Feedback from intra-cluster supernovae on the ICM in cooling flow galaxy clusters

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We study the effect of heating and metal enrichment from supernovae (SNe) residing between galaxies on the Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM). Recent observations indicate that a considerable fraction (~20%) of the SN Ia parent stellar population in galaxy clusters is intergalactic. By considering their effect on the relaxed progenitors of cooling flow clusters we propose that intra-cluster SNe can act as a distributed heating source which may influence the initial stages of the formation of cooling flows. We investigate the increase in cooling time as a function of the energy input supplied by SNe and their assumed spatial distribution, and conclude that intra-cluster SNe represent a heating source which in some clusters can cause a delay of the formation of cooling flows. This would imply that some cooling flows are younger than previously thought. We also discuss the impact that a large population of intra-cluster SNe could have on the chemical evolution of the ICM in cooling flow clusters.
All Related Versions