history of galaxy clusters. However, high-resolution abundance measurements with X-ray microcalorimeters remain available for only a few systems. While most cool-core clusters exhibit near-solar elemental abundance ratios relative to Fe, previous studies of the Virgo cluster have suggested super-solar ratios in its core.Aims. We investigate the chemical properties of the Virgo cluster core using XRISM/Resolve observations, focusing on precise measurements of Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Fe, and Ni abundances. We aim to determine whether Virgo displays abundance patterns distinct from other nearby cool-core clusters and to explore the physical origin of any differences.Methods. We analyzed full field-of-view XRISM/Resolve spectra in four regions of the Virgo core (center, east, northwest, and southwest) in the 1.7–11 keV band. Single-temperature, multi-temperature, and multi-abundance models were applied to characterize the thermal structure and derive elemental abundances. The resulting abundance ratios were compared between pointings, with previous studies of Virgo/M87, and with recent XRISM measurements of other clusters.Results. All four pointings exhibit systematically super-solar X/Fe ratios, although the northwest region shows values closer to solar. Multi-abundance modeling of the eastern and southwestern regions reveals that cool, metal-rich gas uplifted by the AGN coexists with a hotter and more chemically homogeneous ambient ICM. The super-solar ratios are robust against variations in bandpass and temperature structure. We interpret these enhanced ratios as reflecting the enrichment history of the old stellar population in M87 combined with a limited cold gas reservoir.Conclusions. The Virgo core exhibits spatially resolved chemical enrichment that differs from the abundance patterns observed in other cool-core clusters. These results highlight the importance of high-resolution spectroscopy for disentangling AGN-driven transport, multi-phase structure, and stellar enrichment. Expanding microcalorimeter observations to a larger cluster sample will be essential to determine whether Virgo is an outlier or representative of a broader diversity in cluster-core enrichment histories.Key words: galaxies: abundances / galaxies: clusters: general / galaxies: clusters: intracluster medium / galaxies: clusters: individual: Virgo Cluster / galaxies: clusters: individual: M87 / X-rays: galaxies: clusters
ER  -