Hubble Space Telescope Observations within the Sphere of Influence of the Powerful Supermassive Black Hole in PKS 0745-191

Hubble Space Telescope Observations within the Sphere of Influence of the Powerful Supermassive Black Hole in PKS 0745-191

We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations from the Hubble Space Telescope of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of PKS 0745-191, a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) undergoing powerful radio-mode active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback ( P _cav  ~ 5 × 10 ^45 erg s ^−1 )....

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Main Authors: Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo, Hyunseop Choi, Minghao Guo, Annabelle Richard-Laferrière, Carter Rhea, Marine Prunier, Helen Russell, Andy Fabian, Jonelle L. Walsh, Marie-Joëlle Gingras, Brian McNamara, Steve Allen, André-Nicolas Chené, Alastair Edge, Marie-Lou Gendron-Marsolais, Michael McDonald, Priyamvada Natarajan, Jeremy Sanders, James F. Steiner, Benjamin Vigneron, Anja von der Linden
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
Subjects:
Supermassive black holes
Brightest cluster galaxies
Radio active galactic nuclei
Galaxy clusters
Hubble Space Telescope
Galaxy nuclei
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada7ed
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Summary:We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations from the Hubble Space Telescope of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of PKS 0745-191, a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) undergoing powerful radio-mode active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback ( P _cav  ~ 5 × 10 ^45 erg s ^−1 ). These high-resolution data offer the first spatially resolved map of gas dynamics within an SMBH's sphere of influence under such powerful feedback. Our results reveal the presence of highly chaotic, nondrotational ionized gas flows on subkiloparsec scales, in contrast to the more coherent flows observed on larger scales. While radio-mode feedback effectively thermalizes hot gas in galaxy clusters on kiloparsec scales, within the core, the hot gas flow may decouple, leading to a reduction in angular momentum and supplying ionized gas through cooling, which could enhance accretion onto the SMBH. This process could, in turn, lead to a self-regulating feedback loop. Compared to other BCGs with weaker radio-mode feedback, where rotation is more stable, intense feedback may lead to more chaotic flows, indicating a stronger coupling between jet activity and gas dynamics. Additionally, we observe a sharp increase in velocity dispersion near the nucleus, consistent with a very massive M _BH  ~ 1.5 × 10 ^10 M _⊙ SMBH. The density profile of the ionized gas is also notably flat, paralleling the profiles observed in X-ray gas around galaxies where the Bondi radius is resolved. These results provide valuable insights into the complex mechanisms driving galaxy evolution, highlighting the intricate relationship between SMBH fueling and AGN feedback within the host galaxy.
ISSN:1538-4357

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