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Alma Observations of Massive Molecular Gas Filaments Encasing Radio Bubbles in the Phoenix Cluster

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Russell, HR 
McDonald, M 
McNamara, BR 
Fabian, AC 
Nulsen, PEJ 

Abstract

We report new ALMA observations of the CO(3-2) line emission from the 2.1 ± 0.3 x 1010 M molecular gas reservoir in the central galaxy of the Phoenix cluster. The cold molecular gas is fueling a vigorous starburst at a rate of 500-800M yr−1 and powerful black hole activity in the forms of both intense quasar radiation and radio jets. The radio jets have inflated huge bubbles filled with relativistic plasma into the hot, X-ray atmospheres surrounding the host galaxy. The ALMA observations show that extended filaments of molecular gas, each 10-20 kpc long with a mass of several billion solar masses, are located along the peripheries of the radio bubbles. The smooth velocity gradients and narrow line widths along each filament reveal massive, ordered molecular gas flows around each bubble, which are inconsistent with gravitational free-fall. The molecular clouds have been lifted directly by the radio bubbles, or formed via thermal instabilities induced in low-entropy gas lifted in the updraft of the bubbles. These new data provide compelling evidence for close coupling between the radio bubbles and the cold gas, which is essential to explain the self-regulation of feedback. The very feedback mechanism that heats hot atmospheres and suppresses star formation may also paradoxically stimulate production of the cold gas required to sustain feedback in massive galaxies.

Description

Keywords

galaxies: active, galaxies: clusters: individual (Phoenix), radio lines: galaxies

Journal Title

Astrophysical Journal

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0004-637X
1538-4357

Volume Title

836

Publisher

Institute of Physics
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N000927/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/P004636/1)
European Research Council (340442)
H.R.R. and A.C.F. acknowledge support from ERC Advanced Grant Feedback 340442. M.M. acknowledges support by NASA through contracts HST-GO-13456 (Hubble) and GO4-15122A (Chandra). B.R.M. acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency Space Science Enhancement Program. P.E.J.N. acknowledges support from NASA contract NAS8-03060. B.B. is supported by the Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. De-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy. A.C.E. acknowledges support from STFC grant ST/L00075X/1. J.H.L. acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chairs program and the Fonds de recherche Nature et technologies. C.R. acknowledges support from the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects funding scheme (DP150103208). For further information please visit the publisher's website.