Galaxy cluster contain up to several thousand galaxies, as well as dark matter and a widespread halo of hot gas, which has a mass significantly higher than that of the galaxies themselves and which permeates the space between one and the other. The researchers, led by Luca Di Mascolo of the University of Trieste, observed for the first time great quantities of hot gas, present in the 'gestational' phase of this mass, destined to become one of the largest structures in the cosmos. In particular, the authors of the studio exploited the so-called Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect, which happens when the light produced by the Big Bang continues to spread all over the universe, via the hot gas, thus forming shadows in the images: by measuring these shadows, it is possible to estimate the mass and pressure of the gas and to map its structure. "Thanks to its unparalleled resolution and sensitivity”, says Di Mascolo, “Alma is the only telescope currently able to carry out a measurement of this type”.
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