2.30 pm Monday March 13 in Curia II.
Clusters of galaxies are the largest relaxed structures in the Universe. The dominant baryonic form of matter in clusters is hot (10^8 K) intracluster gas. Clusters generally form by the gravitational merger of smaller clusters and groups. Major cluster mergers are the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. These mergers drive shocks in the intracluster gas. These shocks heat the intracluster gas, and may also accelerate nonthermal relativistic particles. X-ray observations of the thermal effects of merger shocks will be discussed. Models for the radio, extreme ultraviolet, hard X-ray, and gamma-ray emission from nonthermal particles accelerated in these shocks will also be described.