2012ApJ...754..147R

We present results from two ∼30 ks Chandra observations of the hot atmospheres of the merging galaxy groups centered around NGC 7618 and UGC 12491. Our images show the presence of arc-like sloshing cold fronts (CFs) wrapped around each group center and ∼100 kpc long spiral tails in both groups. Most interestingly, the CFs are highly distorted in both groups, exhibiting "wings" along the fronts. These features resemble the structures predicted from non-viscous hydrodynamic simulations of gas sloshing, where Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities (KHIs) distort the CFs. This is in contrast to the structure seen in many other sloshing and merger CFs, which are smooth and featureless at the current observational resolution. Both magnetic fields and viscosity have been invoked to explain the absence of KHIs in these smooth CFs, but the NGC 7618/UGC 12491 pair are two in a growing number of both sloshing and merger CFs that appear distorted. Magnetic fields and/or viscosity may be able to suppress the growth of KHIs at the CFs in some clusters and groups, but clearly not in all. We propose that the presence or absence of KHI distortions in CFs can be used as a measure of the effective viscosity and/or magnetic field strengths in the intracluster medium.