My PhD thesis

When Galaxy Clusters Collide:
the impact of merger shocks on cluster gas and galaxy evolution

Full thesis

Table of contents:
  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Discovery of spectral curvature in the shock downstream region: CIZA J2242.8+5301

  • 3. Spectral age modelling of the `Sausage' cluster radio relic

  • 4. The highest-frequency detection of a radio relic: 16-GHz AMI observations of the `Sausage' cluster

  • 5. The 'ultimate' cluster radio relic spectrum: observations from 150 MHz to 30 GHz

  • 6. The role of cluster mergers and travelling shocks in shaping the Hα luminosity function at z∼0.2: `sausage' and `toothbrush' clusters

  • 7. The rise and fall of star-formation in z∼0.2 merging galaxy clusters

  • 8. MC2: Boosted AGN and star-formation activity in CIZA J2242.8+5301, a massive post-merger cluster at z=0.19

  • 9. Neutral hydrogen gas, past and future star-formation in galaxies in and around the `Sausage' merging galaxy cluster

  • 10. A large narrow band Hα survey at z ∼ 0.2: the bright end of the luminosity function, cosmic variance and clustering across cosmic time