The influence of radio-galaxy activity on X-ray absorption lines from the intracluster medium
arXiv:astro-ph/0602165 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10136.x
Abstract
We present an investigation of the X-ray absorption features predicted by hydrodynamic simulations of radio galaxies interacting with the intracluster medium (ICM) of their host galaxy clusters. We show how these absorption lines can be used as a new diagnostic for the radio-galaxy/ICM interactions. Such interactions have been observed in numerous systems by ROSAT, CHANDRA and XMM-NEWTON, and understanding them has implications for AGN feedback and galaxy formation. Starting from the hydrodynamic simulations of Reynolds, Heinz & Begelman, we calculate the properties of the highly ionized iron and oxygen lines (seen in absorption against the central active galactic nucleus; AGN), predicting line shapes, equivalent widths, column densities and velocity shifts. The main effect of the jet on the absorption lines is a reduction of the line strength from that of the quiescent ICM and the introduction of some velocity structure in the line profile. We investigate whether these features are detectable with current as well as future high-resolution X-ray spectrometers. We conclude that the CHANDRA transmission gratings have insufficient sensitivity to detect these features with high significance, and certainly would not allow a study of the dynamics of the interaction via absorption signatures. CONSTELLATION-X, on the other hand, will allow superb constraints to be derived. We can also use this analysis to assess the idea that radio-galaxy induced ICM outflows give rise to the resonant oxygen X-ray absorption lines that have been claimed as evidence for the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). We show that these detached, high-velocity oxygen absorption lines cannot result from a radio-galaxy/ICM interaction, thereby strengthening the WHIM interpretation.
arXiv commentminor typos corrected to match the version which will be published in MNRAS
References in corpus (24)
- What Shapes the Luminosity Function of Galaxies?
- Chandra X-ray Observations of the Hydra A Cluster: An Interaction Between the Radio Source and the X-Ray-Emitting Gas
- Chandra imaging of the complex X-ray core of the Perseus cluster
- A deep Chandra observation of the Perseus cluster: shocks and ripples
- Chandra Observation of the Radio Source / X-ray Gas Interaction in the Cooling Flow Cluster Abell 2052
- Discovery of Ghost Cavities in Abell 2597's X-ray Atmosphere
- The hydrodynamics of dead radio galaxies
- X-ray Signatures of Evolving Radio Galaxies
- Chandra Imaging of the X-ray Core of the Virgo Cluster
- Chandra Detection of the First X-ray Forest along the Line of Sight To Mkn 421
- Chandra ACIS-S Observations of Abell 4059: Signs of Dramatic Interaction Between a Radio Galaxy and a Galaxy Cluster
- Chandra Detection of OVIII Ly-alpha Absorption from an Overdense Region in the Intergalactic Medium
- Chandra temperature and metallicity maps of the Perseus cluster core
- Tracing the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium at Low Redshift: X-ray Forest Observations Towards H1821+643
- XMM-Newton confirmation of Soft X-ray excess emission in clusters of galaxies - the discovery of O VII emission from an extended warm baryonic component
- The relationship between cooling flows and metallicity measurements for X-ray luminous clusters
- Intermediate Element Abundances in Galaxy Clusters
- Resonant Absorption in the AGN spectra emerging from photoionized gas: differences between steep and flat ionizing continua
- MHD Simulations of Relic Radio Bubbles in Clusters
- Observations of Abell 4059 with Chandra, HST and VLA: unraveling a complex cluster/radio-galaxy interaction
- The stability of buoyant bubbles in the atmospheres of galaxy clusters
- X-ray line tomography of AGN-induced motion in clusters of galaxies
- A warm hot intergalactic medium towards 3C 120?
- Tentative detection of warm intervening gas towards PKS 0548-322 with XMM-Newton