Sean O'Neill

University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy

"The Evolution of Relic Bubbles and Jet-Blown Structures in Galaxy Cluster Environments"

Astro Lunch Seminar, Friday, February 6, 2009
12:00 PM, Wean Hall 8327, CMU

Abstract:

Over the past decade, X-ray and radio observations of galaxy clusters have provided ample evidence of the often extensive interplay between active galactic nuclei and their surroundings. Radio lobes and relic bubbles in particular are often seen to be spatially coincident with decrements in the observed X-ray brightness, suggesting that the radio plasma has displaced the intracluster medium. The amount of energy required to inflate such cavities can be sufficient in principle to stifle cluster cooling flows, and this realization has driven much effort to achieve a detailed understanding of the dynamics and energetics of these systems. In this talk, I will discuss a series of 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of isolated bubbles and jet-blown structures in galaxy cluster environments. I will focus primarily on issues of bubble stability, jet/bubble interactions with cluster magnetic fields, and energy transfer from jet-blown structures to the ambient medium.