Open AccessThe properties of the X‐ray holes in the intracluster medium of the Perseus cluster
Author(s) -
Fabian A. C.,
Celotti A.,
Blundell K. M.,
Kassim N. E.,
Perley R. A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05182.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , intracluster medium , relativistic particle , equipartition theorem , relativistic plasma , plasma , magnetic field , radiative cooling , synchrotron radiation , spectral index , filling factor , electron , astronomy , galaxy cluster , optics , spectral line , quantum mechanics , galaxy
High‐resolution X‐ray and low‐frequency radio imaging now allow us to examine in detail the interaction and physical properties of the radio source 3C 84 and the surrounding thermal gas. The radiative and dynamical properties of the inner X‐ray holes, which coincide with the radio lobes, indicate that the ratio of the energy factor k to the filling factor f is in the range 180< k / f <500 . We define k to be the ratio of the total particle energy to that of the electrons radiating above a fiducial frequency of 10 MHz. The relativistic plasma and magnetic field are not in equipartition, since the field must be a factor of 4 or more lower than required for pressure balance. Unexpected steep‐spectrum spurs in the low‐frequency radio maps point to outer X‐ray holes, which are plausibly buoyant old radio lobes. The evidence that the inner lobes are currently expanding subsonically, yet have not detached due to buoyancy, and the requirement that the synchrotron cooling time must exceed the age of the hole enable us to constrain the jet power of the nucleus to between 10 44 and 10 45 erg s −1 , depending on the filling factor of the relativistic plasma.