ZwCl 2341.1+0000, a merging galaxy cluster with disturbed X-ray morphology and widely separated (∼ 3 Mpc) double radio relics, was thought to be an extremely massive (10-30 × 1014 M⊙) and complex system, with little known about its merger history. We present JVLA 2-4 GHz observations of the cluster, along with new spectroscopy from our Keck/DEIMOS survey, and apply Gaussian Mixture Modeling to the three-dimensional distribution of 227 confirmed cluster galaxies. After adopting the Bayesian Information Criterion to avoid overfitting, which we discover can bias high the total dynamical mass estimates, we find that a three-substructure model with a total dynamical mass estimate of 9.39 ± 0.81 × 1014 M⊙ is favored. We also present deep Subaru imaging and perform the first weak lensing analysis on this system, obtaining a weak lensing mass estimate of 5.57 ± 2.47 × 1014 M⊙. This is a more robust estimate because it does not depend on the dynamical state of the system, which is disturbed due to the merger. Our results indicate that ZwCl 2341.1+0000 is a multiple merger system comprised of at least three substructures, with the main merger that produced the radio relics occurring near the plane of the sky, and a younger merger in the north occurring closer to the line of sight. Dynamical modeling of the main merger reproduces observed quantities (relic positions and polarizations, subcluster separation and radial velocity difference), if the merger axis angle of ∼ 10 +34-6 degrees and the collision speed at pericenter is ∼ 1900 +300-200 km s-1.

Diffuse radio emission in the form of radio haloes and relics has been found in a number of merging galaxy clusters. These structures indicate that shock and turbulence associated with the merger accelerate electrons to relativistic energies. We report the discovery of a radio relic + radio halo system in PSZ1 G108.18-11.53 (z = 0.335). This cluster hosts the second most powerful double radio relic system ever discovered. We observed PSZ1 G108.18-11.53 with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. We obtained radio maps at 147, 323, 607 and 1380 MHz. We also observed the cluster with the Keck telescope, obtaining the spectroscopic redshift for 42 cluster members. From the injection index, we obtained the Mach number of the shocks generating the two radio relics. For the southern shock, we found M = 2.33-0.26+0.19, while the northern shock Mach number goes fromM= 2.20-0.14+0.07 in the north part down toM= 2.00-0.08+0.03 in the southern region. If the relation between the injection index and the Mach number predicted by diffusive shock acceleration theory holds, this is the first observational evidence for a gradient in the Mach number along a galaxy cluster merger shock.

Pairs of radio relics are believed to form during cluster mergers, and are best observed when the merger occurs in the plane of the sky. Mergers can also produce radio haloes, through complex processes likely linked to turbulent re-acceleration of cosmic ray electrons. However, only some clusters with double relics also show a radio halo. Here, we present a novel method to derive upper limits on the radio halo emission, and analyse archival X-ray Chandra data, as well as galaxy velocity dispersions and lensing data, in order to understand the key parameter that switches on radio halo emission. We place upper limits on the halo power below the P1.4 GHz-M500 correlation for some clusters, confirming that clusters with double relics have different radio properties. Computing X-ray morphological indicators, we find that clusters with double relics are associated with the most disturbed clusters. We also investigate the role of different mass-ratios and time-since-merger. Data do not indicate that the merger mass-ratio has an impact on the presence or absence of radio haloes (the null hypothesis that the clusters belong to the same group cannot be rejected). However, the data suggest that the absence of radio haloes could be associated with early and late mergers, but the sample is too small to perform a statistical test. Our study is limited by the small number of clusters with double relics. Future surveys with LOFAR, ASKAP, MeerKat and SKA will provide larger samples to better address this issue.

Multi-band photometric and multi-object spectroscopic surveys of merging galaxy clusters allow for the characterization of the distributions of constituent DM and galaxy populations, constraints on the dynamics of the merging subclusters, and an understanding of galaxy evolution of member galaxies. We present deep photometric observations from Subaru/SuprimeCam and a catalog of 4431 spectroscopic galaxies from Keck/DEIMOS observations of 29 merging galaxy clusters ranging in redshift from z = 0.07 to 0.55. The ensemble is compiled based on the presence of radio relics, which highlight cluster-scale collisionless shocks in the intracluster medium. Together with the spectroscopic and photometric information, the velocities, timescales, and geometries of the respective merging events may be tightly constrained. In this preliminary analysis, the velocity distributions of 28 of the 29 clusters are shown to be well fit by single Gaussians. This indicates that radio-relic mergers largely occur transverse to the line of sight and/or near-apocenter. In this paper, we present our optical and spectroscopic surveys, preliminary results, and a discussion of the value of radio-relic mergers for developing accurate dynamical models of each system.

Golovich et al. present an optical imaging and spectroscopic survey of 29 radio relic merging galaxy clusters. In this paper, we study this survey to identify substructure and quantify the dynamics of the mergers. Using a combined photometric and spectroscopic approach, we identify the minimum number of substructures in each system to describe the galaxy populations and estimate the line-of-sight velocity difference between likely merging subclusters. We find that the line-of-sight velocity components of the mergers are typically small compared with the maximum 3D relative velocity (usually <1000 km s-1 and often consistent with zero). We also compare our systems to n-body simulation analogs and estimate the viewing angle of the clean mergers in our ensemble. We find that the median system's separation vector lies within 40° (17°) at a 90% (50%) confidence level. This suggests that the merger axes of these systems are generally in or near the plane of the sky, matching findings in magnetohydrodynamical simulations. In 28 of the 29 systems we identify substructures in the galaxy population aligned with the radio relic(s) and presumed associated merger-induced shock. From this ensemble, we identify eight systems to include in a "gold" sample that is prime for further observation, modeling, and simulation study. Additional papers will present weak-lensing mass maps and dynamical modeling for each merging system, ultimately leading to new insight into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena at some of the largest scales in the universe.