A HIGH-RESOLUTION ROSAT X-RAY STUDY OF ABELL-4059

We present the analysis of ROSAT HRI and PSPC X-ray data on the compac t cD type cluster Abell 4059. The central cD galaxy hosts the strong r adio source PKS 2354-35. The central portion of the X-ray image shows two statistically significant X-ray emission minima and an orthogonal X-ray bar. As is the case in NGC 1275, the radio lobes in PKS 2354-35 lie perpendicularly to the X-ray bar and extend into the two X-ray min ima. One suggestion is that the radio lobe plasma has displaced the X- ray plasma and created the X-ray holes. The radio plasma and the X-ray gas do have comparable pressures in the radio lobe area. However, the available radio images do not show radio emission that extends far en ough to hh the two X-ray holes. An alternative scenario for the antico rrelated radio and X-ray structure is an rotating disk in the cooling how region of Abell 4059. The ROSAT HRI surface brightness profile sho ws that there is a cooling flow around the central cD galaxy with a co oling rate of M = 184(-25)(+22) M-circle dot yr(-1) within a radius of 156 kpc. However, the ROSAT PSPC spectrum of the central regions does not require a cooling flow and gives an upper limit to the cooling ra te of M < 80 M-circle dot yr(-1) (90% confidence level). The X-ray spe ctra of the central region indicate very little intrinsic absorption i n the cluster, with an upper limit of Delta N-H less than or equal to 4.0 x 10(19) cm(-2) for excess absorption in front of the cluster emis sion at the center of the cooling flow. On large scales, the cluster s hows interesting spatial alignment between the major axes of the X-ray emission, cD galaxy, and the cluster potential. This is consistent wi th the anisotropic merger model for the formation of cD galaxies and t he orientation of cD galaxy radio sources.