Investigating a sample of strong cool core, highly-luminous clusters with radiatively-inefficient nuclei

TL;DR

This study examines highly luminous galaxy clusters with strong cool cores and radiatively-inefficient nuclei, exploring how their central black holes can produce high jet power without detectable X-ray point sources.

Contribution

It provides detailed X-ray analysis of 13 clusters revealing the presence of active nuclei with low X-ray luminosity, suggesting ultramassive black holes as a possible explanation.

Findings

Central nuclei are X-ray faint despite high cluster luminosity.

Black hole masses may exceed 10^{10} solar masses.

Nuclei exhibit low X-ray luminosity relative to total cluster emission.

Abstract

We present a study of strong cool core, highly-luminous (most with L_x > 10^(45) erg/s), clusters of galaxies in which the mean jet power of the central active galactic nucleus must be very high yet no central point X-ray source is detected. Using the unique spatial resolution of Chandra, a sample of 13 clusters is analysed, including A1835, A2204, and one of the most massive cool core clusters, RXCJ1504.1-0248. All of the central galaxies host a radio source, indicating an active nucleus, and no obvious X-ray point source. For all clusters in the sample, the nucleus has an X-ray bolometric luminosity below 2 per cent of that of the entire cluster. Most have a nucleus 2 - 10 keV X-ray luminosity less than about 10^(42) erg/s. We investigate how these clusters can have such strong X-ray luminosities, short radiative cooling-times of the inner intracluster gas requiring strong energy feedback to counterbalance that cooling, and yet have such radiatively-inefficient cores. If the central black holes have masses ~10^9M_sol then the power exceeds one per cent of the Eddington luminosity, and they are expected to be radiatively-efficient. Only if they are ultramassive (M_BH > 10^(10)M_sol), would their behaviour resemble that of lower mass accreting black holes. Our study focuses on deriving the nucleus X-ray properties of the clusters as defined in the above question, while briefly addressing possible solutions.