Morphology of flows and buoyant bubbles in the Virgo cluster |
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Authors: | Georgi Pavlovski Christian R Kaiser Edward C D Pope Hans Fangohr |
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Institution: | School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ;School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ;School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT |
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Abstract: | There is growing evidence that the active galactic nuclei (AGN) associated with the central elliptical galaxy in clusters of galaxies are playing an important role in the evolution of the intracluster medium (ICM) and clusters themselves. We use high-resolution three-dimensional simulations to study the interaction of the cavities created by AGN outflows (bubbles) with the ambient ICM. The gravitational potential of the cluster is modelled using the observed temperature and density profiles of the Virgo cluster. We demonstrate the importance of the hydrodynamical Kutta–Zhukovsky forces associated with the vortex ring structure of the bubbles, and discuss possible effects of diffusive processes on their evolution. |
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Keywords: | methods: numerical galaxies: active galaxies: clusters: general galaxies: clusters: individual: Virgo cooling flows galaxies: nuclei |
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