A deep spectroscopic study of the filamentary nebulosity in NGC4696, the brightest cluster galaxy in the Centaurus cluster

Abstract

We present results of deep integral field spectroscopy observations using high resolution optical (4150-7200 A) VIMOS VLT spectra, of NGC 4696, the dominant galaxy in the Centaurus cluster (Abell 3526). After the Virgo cluster, this is the second nearest (z=0.0104) example of a cool core cluster. NGC 4696 is surrounded by a vast, luminous H alpha emission line nebula (L = 2.2 \times 10^40 ergs per second). We explore the origin and excitation of the emission-line filaments and find their origin consistent with being drawn out, under rising radio bubbles, into the intracluster medium as in other similar systems. Contrary to previous observations we do not observe evidence for shock excitation of the outer filaments. Our optical spectra are consistent with the recent particle heating excitation mechanism of Ferland et al.

21 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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Cited by in corpus (20)

• Observational Evidence of AGN Feedback
• A very deep Chandra view of metals, sloshing and feedback in the Centaurus cluster of galaxies
• Interplay among Cooling, AGN Feedback and Anisotropic Conduction in the Cool Cores of Galaxy Clusters
• Optical Spectroscopy of Halpha Filaments in Cool Core Clusters: Kinematics, Reddening, and Sources of Ionization
• The nature of filamentary cold gas in the core of the Virgo Cluster
• Recoiling Supermassive Black Holes: a search in the Nearby Universe
• Searching for the missing iron in the core of the Centaurus cluster
• The bulk motion of gas in the core of the Centaurus galaxy cluster
• A multi-wavelength view of cooling vs. AGN heating in the X-ray luminous cool-core of Abell 3581
• ALMA observation of the disruption of molecular gas in M87
• HST imaging of the dusty filaments and nucleus swirl in NGC4696 at the centre of the Centaurus Cluster
• Discovery of a diffuse optical line emitting halo in the core of the Centaurus cluster of galaxies: Line emission outside the protection of the filaments
• Implications of Coronal Line Emission in NGC 4696
• A search for ionised gas outflows in an Halpha imaging atlas of nearby LINERs
• Powering of H$\alpha$ filaments by cosmic rays
• Numerical Simulations of a Shock-Filament Interaction
• Hydrogen Two-Photon Continuum Emission from the Horseshoe Filament in NGC 1275
• Far-UV Emission Properties of FR1 Radio Galaxies
• Sloshing Cold Fronts in Galaxy Cluster Abell 2566
• Observations of AGN-driven feedback: dynamics and ionization of the filaments in M87