The three-dimensional geometry and merger history of the massive galaxy
  cluster MACS J0358.8-2955
  We present results of a combined X-ray/optical analysis of the dynamics of
the massive cluster MACS J0358.8-2955 (z=0.428) based on observations with the
Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Keck-I telescope
on Mauna Kea. MACS J0358.8-2955 is found to be one of the most X-ray luminous
clusters known at z>0.3, featuring L_X(<r_500) = 4.24*10^45 erg/s, kT = (9.55
+0.58/-0.37) keV, M^{3D}_{gas}(<r_500) = (9.18+/-1.45)*10^13 M_sun, and
M^{3D}_{tot}(<r_500) = (1.12+/-0.18)*10^15 M_sun. The system's high velocity
dispersion of (1440 +130/-110) km/s (890 km/s when the correct relativistic
equation is used), however, is inflated by infall along the line of sight, as
the result of a complex merger of at least three sub-clusters. One collision
proceeds close to head-on, while the second features a significant impact
parameter. The temperature variations in the intra-cluster gas, two tentative
cold fronts, the radial velocities measured for cluster galaxies, and the small
offsets between collisional and non-collisional cluster components all suggest
that both merger events are observed close to core passage and along axes that
are greatly inclined with respect to the plane of the sky. A strong-lensing
analysis of the system anchored upon three triple-image systems (two of which
have spectroscopic redshifts) yields independent constraints on the mass
distribution. For a gas fraction of 8.2%, the resulting strong-lensing mass
profile is in good agreement with our X-ray estimates, and the details of the
mass distribution are fully consistent with our interpretation of the
three-dimensional merger history of this complex system.
