Analytical Approach to the Mass Distribution Function of Subhalos and Cold Fronts in Galaxy Clusters

We construct an analytical model of the mass distribution function of subhalos in a galaxy cluster in the context of the cold dark matter (CDM) theory. Our model takes account of two important effects; the high density of the precluster region and the spatial correlation of initial density fluctuations. For subhalos with small masses, the mass distribution function that our model predicts is intermediate between the Press-Schechter (PS) mass distribution function and a conditional mass distribution function as an extension of the PS formalism. We compare the results of our model with those of numerical simulations. We find that our model predictions are consistent with the mass and velocity distribution functions of subhalos in a cluster obtained by numerical simulations. We estimate the probability of finding large X-ray subhalos that often have “cold fronts”. The observed large X-ray subhalos and cold fronts may not always be the result of cluster mergers, but instead may be internal structures in clusters. Subject headings: cosmology: theory—dark matter—galaxies: clusters—galaxies: halos—large-scale structure of universe—X-rays: galaxies: clusters