Simulating the effect of active galactic nuclei feedback on the metal enrichment of galaxy clusters

By D. Fabjan, Stefano Borgani, Luca Tornatore, A. Saro, Giuseppe Murante, Klaus Dolag. 2009

206 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We present a study of the effect of active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback on metal enrichment and thermal properties of the intracluster medium (ICM) in hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy clusters. The simulations are performed using a version of the TREEPM-SPH GADGET-2 code, which also follows chemodynamical evolution by accounting for metal enrichment contributed by different stellar populations. We carry out cosmological simulations for a set of galaxy clusters, covering the mass range M 200 ≃ (0.1-2.2) x 10 15 h -1 M ☉ . Besides runs not including any efficient form of energy feedback, we carry out simulations including three different feedback schemes: (i) kinetic feedback in the form of galactic winds triggered by supernova explosions; (ii) AGN feedback from gas accretion on to supermassive black holes (BHs) and (iii) AGN feedback in which a 'radio mode' is included with an efficient thermal coupling of the extracted energy, whenever BHs enter in a quiescent accretion phase. Besides investigating the resulting thermal properties of the ICM, we analyse in detail the effect that these feedback models have on the ICM metal enrichment. We find that AGN feedback has the desired effect of quenching star formation in the brightest cluster galaxies at z < 4 and provides correct temperature profiles in the central regions of galaxy groups. However, its effect is not yet sufficient to create 'cool cores' in massive clusters while generating an excess of entropy in central regions of galaxy groups. As for the pattern of metal distribution, AGN feedback creates a widespread enrichment in the outskirts of clusters, thanks to its efficiency in displacing enriched gas from galactic haloes to the intergalactic medium. This turns into profiles of iron abundance, Z Fe , which are in better agreement with observational results, and into a more pristine enrichment of the ICM around and beyond the cluster virial regions. Following the pattern of the relative abundances of silicon and iron, we conclude that a significant fraction of the ICM enrichment is contributed in simulations by a diffuse population of intracluster stars. Our simulations also predict that profiles of the Z Si /Z Fe abundance ratio do not increase at increasing radii, at least out to 0.5R vir . Our results clearly show that different sources of energy feedback leave distinct imprints in the enrichment pattern of the ICM. They further demonstrate that such imprints are more evident when looking at external regions, approaching the cluster virial boundaries.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f3eecf4ccdf6cb6141f67d3453378ba9f6a98097

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Citations in the corpus

Cosmological simulations of black hole growth: AGN luminosities and downsizing (2013, methodology): “In addition, the prescriptions for BH growth and feedback from AGN are based on the models presented in Springel et al. (2005) and Di Matteo et al. (2005), but contain the same modifications for a transition from a quasar- to a radio-mode feedback as in the study of Fabjan et al. (2010).”
Towards a realistic population of simulated galaxy groups and clusters (2013, methodology): “…Springel 2008; Fabjan et al. 2010; McCarthy et al. 2010; Planelles et al. 2013), the mean luminosity–temperature relation (e.g. Puchwein et al. 2008; Fabjan et al. 2010; McCarthy et al. 2010; Planelles et al. 2014), and the metallicity and temperature profiles of groups outside of the central…”
The case for AGN feedback in galaxy groups (2009, methodology): “In this respect, our results agree, at least qualitatively, with those of Sijacki et al. (2007) and Fabjan et al. (2009).”
Formation of Galaxy Clusters (2012, result): “Incidentally, the large-scale winds at high redshifts and stirring of the ICM in cluster cores by the AGN feedback also help to bring the metallicity profiles into cluster simulations in better agreement with observations (Fabjan et al. 2010, McCarthy et al. 2010).”
Theoretical Challenges in Galaxy Formation (2016, background): “For lower accretion rates the feedback efficiency is increased from 0.5% to 2% of the rest mass energy and is injected into heated off-center bubbles that can then buoyantly rise (see Fabjan et al. (2010), Hirschmann et al. (2014), and Vogelsberger et al. (2014) for slightly modified versions).”
CONNECTING ANGULAR MOMENTUM AND GALACTIC DYNAMICS: THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY BETWEEN SPIN, MASS, AND MORPHOLOGY (2015, methodology): “…importantly, our simulations also include a prescription for black hole (BH) growth and for feedback from AGNs based on the model presented in Springel et al. (2005b) and Di Matteo et al. (2005), including the same modifications as in the study of Fabjan et al. (2010) and some new, minor changes.”
The EAGLE project: Simulating the evolution and assembly of galaxies and their environments (2014, background): “For the thermodynamic properties of groups and clusters of galaxies the progress has also been rapid (e.g. Puchwein et al. 2008; McCarthy et al. 2010; Fabjan et al. 2010; Le Brun et al. 2014).”
Constraints on the distribution and energetics of fast radio bursts using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations (2014, methodology): “This treatment is based on the model presented by Springel et al. (2005) and Di Matteo et al. (2005) including the same modifications as in the study of Fabjan et al. (2010) plus some further adaptations (see Hirschmann et al. 2014, for a detailed description).”