Gravitational lensing as a new probe of the dynamics of cluster cores

We propose a new approach to study the dynamical implications of mass models of clusters for the velocity structure of galaxies in the core. Strong and weak lensing data are used to construct the total mass profile of the cluster, which is used in conjunction with the optical galaxy data to solve in detail for the nature of galaxy orbits and the velocity anisotropy in the central regions. We also examine other observationally and physically motivated mass models, specifically those obtained from X-ray observations and N-body simulations. The aim of this analysis is to understand qualitatively the structure of the core and test some of the key assumptions of the standard picture of cluster formation regarding relaxation, virialization and equilibrium. This technique is applied to the cluster Abell 2218, where we find significant velocity anisotropy in the core, with pre-dominantly tangential orbits, indicating the existence of a dynamically disturbed core. We find that the requirement of physically meaningful solutions for the velocity anisotropy places stringent bounds on the slope of cluster density profiles in the inner regions.