Type |
Journal Article |
Names |
S. Heinz, M. Brüggen, B. Morsony |
Publication |
The Astrophysical Journal |
Volume |
708 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
462-468 |
Date |
January 1, 2010 |
URL |
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010ApJ...708..462H |
Library Catalog |
NASA ADS |
Abstract |
One of the legacies of the Chandra era is the discovery of active
galactic nucleus (AGN) inflated X-ray cavities in virtually all
cool-core clusters, with mechanical luminosities comparable to or larger
than the cluster cooling rate, suggesting that AGN might be responsible
for heating clusters. This discovery poses a new set of questions that
cannot be addressed by X-ray imaging or modeling alone: are AGNs
actually responsible for halting cooling flows? How is the AGN energy
transferred to heat? How tight is the observed balance between heating
and cooling? One of the critical unanswered questions currently posed is
the actual expansion velocity of these cavities, which cannot be
measured from imaging alone. This uncertainty propagates into the
calculation of the jet power required to inflate the cavities and
affects all arguments of feedback power. Using numerical simulations of
jet-driven cavities in fully dynamically evolved clusters and a new
virtual X-ray observatory tool, we demonstrate that high-resolution,
high-throughput X-ray spectroscopy will be able to answer this question
and that the International X-ray Observatory will have the necessary
capabilities to deliver the necessary measurements. We also discuss the
evolution of the turbulent velocity distribution of the cluster in
response to the action of radio galaxies and how it might be used as a
probe in studying feedback. |
Tags |
ISM: kinematics and dynamics, Techniques: Spectroscopic, X-rays: galaxies: clusters, galaxies: jets |