Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21932903c&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #329.03
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
My research has focussed primarily on new, detailed, multi-wavelength studies of three nearby brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), NGC 4696 in the Centaurus cluster, PKS 1404-267 and NGC 1275 in the Perseus cluster. These systems are typical of BCGs in cool-core galaxy clusters where the hot intracluster medium (ICM) is dense enough that the gas cools on a timescale shorter than the Hubble time.
The BCGs host active AGN which pump energy mechanically into the ICM via the inflation of radio bubbles which displace and interact with the surrounding thermal gas. They are surrounded by fine threads of ionized gas which have been observed to extend 60kpc from the nucleus. These ionized gas filaments are often coincident with large reservoirs of cold molecular gas and dust. Some filaments, though not all, are associated with star formation. My research addresses both the origin and the excitation mechanisms of these features.
I will present evidence that the filamentary nebulosities and accompanying star formation in the outer envelopes of these galaxies are a direct result of the AGN-driven mechanical feedback. This process not only inhibits catastrophic cooling of the hot ICM, but also may promote the growth of the outer stellar halos of massive galaxies through its ability to foster spatially extended star formation. This may have far reaching implications for the evolution of massive galaxies.
A thus far successful prescription for the excitation mechanism of the warm ionized filaments has been the particle heating model of Ferland etal. 2009. However, the advent of Herschel has provided a wealth of information with which to characterize the accompanying cold gas. I extend this successful model to these FIR cooling lines providing further testable predictions of the Ferland etal. model.
My research was made possible through the support of the STFC.
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