Feedback in the cores of clusters Abell 3581, 2A 0335+096, and Sersic 159-03

TL;DR

This study investigates the feedback processes in the cores of three galaxy clusters using integral-field spectroscopy, revealing different phases of AGN activity and gas dynamics that regulate cooling and heating cycles.

Contribution

The paper provides detailed observational evidence of feedback cycles in galaxy cluster cores, highlighting the roles of AGN activity, gas inflow, and outflow in three specific systems.

Findings

Abell 3581 shows interaction between radio outflows and optical nebula.

Sersic 159-03's nebula kinematics suggest infall or outflow along filaments.

2A 0335+096 is in a cooling and accretion phase with a rotating nebula disk.

Abstract

The cores of massive galaxy clusters, where hot gas is cooling rapidly, appear to undergo cycles of self-regulating energy feedback, in which AGN outbursts in the central galaxies episodically provide sufficient heating to offset much of the gas cooling. We use deep integral-field spectroscopy to study the optical line emission from the extended nebulae of three nearby brightest cluster galaxies and investigate how they are related to the processes of heating and cooling in the cluster cores. Two of these systems, Abell 3581 and Sersic 159-03, appear to be experiencing phases of feedback that are dominated by the activity and output of a central AGN. Abell 3581, shows evidence for significant interaction between the radio outflows and the optical nebula, in addition to accretion flows into the nucleus of the galaxy. X-ray and radio data show that Sersic 159-03 is dominated by the feedback of energy from the central AGN, but the kinematics of the optical nebula are consistent with infall or outflow of material along its bright filaments. The third system, 2A 0335+096, is dominated by mass accretion and cooling, and so we suggest that it is in an accumulation phase of the feedback cycle. The outer nebula forms a disk-like structure, ~14 kpc in radius, that rotates about the central galaxy with a velocity amplitude of ~200 km/s. Overall, our data are consistent with ongoing AGN-driven feedback cycles occurring in these systems.