A first XMM-Newton look at the most X-ray-luminous galaxy cluster RX J1347.5-1145

We present the first results from an XMM-Newton observation of RX J1347.5-1145 (z=0.451), the most luminous X-ray cluster of galaxies currently known, with a luminosity L_X = 6.0 \pm 0.1 \times 10^{45} erg/s in the [2-10] keV energy band. The cluster has an overall temperature of kT=10.0 \pm 0.3 keV and is not isothermal: the temperature profile shows a decline in the outer regions and a drop in the centre, indicating the presence of a cooling core. The spectral analysis identifies a hot region at radii 50-200 kpc to south-east of the main X-ray peak, at a position consistent with the subclump seen in the X-ray image. Excluding the data of the south-east quadrant, the cluster appears relatively relaxed and we estimate a total mass within 1 Mpc of 1.0 \pm 0.2 \times 10^{15} M_sun.