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We present an analysis of new and archival ALMA observations of molecular gas in 12 central cluster galaxies. We examine emerging trends in molecular filament morphology and gas velocities to understand their origins. Molecular gas masses in these systems span |$10^9 {--}10^{11} {\rm \, M_{\odot }}$|⁠ , far more than most gas-rich galaxies. ALMA images reveal a distribution of morphologies from filamentary to disc-dominated structures. Circumnuclear discs on kiloparsec scales appear rare. In most systems, half to nearly all of the molecular gas lies in filamentary structures with masses of a few |$\times 10^{8{\text{--}}10}{\rm \, M_{\odot }}$| that extend radially several to several tens of kpc. In nearly all cases the molecular gas velocities lie far below stellar velocity dispersions, indicating youth, transience, or both. Filament bulk velocities lie far below the galaxy's escape and free-fall speeds indicating they are bound and being decelerated. Most extended molecular filaments surround or lie beneath radio bubbles inflated by the central active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Smooth velocity gradients found along the filaments are consistent with gas flowing along streamlines surrounding these bubbles. Evidence suggests most of the molecular clouds formed from low entropy X-ray gas that became thermally unstable and cooled when lifted by the buoyant bubbles. Uplifted gas will stall and fall back to the galaxy in a circulating flow. The distribution in morphologies from filament to disc-dominated sources therefore implies slowly evolving molecular structures driven by the episodic activity of the AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) release a huge amount of energy into the intracluster medium, with the consequence of offsetting cooling and star formation (AGN feedback) in the centres of cool-core clusters. The Phoenix cluster is among the most massive clusters of galaxies known in the Universe. It hosts a powerful starburst of several hundreds of solar masses per year and a large amount of molecular gas in the centre. In this work we use the high-resolution Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) onboard XMM–Newton to study the X-ray-emitting cool gas in the Phoenix cluster and the heating–cooling balance. We detect for the first time evidence of O  viii and Fe  xxi – xxii emission lines, the latter demonstrating the presence of gas below 2 keV. We find a cooling rate of $$350\pm _{200}^{250}\, {\text M}_{\odot }\, {\rm yr}^{-1}$$ below 2 keV (at the 90 per cent confidence level), which is consistent with the star formation rate in this object. This cooling rate is high enough to produce the molecular gas found in the filaments via instabilities during the buoyant rising time. The line broadening indicates that the turbulence (∼300 km s−1 or less) is below the level required to produce and propagate the heat throughout the cool core. This provides a natural explanation for the coexistence of large amounts of cool gas, star formation, and a powerful AGN in the core. The AGN activity may be either at a young stage or in a different feedback mode, due to a high accretion rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new ALMA observations tracing the morphology and velocity structure of the molecular gas in the central galaxy of the cluster Abell 1795. The molecular gas lies in two filaments that extend 5-7 kpc to the N and S from the nucleus and project exclusively around the outer edges of two inner radio bubbles. Radio jets launched by the central active galactic nucleus have inflated bubbles filled with relativistic plasma into the hot atmosphere surrounding the central galaxy. The N filament has a smoothly increasing velocity gradient along its length from the central galaxy's systemic velocity at the nucleus to -370 km s-1, the average velocity of the surrounding galaxies, at the furthest extent. The S filament has a similarly smooth but shallower velocity gradient and appears to have partially collapsed in a burst of star formation. The close spatial association with the radio lobes, together with the ordered velocity gradients and narrow velocity dispersions, shows that the molecular filaments are gas flows entrained by the expanding radio bubbles. Assuming a Galactic XCO factor, the total molecular gas mass is 3.2 ± 0.2 × 109M☉.More than half lies above theNradio bubble. Lifting the molecular clouds appears to require an infeasibly efficient coupling between the molecular gas and the radio bubble. The energy required also exceeds the mechanical power of the N radio bubble by a factor of 2. Stimulated feedback, where the radio bubbles lift low-entropy X-ray gas that becomes thermally unstable and rapidly cools in situ, provides a plausible model. Multiple generations of radio bubbles are required to lift this substantial gas mass. The close morphological association then indicates that the cold gas either moulds the newly expanding bubbles or is itself pushed aside and shaped as they inflate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive X-ray mass, luminosity, and temperature profiles for 45 galaxy clusters to explore relationships between halo mass, active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback, and central cooling time. We find that radio-mechanical feedback power (referred to here as 'AGN power') in central cluster galaxies correlates with halo mass as Pmech × M1.55 ± 0.26, but only in haloes with central atmospheric cooling times shorter than 1 Gyr. The trend of AGN power with halo mass is consistent with the scaling expected from a self-regulating AGN feedback loop, as well as with galaxy and central black hole co-evolution along the MBH-s relation. AGN power in clusters with central atmospheric cooling times longer than ~1 Gyr typically lies two orders of magnitude below those with shorter central cooling times. Galaxies centred in clusters with long central cooling times nevertheless experience ongoing and occasionally powerful AGN outbursts. We further investigate the impact of feedback on cluster scaling relations. We find L-T and M-T relations in clusters with direct evidence of feedback which are steeper than self-similar, but not atypical compared to previous studies of the full cluster population. While the gas mass rises, the stellar mass remains nearly constant with rising total mass, consistent with earlier studies. This trend is found regardless of central cooling time, implying tight regulation of star formation in central galaxies as their haloes grew, and long-term balance between AGN heating and atmospheric cooling. Our scaling relations are presented in forms that can be incorporated easily into galaxy evolution models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present ALMA observations of the CO(1--0) and CO(3--2) line emission tracing filaments of cold molecular gas in the central galaxy of the cluster PKS 0745--191. The total molecular gas mass of 4.6 ± 0.3 × 109 M⊙, assuming a Galactic XCO factor, is divided roughly equally between three filaments each extending radially 3-5 kpc from the galaxy centre. The emission peak is located in the SE filament ~ 1 arcsec (2 kpc) from the nucleus. The velocities of the molecular clouds in the filaments are low, lying within ± 100 km s-1 of the galaxy's systemic velocity. Their full width at half-maximum (FWHM) are less than 150 km s-1, which is significantly below the stellar velocity dispersion. Although the molecular mass of each filament is comparable to a rich spiral galaxy, such low velocities show that the filaments are transient and the clouds would disperse on < 107 yr time-scales unless supported, likely by the indirect effect of magnetic fields. The velocity structure is inconsistent with a merger origin or gravitational free-fall of cooling gas in this massive central galaxy. If the molecular clouds originated in gas cooling even a few kpc from their current locations their velocities would exceed those observed. Instead, the projection of the N and SE filaments underneath X-ray cavities suggests they formed in the updraft behind bubbles buoyantly rising through the cluster atmosphere. Direct uplift of the dense gas by the radio bubbles appears to require an implausibly high coupling efficiency. The filaments are coincident with low temperature X-ray gas, bright optical line emission and dust lanes indicating that the molecular gas could have formed from lifted warmer gas that cooled in situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the high radio-frequency (15-353 GHz) properties and variability of 35 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). These are the most core-dominated sources drawn from a parent sample of more than 700 X-ray selected clusters, thus allowing us to relate our results to the general population. We find that =6.0 per cent of our parent sample (=15.1 per cent if only cool-core clusters are considered) contain a radio source at 150 GHz of at least 3 mJy (1×1023 W Hz-1 at our median redshift of z 0.13). Furthermore, =3.4 per cent of the BCGs in our parent sample contain a peaked component (Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum, GPS) in their spectra that peaks above 2 GHz, increasing to =8.5 per cent if only cool-core clusters are considered. We see little evidence for strong variability at 15 GHz on short (week-month) time-scales although we see variations greater than 20 per cent at 150 GHz over six-month time frames for 4 of the 23 sources with multi-epoch observations. Much more prevalent is long-term (year-decade time-scale) variability, with average annual amplitude variations greater than 1 per cent at 15 GHz being commonplace. There is a weak trend towards higher variability as the peak of the GPS-like component occurs at higher frequency. We demonstrate the complexity that is seen in the radio spectra of BCGs and discuss the potentially significant implications of these high-peaking components for Sunyaev-Zel'dovich cluster searches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of deep Chandra X-ray observations of the galaxy cluster MS 0735.6+7421, which hosts the most energetic radio active galactic nucleus (AGN) known. Our analysis has revealed two cavities in its hot atmosphere with diameters of 200–240 kpc. The total cavity enthalpy, mean age, and mean jet power are 9 × 1061 erg, 1.6 × 108 yr, and 1.7 × 1046 erg s-1, respectively. The cavities are surrounded by nearly continuous temperature and surface brightness discontinuities associated with an elliptical shock front of Mach number 1.26 (1.17–1.30) and age of 1.1 × 108 yr. The shock has injected at least 4 × 1061 erg into the hot atmosphere at a rate of 1.1 × 1046 erg s-1. A second pair of cavities and possibly a second shock front are located along the radio jets, indicating that the AGN power has declined by a factor of 30 over the past 100 Myr. The multiphase atmosphere surrounding the central galaxy is cooling at a rate of 40 M⊙yr-1, but does not fuel star formation at an appreciable rate. In addition to heating, entrainment in the radio jet may be depleting the nucleus of fuel and preventing gas from condensing out of the intracluster medium. Finally, we examine the mean time intervals between AGN outbursts in systems with multiple generations of X-ray cavities. We find that, like MS0735, their AGN rejuvenate on a time-scale that is approximately 1/3 of their mean central cooling time-scales, indicating that jet heating is outpacing cooling in these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We examine unresolved nuclear X-ray sources in 57 brightest cluster galaxies to study the relationship between nuclear X-ray emission and accretion on to supermassive black holes. The majority of the clusters in our sample have prominent X-ray cavities embedded in the surrounding hot atmospheres, which we use to estimate mean jet power and average accretion rate on to the supermassive black holes over the past several hundred Myr. We find that roughly half of the sample have detectable nuclear X-ray emission. The nuclear X-ray luminosity is correlated with average accretion rate determined using X-ray cavities, which is consistent with the hypothesis that nuclear X-ray emission traces ongoing accretion. The results imply that jets in systems that have experienced recent active galactic nucleus (AGN) outbursts, in the last ∼107 yr, are ‘on’ at least half of the time. Nuclear X-ray sources become more luminous with respect to the mechanical jet power as the mean accretion rate rises. We show that nuclear radiation exceeds the jet power when the mean accretion rate rises above a few per cent of the Eddington rate, or a power output of ${\sim }10^{45} {{\rm erg}\,{\rm s}^{-1}}$, where the AGN apparently transitions to a quasar. The nuclear X-ray emission from three objects (A2052, Hydra A, M84) varies by factors of 2–10 on time-scales of 6 months to 10 years. If variability at this level is a common phenomenon, it can account for much of the scatter in the relationship between mean accretion rate and nuclear X-ray luminosity. We find no significant change in the spectral energy distribution as a function of luminosity in the variable objects. The nuclear X-ray luminosity is consistent with emission from either a jet, an advection-dominated accretion flow, or a combination of the two, although other origins are possible. We also consider the longstanding problem of whether jets are powered by the accretion of cold circumnuclear gas or nearly spherical inflows of hot keV gas. For a subset of 13 nearby systems in our sample, we re-examine the relationship between the jet power and the Bondi accretion rate. The results indicate weaker evidence for a trend between Bondi accretion and jet power, due to uncertainties in the cavity volumes and gas densities at the Bondi radius. We suggest that cold gas fuelling could be a likely source of accretion power in these objects; however, we cannot rule out Bondi accretion, which could play a significant role in low-power jets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present new Chandra X-ray observations of the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the cool-core cluster Abell 2597 ( z= 0.0821). The data reveal an extensive kpc-scale X-ray cavity network as well as a 15-kpc filament of soft-excess gas exhibiting strong spatial correlation with archival Very Large Array radio data. In addition to several possible scenarios, multiwavelength evidence may suggest that the filament is associated with multiphase (103-107 K) gas that has been entrained and dredged-up by the propagating radio source. Stemming from a full spectral analysis, we also present profiles and 2D spectral maps of modelled X-ray temperature, entropy, pressure and metal abundance. The maps reveal an arc of hot gas which in projection borders the inner edge of a large X-ray cavity. Although limited by strong caveats, we suggest that the hot arc may be (a) due to a compressed rim of cold gas pushed outwards by the radio bubble or (b) morphologically and energetically consistent with cavity-driven active galactic nucleus heating models invoked to quench cooling flows, in which the enthalpy of a buoyant X-ray cavity is locally thermalized as ambient gas rushes to refill its wake. If confirmed, this would be the first observational evidence for this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT New Chandra X-ray and Herschel Far-Infrared (FIR) observations enable a multiwavelength study of active galactic nucleus (AGN) heating and intracluster medium (ICM) cooling in the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of Abell 2597 ( z= 0.0821). The new Chandra observations reveal the central ≲30 kpc X-ray cavity network to be more extensive than previously thought, and associated with enough enthalpy to theoretically inhibit the inferred classical cooling flow. Nevertheless, we present new evidence, consistent with previous results, that a moderately strong residual cooling flow is persisting at 4-8 per cent of the classically predicted rates in a spatially structured manner amid the feedback-driven excavation of the X-ray cavity network. New Herschel observations are used to estimate warm and cold dust masses, a lower limit gas-to-dust ratio and a star formation rate consistent with previous measurements. [O i] and CO(2−1) line profiles are used to constrain the kinematics of the ∼109 M⊙ reservoir of cold molecular gas. The cooling time profile of the ambient X-ray atmosphere is used to map the locations of the observational star formation entropy threshold as well as the theoretical thermal instability threshold. Both lie just outside the ≲30-kpc central region permeated by X-ray cavities, and star formation as well as ionized and molecular gas lie interior to both. The young stars are distributed in an elongated region that is aligned with the radio lobes, and their estimated ages are both younger and older than the X-ray cavity network, suggesting both jet-triggered as well as persistent star formation over the current AGN feedback episode. Bright X-ray knots that are coincident with extended Lyα and far-ultraviolet continuum filaments motivate a discussion of structured cooling from the ambient hot atmosphere along a projected axis that is perpendicular to X-ray cavity and radio axis. We conclude that the cooling ICM is the dominant contributor of the cold gas reservoir fuelling star formation and AGN activity in the Abell 2597 BCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]