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Chandra deep observation of XDCP J0044.0-2033, a massive galaxy cluster at z>1.5

We report the analysis of the Chandra observation of XDCP J0044.0-2033, a massive, distant (z=1.579) galaxy cluster discovered in the XDCP survey. The total exposure time of 380 ks with Chandra ACIS-S provides the deepest X-ray observation currently achieved on a massive, high redshift cluster. Extended emission from the Intra Cluster Medium (ICM) is detected at a very high significance level (S/N~20) on a circular region with a 44" radius, corresponding to $R_{ext}=375$ kpc at the cluster redshift. We perform an X-ray spectral fit of the ICM emission modeling the spectrum with a single-temperature thermal mekal model. Our analysis provides a global temperature $kT=6.7^{+1.3}_{-0.9}$ keV, and a iron abundance $Z_{Fe} = 0.41_{-0.26}^{+0.29}Z_{Fe_\odot}$ (error bars correspond to 1 $σ$). We fit the background-subtracted surface brightness profile with a single $β$-model out to 44", finding a rather flat profile with no hints of a cool core. We derive the deprojected electron density profile and compute the ICM mass within the extraction radius $R_{ext}=375$ kpc to be $M_{ICM}(r<R_{ext}) = (1.48 \pm 0.20) \times 10^{13} M_\odot$. Under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium and assuming isothermality within $R_{ext}$, the total mass is $M_{2500}= 1.23_{-0.27}^{+0.46} \times 10 ^{14} M_\odot$ for $R_{2500} = 240_{-20}^{+30}$ kpc. Extrapolating the profile at radii larger than the extraction radius $R_{ext}$ we find $M_{500} = 3.2_{-0.6}^{+0.9} \times 10 ^{14}M_\odot$ for $R_{500} = 562_{-37}^{+50}$ kpc. This analysis establishes the existence of virialized, massive galaxy clusters at redshift $z\sim 1.6$, paving the way to the investigation of the progenitors of the most massive clusters today. Given its mass and the XDCP survey volume, XDCP J0044.0-2033 does not create significant tension with the WMAP-7 $Λ$CDM cosmology.