Cooling Flows Induced by Compton Cooling due to Luminous Quasars in Clusters of Galaxies

Abstract

We have studied the effects of Compton cooling on cooling flow by performing numerical hydrodynamic calculations of the time evolution of hot gas in clusters of galaxies with luminous quasars. We assumed various temperatures for the hot intracluster gas. We have shown that the Compton cooling due to very luminous quasar is effective in inducing cooling flow, before radiative cooling flow is realized. The mass flux due to the cooling flow increases with time, as the Compton cooled region expands. However, the mass flux of the Compton cooling flow is not large, less than 1 M_sun/yr in our model, since Compton cooled region is limited in an inner galactic region around a quasar. Even though the quasar active phase ceased, the cooling flow will continue for at least 10^9 yr. The accreted mass is enough to explain X-ray absorption lines in high red shift quasars, if the Compton cooled gas is compressed by high pressure intracluster gas.