2003/01/31 by M. Brüggen, M. Bruggen · 67 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Bubble #Cluster (spacecraft) #Cooling flow #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Galaxy cluster #Inflow #Mechanics #Physics #Radiative cooling #Surface brightness #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/375731
published in The Astrophysical Journal 592(2), 839-845 (IOP Publishing) · ApJ in press. For full colour figures go to http://www.faculty.iu-bremen.de/~mbrueggen/
arxiv created 2003/05/26 · openalex publication_date 2003/07/31 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
It is generally argued that most clusters of galaxies host cooling flows in which radiative cooling in the center causes a slow inflow. However, recent observations by Chandra and XMM conflict with the predicted cooling flow rates. Here we report highly resolved hydrodynamic simulations which show that buoyant bubbles can offset the cooling in the inner regions of clusters and can significantly delay the deposition of cold gas. The subsonic rise of bubbles uplifts colder material from the central regions of the cluster. This colder material appears as bright rims around the bubbles. The bubbles themselves appear as depressions in the X-ray surface brightness as observed in a growing number of clusters.