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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 May 2016
We investigate the dynamical evolution of clusters of galaxies in virial equilibrium by using Fokker–Planck models and self-consistent N-body models. In particular we focus on the growth of the common halos and the development of the central density cusps in the clusters. We find good agreement between the Fokker–Planck and N-body models. At the cluster center the cusp approximated by a power law, ρ(r) ∝ r-α (α ∼ 1), develops. We conclude that this shallow cusp results from the combined effects of two-body relaxation and tidal stripping. The cusp steepness α weakly depends on the relative importance of tidal stripping.