Heating the atmospheres of galaxy clusters with AGNs
Heating the atmospheres of galaxy clusters with AGNs
Numerical simulations are used to study the effect of two heating mechanisms proposed to operate in galaxy clusters: AGNs and thermal conduction. The main results of this work are that thermal conduction cannot reproduce the observed characteristics of the temperature and density profiles of galaxy clusters. As a result it must be drastically reduced and so probably is not a significant source of heating. However, even low-power AGNs activity can exert a significant influence over their surroundings. In addition, low-power sources can inflate cavities of the type that are observed in real galaxy clusters. The heating effect of these cavities can also balance the radiative losses. Theoretical work based on the fraction of galaxies which are detectable in the radio waveband suggests that the low-end of AGN power output is a function of its environment and the mass of the black hole. The effect of accretion and galaxy-galaxy mergers on the Mbh – σv relation is also considered. The results suggests that the observed relation can be maintained, regardless of the environment, if significant gravitational radiation is released during the merger of the black holes.
University of Southampton
Pope, Edward Charles David
7a3fad10-08be-4135-9a9f-94783c8c8c6a
2007
Pope, Edward Charles David
7a3fad10-08be-4135-9a9f-94783c8c8c6a
Pope, Edward Charles David
(2007)
Heating the atmospheres of galaxy clusters with AGNs.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Numerical simulations are used to study the effect of two heating mechanisms proposed to operate in galaxy clusters: AGNs and thermal conduction. The main results of this work are that thermal conduction cannot reproduce the observed characteristics of the temperature and density profiles of galaxy clusters. As a result it must be drastically reduced and so probably is not a significant source of heating. However, even low-power AGNs activity can exert a significant influence over their surroundings. In addition, low-power sources can inflate cavities of the type that are observed in real galaxy clusters. The heating effect of these cavities can also balance the radiative losses. Theoretical work based on the fraction of galaxies which are detectable in the radio waveband suggests that the low-end of AGN power output is a function of its environment and the mass of the black hole. The effect of accretion and galaxy-galaxy mergers on the Mbh – σv relation is also considered. The results suggests that the observed relation can be maintained, regardless of the environment, if significant gravitational radiation is released during the merger of the black holes.
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Published date: 2007
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Local EPrints ID: 466203
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/466203
PURE UUID: 66bc523d-040d-4ac9-973e-654c8a5343d7
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 04:45
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 20:33
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Author:
Edward Charles David Pope
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