Thermally Unstable Cooling Stimulated by Uplift: The Spoiler Clusters

Martz, C.G.; McNamara, B.R.; Nulsen, P.E.J.; Vantyghem, A.N.; Gingras, M-J.; Babyk, Iu. V.; Russell, H.R.; Edge, A.C.; McDonald, M.; Tamhane, P.D.; Fabian, A.C.; Hogan, M.T.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab96cd

Thermally Unstable Cooling Stimulated by Uplift: The Spoiler Clusters

Martz, C.G.; McNamara, B.R.; Nulsen, P.E.J.; Vantyghem, A.N.; Gingras, M-J.; Babyk, Iu. V.; Russell, H.R.; Edge, A.C.; McDonald, M.; Tamhane, P.D.; Fabian, A.C.; Hogan, M.T.

Authors

C.G. Martz

B.R. McNamara

P.E.J. Nulsen

A.N. Vantyghem

M-J. Gingras

Iu. V. Babyk

H.R. Russell

Professor Alastair Edge alastair.edge@durham.ac.uk
Professor

M. McDonald

P.D. Tamhane

A.C. Fabian

M.T. Hogan

Abstract

Chandra X-ray observations are analyzed for five galaxy clusters whose atmospheric cooling times, entropy parameters, and ratios of cooling time to freefall time within the central galaxies lie below 1 Gyr, below 30 keV cm2, and between 20 lesssim min(t cool/t ff) lesssim 50, respectively. These thermodynamic properties are commonly associated with molecular clouds, bright Hα emission, and star formation in central galaxies. However, all have Hα luminosities below 1040 erg s−1 in the ACCEPT database. Star formation and molecular gas are absent at the levels seen in other central galaxies with similar atmospheric properties. Only RBS 0533 may host a radio/X-ray bubble, which are commonly observed in cooling atmospheres. Signatures of uplifted, high-metallicity atmospheric gas are absent. Their atmospheres are apparently thermodynamically stable despite the absence of strong nuclear feedback. We suggest that extended filaments of nebular emission and associate molecular clouds are absent at appreciable levels because their central radio sources have failed to lift low-entropy atmospheric gas to an altitude where the ratio of the cooling time to the freefall time falls below unity and the gas becomes thermally unstable.

Citation

Martz, C., McNamara, B., Nulsen, P., Vantyghem, A., Gingras, M., Babyk, I. V., …Hogan, M. (2020). Thermally Unstable Cooling Stimulated by Uplift: The Spoiler Clusters. Astrophysical Journal, 897(1), Article 57. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab96cd

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	May 20, 2020
Online Publication Date	Jul 2, 2020
Publication Date	2020-07
Deposit Date	Aug 6, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Aug 6, 2020
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Print ISSN	0004-637X
Publisher	American Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	897
Issue	1
Article Number	57
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab96cd