Going from galaxy clusters to galaxy groups: Cooling flows, AGN activity, and co-evolution of supermassive black holes with brightest halo galaxies

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thomas H. Reiprich
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2007 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 42082724

• Final Report Year: 2012

Final Report Abstract

In recent years, it has become ever more clear that formation and evolution of brightest cluster galaxies, the supermassive black holes in them, and the groups and clusters of galaxies forming their environment are closely interrelated, despite the vastly different scales involved (from pc to Mpc). We performed detailed statistical analyses of X-ray, radio, and near-infrared observations of 90 galaxy clusters and groups to quantify these relations and interpret them. Our work has shed light on some issues, e.g., we could show that for all clusters with very short central cooling times the central supermassive black hole is active, indicating that cooling intracluster gas can feed the central black hole. This would be consistent with the idea that AGN feedback regulates cooling and star formation. At the same time the extension of our work raised new questions, e.g., why this simple picture appears to break down when going from the cluster scale to the group scale.

Publications

• (2009). AGN heating and ICM cooling in the sample of galaxy clusters. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 501(3), 835-850
  Mittal, R.; Hudson, D. S.; Reiprich, T. H. & Clarke, T.
  
• A detailed analysis of the cores of HIFLUGCS galaxy clusters: ICM cooling and AGN heating, 2009, proceedings of the conference Chandra’s First Decade of Discovery, edited by S. Wolk, A. Fruscione, and D. Swartz, abstract #31
  Mittal, R., Reiprich, T. H., Nulsen, P. E. J., Sarazin, C. L., Andernach, H., Clarke, T.; Hudson, D. S.
  
• Scrutinizing the AGN Heating Mechanism in Galaxy Clusters, 2009, proceedings of the 2nd International Simbol-X Symposium, AIP Conference Proceedings, 1126, 286
  Mittal, Rupal; Hudson, Daniel S.; Reiprich, Thomas H.; Clarke, Tracy; Rodriguez, Jéro^me & Ferrando, Phillippe
  
• (2010). What is a cool-core cluster? a detailed analysis of the cores of the X-ray flux-limited HIFLUGCS cluster sample. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 513, A37
  Hudson, D. S.; Mittal, R.; Reiprich, T. H.; Nulsen, P. E. J.; Andernach, H. & Sarazin, C. L.
  
• Testing the Low-Mass End of X-Ray Scaling Relations with a Sample of Chandra Galaxy Groups, 2010, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 41, 711, abstract
  Eckmiller, H., Hudson, D. S.; Reiprich, T. H.
  
• (2011). The LX–Tvir relation in galaxy clusters: effects of radiative cooling and AGN heating. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 532, A133
  Mittal, R.; Hicks, A.; Reiprich, T. H. & Jaritz, V.