SPATIAL-DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY ELEMENTS IN X-RAY EMITTING CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

X-ray observations of gas in clusters of galaxies indicate that the Fe/H ratio of the gas in the central regions is approximately solar. If this ratio were constant throughout mostly primordial cluster gas, this would have far-reaching implications for processes occurring in the early stages of galaxy and cluster formation. We discuss a number of mechanisms by which abundance gradients can arise in the cluster gas and conclude that results obtained under the assumption of a constant Fe/H ratio throughout the cluster gas should be treated with caution. © 1977 Royal Astronomical Society.