277 research outputs found
Jet induced star formation in centrally dominant galaxies?
Using U-I CCD color maps of two centrally dominant cluster galaxies, we find unusual color structures which may be due to star formation which has been induced by their radio sources. These objects, located in the clusters A1795 and A2597, have blue central colors to radii of 20 kpc, spatially extended emission-line structures, and powerful radio sources. They reside at the centers of cooling flows with mass-accretion rates which are estimated to be approximately greater than 300 solar mass/yr. The regions of bluest local color are superposed on or along their radio-source structures. Our observations suggest that the radio sources associated with these objects may be inducing massive star formation in their central 20 kpc. The star formation may be the result of the radio plasma interacting with the warm emission-line gas and dense, x-ray emitting filaments similar to those recently discovered in two other clusters with the ROSAT Observatory. Since radio jets are likely to be transient, this may help to explain the scatter in the correlations between color and mass-accretion rate, although other factors may also contribute. Alternatively, scattered radiation from a hidden active nucleus or recent mergers may be responsible for the color structure. The color and radio properties of these objects are qualitatively similar but smaller in luminosity and spatial extent to those found in high redshift radio galaxies. Our observations of galaxies at z approximately = 0.06-0.1 show that processes similar to 'the alignment effect' found in high redshift radio galaxies occur at more recent epochs
The mass-L_x relation for moderate luminosity X-ray clusters
We present measurements of the masses of a sample of 25 moderate X-ray
luminosity clusters of galaxies from the 160 square degree ROSAT survey. The
masses were obtained from a weak lensing analysis of deep F814W images obtained
using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). We present an accurate empirical
correction for the effect of charge transfer (in)efficiency on the shapes of
faint galaxies. A significant lensing signal is detected around most of the
clusters. The lensing mass correlates tightly with the cluster richness. We
measured the intrinsic scatter in the scaling relation between M_2500 and L_X
and find the best fit power law slope and normalisation to be alpha=0.68+-0.07
and M_X=(1.2+-0.12)10^14M_sun (for L_X=2x10^44 erg/s). These results agree well
with a number of recent studies, but the normalisation is lower compared to the
study of Rykoff et al. (2008b). One explanation for this difference may be the
fact that (sub)structures projected along the line-of-sight boost both the
galaxy counts and the lensing mass. Such superpositions lead to an increased
mass at a given L_X when clusters are binned by richness.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal; 15 pages, 11
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The Insignificance of Global Reheating in the Abell 1068 Cluster: X-Ray Analysis
We report on a Chandra observation of the massive, medium redshift (z=0.1386)
cooling flow cluster Abell 1068. We detect a clear temperature gradient in the
X-ray emitting gas from kT ~ 5 keV in the outer part of the cluster down to
roughly 2 keV in the core, and a striking increase in the metallicity of the
gas toward the cluster center. The total spectrum from the cluster can be fit
by a cooling flow model with a total mass deposition rate of 150 solar
masses/yr. Within the core (r < 30 kpc), the mass depositon rate of 40 solar
masses/yr is comparable to estimates for the star formation rate from optical
data. We find an apparent correlation between the cD galaxy's optical isophotes
and enhanced metallicity isocontours in the central ~100 kpc of the cluster. We
show that the approximate doubling of the metallicity associated with the cD
can be plausibly explained by supernova explosions associated with the cD's
ambient stellar population and the recent starburst. Finally, we calculate the
amount of heating due to thermal conduction and show that this process is
unlikely to offset cooling in Abell 1068.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 26 pages, 12 b+w figures, 3 color
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Evidence for AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters and Groups
The current generation of flagship X-ray missions, Chandra and XMM-Newton,
has changed our understanding of the so-called "cool core" galaxy clusters and
groups. Instead of the initial idea that the thermal gas is cooling and flowing
toward the center, the new picture envisages a complex dynamical evolution of
the intra-cluster medium (ICM) regulated by the radiative cooling and the
nongravitational heating from the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Understanding
the physics of the hot gas and its interplay with the relativistic plasma
ejected by the AGN is key for understanding the growth and evolution of
galaxies and their central black holes, the history of star formation, and the
formation of large-scale structures. It has thus become clear that the feedback
from the central black hole must be taken into account in any model of galaxy
evolution. In this paper, we draw a qualitative picture of the current
knowledge of the effects of the AGN feedback on the ICM by summarizing the
recent results in this field.Comment: Accepted for publication in Advances in Astronomy, 30 pages, 6
figures. Tutorial Review to appear in the Special Issue "Seeking for the
Leading Actor on the Cosmic Stage: Galaxies versus Supermassive Black Holes
Chandra Observation of the Radio Source / X-ray Gas Interaction in the Cooling Flow Cluster Abell 2052
We present a Chandra observation of Abell 2052, a cooling flow cluster with a
central cD that hosts the complex radio source 3C 317. The data reveal
``holes'' in the X-ray emission that are coincident with the radio lobes. The
holes are surrounded by bright ``shells'' of X-ray emission. The data are
consistent with the radio source displacing and compressing, and at the same
time being confined by, the X-ray gas. The compression of the X-ray shells
appears to have been relatively gentle and, at most, slightly transonic. The
pressure in the X-ray gas (the shells and surrounding cooler gas) is
approximately an order of magnitude higher than the minimum pressure derived
for the radio source, suggesting that an additional source of pressure is
needed to support the radio plasma. The compression of the X-ray shells has
speeded up the cooling of the shells, and optical emission line filaments are
found coincident with the brightest regions of the shells.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; for high-resolution color
figures, see http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~elb6n/abell2052.htm
Abell 1201: a Minor merger at second core passage
We present an analysis of the structures and dynamics of the merging cluster
Abell~1201, which has two sloshing cold fronts around a cooling core, and an
offset gas core approximately 500kpc northwest of the center. New Chandra and
XMM-Newton data reveal a region of enhanced brightness east of the offset core,
with breaks in surface brightness along its boundary to the north and east.
This is interpreted as a tail of gas stripped from the offset core. Gas in the
offset core and the tail is distinguished from other gas at the same distance
from the cluster center chiefly by having higher density, hence lower entropy.
In addition, the offset core shows marginally lower temperature and metallicity
than the surrounding area. The metallicity in the cool core is high and there
is an abrupt drop in metallicity across the southern cold front. We interpret
the observed properties of the system, including the placement of the cold
fronts, the offset core and its tail in terms of a simple merger scenario. The
offset core is the remnant of a merging subcluster, which first passed
pericenter southeast of the center of the primary cluster and is now close to
its second pericenter passage, moving at ~1000 km/s. Sloshing excited by the
merger gave rise to the two cold fronts and the disposition of the cold fronts
reveals that we view the merger from close to the plane of the orbit of the
offset core.Comment: accepted by Ap
A 15-Kiloparsec X-Ray Disk in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 1700
We present Chandra observations of the young elliptical galaxy NGC 1700. The
X-ray isophotes are highly flattened between semimajor axes of 30 and 80
arcseconds, reaching a maximum ellipticity of approximately 0.65 at 60 arcsec
(15 kpc). The surface brightness profile in the spectrally soft, flattened
region is shallower than that of the starlight, indicating that the emission
comes from hot gas rather than stellar sources. The flattening is so extreme
that the gas cannot be in hydrostatic equilibrium in any plausible potential. A
likely alternative is that the gas has significant rotational support. A simple
model, representing isothermal gas distributed about a particular angular
momentum, can reproduce the X-ray morphology while staying consistent with
stellar kinematics. The specific angular momentum of the gas matches that of
the stars in the most isophotally distorted outer part of the galaxy, and its
cooling time matches the time since the last major merger. We infer that the
gas was acquired in that merger, which involved a pre-existing elliptical
galaxy with a hot ISM. The hot gas carried the angular momentum of the
encounter, and has since gradually settled into a rotationally flattened,
cooling disk.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, AASTeX 5.0. Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
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