Abell 545 an uncommon merging cluster

Detailed studies of A545 at radio, optical and Xray wavelengths point to asystem undergoing a major merger. The unique discovery of an extended stellarhalo resembling that of a cD but with no associated BCG is particularlyintriguing as it suggests this system may be undergoing a critical dynamic phasethat is rarely observed. The available XMM data while hinting to a number ofinteresting features, most notably a shock virgul400 kpc North of the surfacebrightness peak, are of limited use because of the extreme contamination by softprotons. We propose a 50 ks observation of A545 to constrain the phase andgeometry of the merger. The combination of the proposed Xray observation withthe available optical and radio data will allow us to construct a global picture of the dynamical status of A545. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]