Impact of Jet Density on Intracluster Medium Heating in Self-Regulated AGN Feedback Simulations

TL;DR

This study uses 3D hydrodynamic simulations to explore how jet density influences AGN feedback efficiency and intracluster medium heating in galaxy clusters.

Contribution

It demonstrates that jet density critically affects bubble morphology, energy distribution, and the overall heating efficiency in AGN feedback models.

Findings

Lighter jets create more spherical bubbles and are more deflected by cold gas.

Despite broader impact, lighter jets require higher power for effective heating.

Cold gas distribution significantly influences jet heating effectiveness.

Abstract

Active galactic nucleus (AGNs) feedback is widely accepted as the key mechanism to suppress cooling flows in galaxy clusters. However, the dependence of heating efficiency on jet properties is not fully understood. In this work, we present three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of a Perseus-like cluster, including both single-jet and self-regulated models, to investigate how jet density affects bubble evolution and the thermal balance of the intracluster medium. Our results confirm previous findings that lighter jets inflate more spherical bubbles and are more easily deflected by cold gas, enabling isotropic energy deposition throughout the cluster core. However, despite their broader spatial impact, lighter jets display lower overall heating efficiency, requiring higher average jet power to maintain self-regulation compared to heavier jets. We also find that the distribution and amount of cold gas significantly influence the effectiveness of jet heating. These results highlight jet density as a critical parameter in AGN feedback and emphasize the need to incorporate additional physical processes such as magnetic fields, viscosity, and cosmic rays in future studies for realistic comparisons with observations.