X-ray Structure in Cluster Cooling Flows and Its Relationship to Star Formation and Powerful Radio Sources

Abstract

Analyses of Chandra's first images of cooling flow clusters find smaller cooling rates than previously thought. Cooling may be occurring preferentially near regions of star formation in central cluster galaxies, where the local cooling and star formation rates agree to within factors of a few. The radio sources in central cluster galaxies are interacting with and are often displacing the hot, intracluster gas. X-ray ``bubbles'' seen in Chandra images are used to measure the amount of energy radio sources deposit into their surroundings, and they may survive as fossil records of ancient radio activity. The bubbles are vessels that transport magnetic fields from giant black holes to the outskirts of clusters.