The Influence of AGN Feedback on Galaxy Cluster Observables

TL;DR

This paper investigates how active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback influences galaxy cluster observations by developing a flexible simulation model to analyze the impact of different AGN feedback implementations on X-ray observables.

Contribution

The authors created a new AGN subgrid model in FLASH supporting multiple accretion and feedback schemes to study their effects on galaxy cluster observables.

Findings

AGN feedback significantly alters X-ray observables of galaxy clusters.

Different AGN feedback models produce varying impacts on cluster properties.

The model helps understand systematics in cluster mass estimates due to baryonic physics.

Abstract

Galaxy clusters are valuable cosmological probes. However, cluster mass estimates rely on observable quantities that are affected by complicated baryonic physics in the intracluster medium (ICM), including feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). Cosmological simulations have started to include AGN feedback using subgrid models. In order to make robust predictions, the systematics of different implementations and parametrizations need to be understood. We have developed an AGN subgrid model in FLASH that supports a few different black hole accretion models and feedback models. We use this model to study the effect of AGN on X-ray cluster observables and its dependence on model variations.