AGN Heating Research Articles

X-ray cool core remnants heated by strong radio AGN feedback

ABSTRACT Strong AGN heating provides an alternative means for the disruption of cluster cool cores (CCs) to cluster mergers. In this work, we present a systematic Chandra study of a sample of 108 nearby (z < 0.1) galaxy clusters, to investigate the effect of AGN heating on CCs. About 40 per cent of clusters with small offsets between the BCG and the X-ray centre (≤50 kpc) have small CCs. For comparison, 14 of 17 clusters with large offsets have small CCs, which suggests that mergers or sloshing can be efficient in reducing the CC size. Relaxed, small CC clusters generally have weak radio AGNs ($P_{1.4\rm GHz}\lt 10^{23}$ W Hz−1), and they show a lack of systems hosting a radio AGN with intermediate radio power ($2\times 10^{23}\lt P_{1.4\rm GHz}\lt 2\times 10^{24}$ W Hz−1). We found that the strongest circumnuclear (<1 kpc) X-ray emission only exists in clusters with strong radio AGN. The duty cycle of relaxed, small CC clusters is less than half of that for large CC clusters. It suggests that the radio activity of BCGs is affected by the properties of the surrounding gas beyond the central ∼10 kpc, and strong radio AGNs in small X-ray CCs fade more rapidly than those embedded in large X-ray CCs. A scenario is also presented for the transition of large CCs and coronae due to radio AGN feedback. We also present a detailed analysis of galaxy cluster 3C 129.1 as an example of a CC remnant possibly disrupted by radio AGN.

The case for hot-mode accretion in Abell 2029

ABSTRACT Radiative cooling and active galactic nucleus heating are thought to form a feedback loop that regulates the evolution of low-redshift cool-core galaxy clusters. Numerical simulations suggest that the formation of multiphase gas in the cluster core imposes a floor on the ratio of cooling time (tcool) to free-fall time (tff) at min(tcool/tff) ≈ 10. Observations of galaxy clusters show evidence for such a floor, and usually the cluster cores with min(tcool/tff) ≲ 30 contain abundant multiphase gas. However, there are important outliers. One of them is Abell 2029 (A2029), a massive galaxy cluster (M200 ≳ 1015 M⊙) with min(tcool/tff) ∼ 20, but little apparent multiphase gas. In this paper, we present high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic adaptive mesh refinement simulations of a cluster similar to A2029 and study how it evolves over a period of 1–2 Gyr. Those simulations suggest that A2029 self-regulates without producing multiphase gas because the mass of its central black hole (${\sim} 5 \times 10^{10} \, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$) is great enough for Bondi accretion of hot ambient gas to produce enough feedback energy to compensate for radiative cooling.

Peeling back the layers of extinction of dusty galaxies in the era of JWST: modelling joint NIRSpec + MIRI spectra at rest-frame 1.5–28 μm

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of the combined NIRSpec and MIRI spectra of dusty galaxies between 1.5 and 28 $\mu$m rest-frame by implementing a differential extinction model, where the strength of extinction varies across the spectrum as different layers of the obscuring dust are probed. Our model is able to recover a 2D distribution of dust temperature and extinction, which allows inference of the physical nature of the dust in these environments. We show that differential extinction is necessary to reproduce the spectra of four highly obscured Luminous Infrared Galaxies observed with NIRSpec IFU and MIRI MRS, where simple screen or uniformly mixed dust distributions fail to fit the data. We additionally compare the extinction of H ii regions in these galaxies via hydrogen recombination lines, the extinction of molecular gas via the H2 lines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via the 12.7/11.3 PAH ratio and the stellar continuum. We find that the molecular gas is deeply buried with the H ii regions in star-forming regions, with a similar extinction to the hottest dust components. However, we find the cooler dust to be less obscured, at a similar extinction to the stellar continuum and PAHs. The nuclei show a complex dust distribution with VV114 NE, NGC 3256 S, and IIZw96 SW, showing a deeply buried continuum source relative to the molecular gas/H ii regions. Additionally, NGC 3256 S, NGC 7469, and VV114 SW show an isolated hot dust component, indicative of AGN heating, where NGC 3256 S and NGC 7469 are previously known as AGN.

Mapping gas around massive galaxies: cross-correlation of DES Y3 galaxies and Compton-ymaps from SPT andPlanck

ABSTRACTWe cross-correlate positions of galaxies measured in data from the first three years of the Dark Energy Survey with Compton-y maps generated using data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and the Planck mission. We model this cross-correlation measurement together with the galaxy autocorrelation to constrain the distribution of gas in the Universe. We measure the hydrostatic mass bias or, equivalently, the mean halo bias-weighted electron pressure 〈bhPe 〉, using large-scale information. We find 〈bhPe 〉 to be $[0.16^{+0.03}_{-0.04},0.28^{+0.04}_{-0.05},0.45^{+0.06}_{-0.10},0.54^{+0.08}_{-0.07},0.61^{+0.08}_{-0.06},0.63^{+0.07}_{-0.08}]$ meV cm−3 at redshifts z ∼ [0.30, 0.46, 0.62, 0.77, 0.89, 0.97]. These values are consistent with previous work where measurements exist in the redshift range. We also constrain the mean gas profile using small-scale information, enabled by the high-resolution of the SPT data. We compare our measurements to different parametrized profiles based on the cosmo-OWLS hydrodynamical simulations. We find that our data are consistent with the simulation that assumes an AGN heating temperature of 108.5 K but are incompatible with the model that assumes an AGN heating temperature of 108.0 K. These comparisons indicate that the data prefer a higher value of electron pressure than the simulations within r500c of the galaxies’ haloes.

AGN feedback duty cycle in Planck SZ selected clusters using Chandra observations

ABSTRACT We present a systematic study of X-ray cavities using archival Chandra observations of nearby galaxy clusters selected by their Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) signature in the Planck survey, which provides a nearly unbiased mass-selected sample to explore the entire AGN feedback duty cycle. Based on X-ray image analysis, we report that 30 of the 164 clusters show X-ray cavities, which corresponds to a detection fraction of 18 per cent. After correcting for spatial resolution to match the high-$\mathit{ z}$ SPT-SZ sample, the detection fraction decreases to 9 per cent, consistent with the high-z sample, hinting that the AGN feedback has not evolved across almost 8 Gyrs. Our finding agrees with the lack of evolution of cool-core clusters fraction. We calculate the cavity power, Pcav, and find that most systems of our sample have enough AGN heating to offset the radiative losses of the intracluster medium.

Using strong lensing to understand the microJy radio emission in two radio quiet quasars at redshift 1.7

ABSTRACT The radio quasar luminosity function exhibits an upturn around $L_{6\rm \:GHz}=10^{23}$ W Hz−1 that is well-modelled by a star-forming host galaxy population. This distribution leads some authors to cite star formation as the main radio emission mechanism in so-called radio-quiet quasars (RQQs). Understanding the origin of RQQ radio emission is crucial for our understanding of quasar feedback mechanisms – responsible for the regulation of star formation in the host galaxy – and for understanding galaxy evolution as a whole. By observing RQQs that have been magnified by strong gravitational lensing, we have direct access to the RQQ population out to cosmic noon, where evidence for twin mini-jets has recently been found in a sub-$\mu$Jy RQQ. Here we present radio observations of two lensed RQQs using the VLA at 5 GHz, the latest objects to be observed in a sample of quadruply-imaged RQQs above −30°. In SDSS J1004+4112 we find strong evidence for AGN-related radio emission in the variability of the source. In PG 1115+080 we find tentative evidence for AGN-related emission, determined by comparing the radio luminosity with modelled dust components. If confirmed in the case of PG 1115+080, which lies on the radio–FIR correlation, the result would reinforce the need for caution when applying the correlation to rule out jet activity and when assuming no AGN heating of FIR-emitting dust when calculating star formation rates. Our programme so far has shown that the two of the faintest radio sources ever imaged show strong evidence for AGN-dominated radio emission.

Suppressed cooling and turbulent heating in the core of X-ray luminous clusters RXCJ1504.1-0248 and Abell 1664

ABSTRACT We present the analysis of XMM–Newton observations of two X-ray luminous cool core clusters, RXCJ1504.1-0248 and Abell 1664. The Reflection Grating Spectrometer reveals a radiative cooling rate of $180\pm 40\, \rm M_{\odot }\rm \, yr^{-1}$ and $34\pm 6\, \rm M_{\odot }\rm \, yr^{-1}$ in RXCJ1504.1-0248 and Abell 1664 for gas above 0.7 keV, respectively. These cooling rates are higher than the star formation rates observed in the clusters and support simultaneous star formation and molecular gas mass growth on a time-scale of 3 × 108 yr or longer. At these rates, the energy of the X-ray cooling gas is inadequate to power the observed UV/optical line-emitting nebulae, which suggests additional strong heating. No significant residual cooling is detected below 0.7 keV in RXCJ1504.1-0248. By simultaneously fitting the first- and second-order spectra, we place an upper limit on turbulent velocity of 300 km $\rm s^{-1}$ at 90 per cent confidence level for the soft X-ray emitting gas in both clusters. The turbulent energy density is considered to be less than 8.9 and 27 per cent of the thermal energy density in RXCJ1504.1-0248 and Abell 1664, respectively. This means that it is insufficient for AGN heating to fully propagate throughout the cool core via turbulence. We find that the cool X-ray component of Abell 1664 (∼0.8 keV) is blueshifted from the systemic velocity by 750$^{+800}_{-280}$ km $\rm s^{-1}$. This is consistent with one component of the molecular gas in the core and suggests a similar dynamical structure for the two phases. We find that an intrinsic absorption model allows the cooling rate to increase to $520\pm 30\, \rm M_{\odot }\rm \, yr^{-1}$ in RXCJ1504.1-0248.

Galaxy formation in the Planck Millennium: the atomic hydrogen content of dark matter haloes

ABSTRACTWe present recalibrations of the galform semi-analytical model of galaxy formation in a new N-body simulation with the Planck cosmology. The Planck Millennium simulation uses more than 128 billion particles to resolve the matter distribution in a cube of 800 Mpc on a side, which contains more than 77 million dark matter haloes with mass greater than 2.12 × 109 h−1 M⊙ at this day. Only minor changes to a very small number of model parameters are required in the recalibration. We present predictions for the atomic hydrogen content (H i) of dark matter haloes, which is a key input into the calculation of the H i intensity mapping signal expected from the large-scale structure of the Universe. We find that the H i mass–halo mass relation displays a clear break at the halo mass above which AGN heating suppresses gas cooling, ≈3 × 1011h−1 M⊙. Below this halo mass, the H i content of haloes is dominated by the central galaxy; above this mass it is the combined H i content of satellites that prevails. We find that the H i mass–halo mass relation changes little with redshift up to $z$ = 3. The bias of H i sources shows a scale dependence that gets more pronounced with increasing redshift.

AGN Heating in Simulated Cool-core Clusters

Abstract We analyze heating and cooling processes in an idealized simulation of a cool-core cluster, where momentum-driven AGN feedback balances radiative cooling in a time-averaged sense. We find that, on average, energy dissipation via shock waves is almost an order of magnitude higher than via turbulence. Most of the shock waves in the simulation are very weak shocks with Mach numbers smaller than 1.5, but the stronger shocks, although rare, dissipate energy more effectively. We find that shock dissipation is a steep function of radius, with most of the energy dissipated within 30 kpc, more spatially concentrated than radiative cooling loss. However, adiabatic processes and mixing (of post-shock materials and the surrounding gas) are able to redistribute the heat throughout the core. A considerable fraction of the AGN energy also escapes the core region. The cluster goes through cycles of AGN outbursts accompanied by periods of enhanced precipitation and star formation, over gigayear timescales. The cluster core is under-heated at the end of each cycle, but over-heated at the peak of the AGN outburst. During the heating-dominant phase, turbulent dissipation alone is often able to balance radiative cooling at every radius but, when this is occurs, shock waves inevitably dissipate even more energy. Our simulation explains why some clusters, such as Abell 2029, are cooling dominated, while in some other clusters, such as Perseus, various heating mechanisms including shock heating, turbulent dissipation and bubble mixing can all individually balance cooling, and together, over-heat the core.

The Effect of AGN Heating on the Low-redshift Lyα Forest

Abstract We investigate the effects of AGN heating and the ultraviolet background on the low-redshift Lyα forest column density distribution (CDD) using the Illustris simulation. We show that Illustris reproduces observations at z = 0.1 in the column density range cm−2, relevant for the “photon underproduction crisis.” We attribute this to the inclusion of AGN feedback, which changes the gas distribution so as to mimic the effect of extra photons, as well as the use of the Faucher-Giguère ultraviolet background, which is more ionizing at z = 0.1 than the Haardt & Madau background previously considered. We show that the difference between simulations run with smoothed particle hydrodynamics and simulations using a moving mesh is small in this column density range but can be more significant at larger column densities. We further consider the effect of supernova feedback, Voigt profile fitting, and finite resolution, all of which we show to have little influence on the CDD. Finally, we identify a discrepancy between our simulations and observations at column densities cm−2, where Illustris produces too few absorbers, which suggests the AGN feedback model should be further refined. Since the “photon underproduction crisis” primarily affects lower column density systems, we conclude that AGN feedback and standard ionizing background models can resolve the crisis.

Raining on black holes and massive galaxies: the top-down multiphase condensation model

The atmospheres filling massive galaxies, groups, and clusters display remarkable similarities with rainfalls. Such plasma halos are shaped by AGN heating and subsonic turbulence (~150 km/s), as probed by Hitomi. The new 3D high-resolution simulations show the soft X-ray (< 1 keV) plasma cools rapidly via radiative emission at the high-density interface of the turbulent eddies, stimulating a top-down condensation cascade of warm, $10^4$ K filaments. The ionized (optical/UV) filaments extend up to several kpc and form a skin enveloping the neutral filaments (optical/IR/21-cm). The peaks of the warm filaments further condense into cold molecular clouds (<50 K; radio) with total mass up to several $10^7$ M$_\odot$, i.e., 5/50$\times$ the neutral/ionized masses. The multiphase structures inherit the chaotic kinematics and are dynamically supported. In the inner 500 pc, the clouds collide in inelastic way, mixing angular momentum and leading to chaotic cold accretion (CCA). The BHAR can be modeled via quasi-spherical viscous accretion with collisional mean free path ~100 pc. Beyond the inner kpc region pressure torques drive the angular momentum transport. In CCA, the BHAR is recurrently boosted up to 2 dex compared with the disc evolution, which arises as turbulence is subdominant. The CCA BHAR distribution is lognormal with pink noise power spectrum characteristic of fractal phenomena. The rapid self-similar CCA variability can explain the light curve variability of AGN and HMXBs. An improved criterium to trace thermal instability is proposed. The 3-phase CCA reproduces crucial observations of cospatial multiphase gas in massive galaxies, as Chandra X-ray images, SOAR H$\alpha$ warm filaments and kinematics, Herschel [C$^+$] emission, and ALMA giant molecular associations. CCA plays key role in AGN feedback, AGN unification/obscuration, the evolution of BHs, galaxies, and clusters.

A relationship between halo mass, cooling, active galactic nuclei heating and the co-evolution of massive black holes

We derive X-ray mass, luminosity, and temperature profiles for 45 galaxy clusters to explore relationships between halo mass, AGN feedback, and central cooling time. We find that radio--mechanical feedback power (referred to here as "AGN power") in central cluster galaxies correlates with halo mass as P$_{\rm mech}$ $\propto$ M$^{1.55\pm0.26}$, but only in halos with central atmospheric cooling times shorter than 1 Gyr. The trend of AGN power with halo mass is consistent with the scaling expected from a self-regulating AGN feedback loop, as well as with galaxy and central black hole co-evolution along the $M_{\rm BH} - \sigma$ relation. AGN power in clusters with central atmospheric cooling times longer than $\sim 1$ Gyr typically lies two orders of magnitude below those with shorter central cooling times. Galaxies centred in clusters with long central cooling times nevertheless experience ongoing and occasionally powerful AGN outbursts. We further investigate the impact of feedback on cluster scaling relations. We find $L-T$, and $M-T$ relations in clusters with direct evidence of feedback which are steeper than self-similar, but not atypical compared to previous studies of the full cluster population. While the gas mass rises, the stellar mass remains nearly constant with rising total mass, consistent with earlier studies. This trend is found regardless of central cooling time, implying tight regulation of star formation in central galaxies as their halos grew, and long-term balance between AGN heating and atmospheric cooling. Our scaling relations are presented in forms that can be incorporated easily into galaxy evolution models.

Planck’s dusty GEMS: The brightest gravitationally lensed galaxies discovered with thePlanckall-sky survey

We present an analysis of 11 bright far-IR/submm sources discovered through a combination of the Planck survey and follow-up Herschel-SPIRE imaging. Each source has a redshift z=2.2-3.6 obtained through a blind redshift search with EMIR at the IRAM 30-m telescope. Interferometry obtained at IRAM and the SMA, and optical/near-infrared imaging obtained at the CFHT and the VLT reveal morphologies consistent with strongly gravitationally lensed sources. Additional photometry was obtained with JCMT/SCUBA-2 and IRAM/GISMO at 850 um and 2 mm, respectively. All objects are bright, isolated point sources in the 18 arcsec beam of SPIRE at 250 um, with spectral energy distributions peaking either near the 350 um or the 500 um bands of SPIRE, and with apparent far-infrared luminosities of up to 3x10^14 L_sun. Their morphologies and sizes, CO line widths and luminosities, dust temperatures, and far-infrared luminosities provide additional empirical evidence that these are strongly gravitationally lensed high-redshift galaxies. We discuss their dust masses and temperatures, and use additional WISE 22-um photometry and template fitting to rule out a significant contribution of AGN heating to the total infrared luminosity. Six sources are detected in FIRST at 1.4 GHz. Four have flux densities brighter than expected from the local far-infrared-radio correlation, but in the range previously found for high-z submm galaxies, one has a deficit of FIR emission, and 6 are consistent with the local correlation. The global dust-to-gas ratios and star-formation efficiencies of our sources are predominantly in the range expected from massive, metal-rich, intense, high-redshift starbursts. An extensive multi-wavelength follow-up programme is being carried out to further characterize these sources and the intense star-formation within them.

Evolution and Feedback Effects of High-z Star-Forming Galaxies

AbstractI review the recent observational progresses of star-forming galaxies at a redshift up to z~10. Inconjunction with gravitational lensing magnifications, deep HST observations obtain first density estimates of UV continuum radiation given by young massive stars, and reveal that the star-formation rate density (SFRD)continuously decreases from z~2-3 to z~10. This SFRD decrease towards high-z should be explained by thecombination of the cosmic structure formation and radiative cooling+feedback effects in a halo. To decouple thecontribution of the cosmic structure formation from the SFRD decrease, the stellar-to-halo mass ratios (SHMR) ofhigh-z galaxies are derived by intensive clustering analyses with HST and Subaru survey data. The SHMR-halo massrelation shows a clear evolution from z~0 to 6, suggesting that the cooling and feedback effects are different betweenthe present and early epochs of the cosmic history. By deep imaging and spectroscopic observations, feedbacksignatures are found in 10-100 kpc-scale outflow of ionized oxgen gas identified around star-forming galaxies with andwithout an AGN heating. There are similarly-large hydrogen Lyα halos and blobs associated with high-z star-forminggalaxies, but the physical origin of these Lyα halos and blobs is an open question. At z≳6, UV radiation of ionizingphotons produced by star-forming galaxies contribute to the cosmic reionization, while it is thought that the UVradiation prevent formation of next generation stars in dwarf galaxies at the early cosmic epoch, which works as acosmological feedback effect. I discuss this reionizations cosmological feedback effect with the up-to-date resultsfrom the HST and Planck data.

The self-regulated AGN feedback loop: the role of chaotic cold accretion

AbstractSupermassive black hole accretion and feedback play central role in the evolution of galaxies, groups, and clusters. I review how AGN feedback is tightly coupled with the formation of multiphase gas and the newly probed chaotic cold accretion (CCA). In a turbulent and heated atmosphere, cold clouds and kpc-scale filaments condense out of the plasma via thermal instability and rain toward the black hole. In the nucleus, the recurrent chaotic collisions between the cold clouds, filaments, and central torus promote angular momentum cancellation or mixing, boosting the accretion rate up to 100 times the Bondi rate. The rapid variability triggers powerful AGN outflows, which quench the cooling flow and star formation without destroying the cool core. The AGN heating stifles the formation of multiphase gas and accretion, the feedback subsides and the hot halo is allowed to cool again, restarting a new cycle. Ultimately, CCA creates a symbiotic link between the black hole and the whole host via a tight self-regulated feedback which preserves the gaseous halo in global thermal equilibrium throughout cosmic time.

Chaotic cold accretion on to black holes in rotating atmospheres

Chaotic cold accretion (CCA) profoundly differs from classic black hole accretion models. Using 3D high-resolution simulations, we probe the impact of rotation on the hot and cold accretion flow in a typical massive galaxy. In the hot mode, with or without turbulence, the pressure-dominated flow forms a geometrically thick rotational barrier, suppressing the accretion rate to ~1/3 of the Bondi rate. When radiative cooling is dominant, the gas loses pressure support and quickly circularizes in a cold thin disk. In the more common state of a turbulent and heated atmosphere, CCA drives the dynamics if the gas velocity dispersion exceeds the rotational velocity, i.e., turbulent Taylor number < 1. Extended multiphase filaments condense out of the hot phase via thermal instability and rain toward the black hole, boosting the accretion rate up to 100 times the Bondi rate. Initially, turbulence broadens the angular momentum distribution of the hot gas, allowing the cold phase to condense with prograde or retrograde motion. Subsequent chaotic collisions between the cold filaments, clouds, and a clumpy variable torus promote the cancellation of angular momentum, leading to high accretion rates. The simulated sub-Eddington accretion rates cover the range inferred from AGN cavity observations. CCA predicts inner flat X-ray temperature and $r^{-1}$ density profiles, as recently discovered in M 87 and NGC 3115. The synthetic H{\alpha} images reproduce the main features of cold gas observations in massive ellipticals, as the line fluxes and the filaments versus disk morphology. Such dichotomy is key for the long-term AGN feedback cycle. As gas cools, filamentary CCA develops and boosts AGN heating; the cold mode is thus reduced and the rotating disk remains the sole cold structure. Its consumption leaves the atmosphere in hot mode with suppressed accretion and feedback, reloading the cycle.

Cosmological simulations of galaxy clusters with feedback from active galactic nuclei: profiles and scaling relations

We present results from a new set of 30 cosmological simulations of galaxy clusters, including the effects of radiative cooling, star formation, supernova feedback, black hole growth and AGN feedback. We first demonstrate that our AGN model is capable of reproducing the observed cluster pressure profile at redshift, z~0, once the AGN heating temperature of the targeted particles is made to scale with the final virial temperature of the halo. This allows the ejected gas to reach larger radii in higher-mass clusters than would be possible had a fixed heating temperature been used. Such a model also successfully reduces the star formation rate in brightest cluster galaxies and broadly reproduces a number of other observational properties at low redshift, including baryon, gas and star fractions; entropy profiles outside the core; and the X-ray luminosity-mass relation. Our results are consistent with the notion that the excess entropy is generated via selective removal of the densest material through radiative cooling; supernova and AGN feedback largely serve as regulation mechanisms, moving heated gas out of galaxies and away from cluster cores. However, our simulations fail to address a number of serious issues; for example, they are incapable of reproducing the shape and diversity of the observed entropy profiles within the core region. We also show that the stellar and black hole masses are sensitive to numerical resolution, particularly the gravitational softening length; a smaller value leads to more efficient black hole growth at early times and a smaller central galaxy.

Gravitational and distributed heating effects of a cD galaxy on the hydrodynamical structure of its host cluster

We investigate the effects of a cD galaxy's gravity and AGN heating of the host galaxy cluster. We consider a standard prescription for the hydrodynamics, with the structures determined by mass continuity, momentum and energy conservation equations in spherical symmetry. The cluster comprises a dark matter halo (DM) and ionised X-ray emitting intracluster gas (ICM), which jointly determine the gravitational potential. The cD galaxy is an additive gravitational potential component. The DM assumes a polytropic equation of state (determined by its microphysics), which could be non-radiative self-interacting particles or more exotically interacting particles. The AGN provides distributed heating, counteracting radiative cooling. Stationary density and velocity dispersion profiles are obtained by numerically integrating the hydrodynamic equations with appropriate boundary conditions. The minimum gas temperature in the cluster core is higher when a cD galaxy is present than when it is absent. The solutions also yield a point-like mass concentration exceeding a minimum mass: presumably the AGN's supermassive black hole (SMBH). Consistency with observed SMBH masses constrains the possible DM equations of state. The constraints are looser when a cD galaxy is present. Distributed (AGN) heating alters cluster global properties, and also reduces the lower limits for the central point-mass, for the preferred DM models in which the dark particles have greater heat capacity than point particles. Eluding these constraints would require dominant non-spherical or anisotropic effects (e.g. bulk rotation, non-radial streaming, asymmetric lumps, or a strong magnetic field).

A multiwavelength view of cooling versus AGN heating in the X-ray luminous cool-core of Abell 3581★

We report the results of a multi-wavelength study of the nearby galaxy group, Abell 3581 (z=0.0218). This system hosts the most luminous cool core of any nearby group and exhibits active radio mode feedback from the super-massive black hole in its brightest group galaxy, IC 4374. The brightest galaxy has suffered multiple active galactic nucleus outbursts, blowing bubbles into the surrounding hot gas, which have resulted in the uplift of cool ionised gas into the surrounding hot intragroup medium. High velocities, indicative of an outflow, are observed close to the nucleus and coincident with the radio jet. Thin dusty filaments accompany the uplifted, ionised gas. No extended star formation is observed, however, a young cluster is detected just north of the nucleus. The direction of rise of the bubbles has changed between outbursts. This directional change is likely due to sloshing motions of the intragroup medium. These sloshing motions also appear to be actively stripping the X-ray cool core, as indicated by a spiraling cold front of high metallicity, low temperature, low entropy gas.

The preferentially magnified active nucleus in IRAS F10214+4724 – II. Spatially resolved cold molecular gas

We present JVLA observations of the cold (CO (1-0)) molecular gas in IRAS F10214+4724, a lensed ULIRG at z=2.3 with an obscured active nucleus. The galaxy is spatially and spectrally well-resolved in the CO (1-0) emission line. A CO (1-0) counter-image is detected at the 3-sigma level. Five of the 42 km/s channels (with >5-sigma detections) are mapped back into the source plane and their total magnification posterior PDFs sampled. This reveals a roughly linear arrangement, tentatively a rotating disk. We derive a molecular gas mass of M_gas = 1.2 +- 0.2 x 10^10 M_sun, assuming a ULIRG L_{CO}-to-M_{gas} conversion ratio of \alpha = 0.8 M_sun / (K km/s pc^2) that agrees well with the derived range of \alpha = 0.3 - 1.3 for separate dynamical mass estimates at assumed inclinations of i = 90 - 30 degrees. Based on the AGN and CO (1-0) peak emission positions and the lens model, we predict a distortion of the CO Spectral Line Energy Distribution (SLED) where higher order J lines that may be partially excited by AGN heating will be preferentially lensed owing to their smaller solid angles and closer proximity to the AGN and therefore the cusp of the caustic. Comparison with other lensing inversion results shows that the narrow line region and AGN radio core in IRAS F10214+4724 are preferentially lensed by a factor >~ 3 and 11 respectively, relative to the molecular gas emission. This distorts the global continuum emission Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) and suggests caution in unsophisticated uses of IRAS F10214+4724 as an archetype high-redshift ULIRG. We explore two Large Velocity Gradient (LVG) models, incorporating spatial CO (1-0) and (3-2) information and present tentative evidence for an extended, low excitation cold gas component that implies that the total molecular gas mass in IRAS F10214+4724 is a factor >~2 greater than that calculated using spatially unresolved CO observations.