skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: YOUNG AGN OUTBURST RUNNING OVER OLDER X-RAY CAVITIES

Abstract

Although the energetic feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is believed to have a profound effect on the evolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, details of AGN heating remain elusive. Here, we study NGC 193—a nearby lenticular galaxy—based on X-ray (Chandra) and radio (Very Large Array and Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope) observations. These data reveal the complex AGN outburst history of the galaxy: we detect a pair of inner X-ray cavities, an outer X-ray cavity, a shock front, and radio lobes extending beyond the inner cavities. We suggest that the inner cavities were produced ∼78 Myr ago by a weaker AGN outburst, while the outer cavity, the radio lobes, and the shock front are due to a younger (13-26 Myr) and 4-8 times more powerful outburst. Combining this with the observed morphology of NGC 193, we conclude that NGC 193 likely represents the first example of a second, more powerful, AGN outburst overrunning an older, weaker outburst. These results help us to understand how the outburst energy is dissipated uniformly in the core of galaxies, and therefore may play a crucial role in resolving how AGN outbursts suppress the formation of large cooling flows at cluster centers.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]; ; ;  [4]
  1. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
  2. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States)
  3. Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-str. 1, D-85741 Garching bei München (Germany)
  4. Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22363990
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 782; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; FEEDBACK; GALACTIC EVOLUTION; GALAXY CLUSTERS; GALAXY NUCLEI; MORPHOLOGY; RADIO TELESCOPES; STAR CLUSTERS; X RADIATION; X-RAY GALAXIES

Citation Formats

Bogdán, Ákos, Van Weeren, Reinout J., Kraft, Ralph P., Forman, William R., Randall, Scott, Jones, Christine, Giacintucci, Simona, Churazov, Eugene, O'Dea, Christopher P., Baum, Stefi A., and Noell-Storr, Jacob. YOUNG AGN OUTBURST RUNNING OVER OLDER X-RAY CAVITIES. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/782/2/L19.
Bogdán, Ákos, Van Weeren, Reinout J., Kraft, Ralph P., Forman, William R., Randall, Scott, Jones, Christine, Giacintucci, Simona, Churazov, Eugene, O'Dea, Christopher P., Baum, Stefi A., & Noell-Storr, Jacob. YOUNG AGN OUTBURST RUNNING OVER OLDER X-RAY CAVITIES. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/782/2/L19
Bogdán, Ákos, Van Weeren, Reinout J., Kraft, Ralph P., Forman, William R., Randall, Scott, Jones, Christine, Giacintucci, Simona, Churazov, Eugene, O'Dea, Christopher P., Baum, Stefi A., and Noell-Storr, Jacob. 2014. "YOUNG AGN OUTBURST RUNNING OVER OLDER X-RAY CAVITIES". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/782/2/L19.
@article{osti_22363990,
title = {YOUNG AGN OUTBURST RUNNING OVER OLDER X-RAY CAVITIES},
author = {Bogdán, Ákos and Van Weeren, Reinout J. and Kraft, Ralph P. and Forman, William R. and Randall, Scott and Jones, Christine and Giacintucci, Simona and Churazov, Eugene and O'Dea, Christopher P. and Baum, Stefi A. and Noell-Storr, Jacob},
abstractNote = {Although the energetic feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is believed to have a profound effect on the evolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, details of AGN heating remain elusive. Here, we study NGC 193—a nearby lenticular galaxy—based on X-ray (Chandra) and radio (Very Large Array and Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope) observations. These data reveal the complex AGN outburst history of the galaxy: we detect a pair of inner X-ray cavities, an outer X-ray cavity, a shock front, and radio lobes extending beyond the inner cavities. We suggest that the inner cavities were produced ∼78 Myr ago by a weaker AGN outburst, while the outer cavity, the radio lobes, and the shock front are due to a younger (13-26 Myr) and 4-8 times more powerful outburst. Combining this with the observed morphology of NGC 193, we conclude that NGC 193 likely represents the first example of a second, more powerful, AGN outburst overrunning an older, weaker outburst. These results help us to understand how the outburst energy is dissipated uniformly in the core of galaxies, and therefore may play a crucial role in resolving how AGN outbursts suppress the formation of large cooling flows at cluster centers.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/782/2/L19},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22363990}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 2,
volume = 782,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Thu Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}