Synthetic Observations of Simulated AGN Jets: X-ray Cavities

TL;DR

This study uses synthetic X-ray observations of simulated AGN jets to evaluate the accuracy of measuring cavity power, revealing that estimates are generally within a factor of two of true values, depending on jet orientation and other factors.

Contribution

It provides a systematic assessment of the reliability of observational cavity power estimates using synthetic data from 3D MHD simulations, highlighting key factors affecting accuracy.

Findings

Cavity enthalpy estimates are typically within a factor of two of true values.

Cavity age and power estimates depend heavily on jet inclination angle.

Accurate inclination angle estimation improves the reliability of cavity power measurements.

Abstract

Observations of X-ray cavities formed by powerful jets from AGN in galaxy cluster cores are widely used to estimate the energy output of the AGN. Using methods commonly applied to observations of clusters, we conduct synthetic X-ray observations of 3D MHD simulated jet-ICM interactions to test the reliability of measuring X-ray cavity power. These measurements are derived from empirical estimates of the enthalpy content of the cavities and their implicit ages. We explore how such physical factors as jet intermittency and observational conditions such as orientation of the jets with respect to the line of sight impact the reliability of observational measurements of cavity enthalpy and age. An estimate of the errors in these quantities can be made by directly comparing "observationally" derived values with "actual" values from the simulations. In our tests, cavity enthalpy derived from observations was typically within a factor of two of the simulation values. Cavity age and, therefore, cavity power are sensitive to the accuracy of the estimated inclination angle of the jets. Cavity age and power estimates within a factor of two of the actual values are possible given an accurate inclination angle.