Feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei in Galaxy Groups

Universe

Ewan O’Sullivan¹  Dominique Eckert²  Fabio Gastaldello³  Massimo Gaspari⁴  AmandineM. C. Le Brun⁵ 

[1] Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Ch. d’Ecogia 16, CH-1290 Versoix, Switzerland;IASF—Milano, INAF, Via A. Corti 12, I-20133 Milano, Italy;INAF—Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Piero Gobetti 93/3, I-40129 Bologna, Italy;LUTh, UMR 8102 CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, Université Paris Diderot, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France;

关键词: black holes;    galaxy groups;    elliptical galaxies;    intragroup medium/plasma;    active nuclei;    X-ray observations;   

DOI  :  10.3390/universe7050142

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The co-evolution between supermassive black holes and their environment is most directly traced by the hot atmospheres of dark matter halos. The cooling of the hot atmosphere supplies the central regions with fresh gas, igniting active galactic nuclei (AGN) with long duty cycles. Outflows from the central engine tightly couple with the surrounding gaseous medium and provide the dominant heating source preventing runaway cooling by carving cavities and driving shocks across the medium. The AGN feedback loop is a key feature of all modern galaxy evolution models. Here, we review our knowledge of the AGN feedback process in the specific context of galaxy groups. Galaxy groups are uniquely suited to constrain the mechanisms governing the cooling–heating balance. Unlike in more massive halos, the energy that is supplied by the central AGN to the hot intragroup medium can exceed the gravitational binding energy of halo gas particles. We report on the state-of-the-art in observations of the feedback phenomenon and in theoretical models of the heating-cooling balance in galaxy groups. We also describe how our knowledge of the AGN feedback process impacts galaxy evolution models and large-scale baryon distributions. Finally, we discuss how new instrumentation will answer key open questions on the topic.

【 授权许可】

Unknown