The SPT-Chandra BCG Spectroscopic Survey. I. Evolution of the Entropy Threshold for ICM Cooling and AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters over the Last 10 Gyr

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a sample of the 95 most massive galaxy clusters selected from the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) survey. Our sample spans a redshift range of 0.3 < z < 1.7, and is complete with optical spectroscopy from various ground-based observatories, as well as ground and space-based imaging from optical, X-ray, and radio wave bands. At z ∼ 0, previous studies have shown a strong correlation between the presence of a low-entropy cool core and the presence of both star formation and radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the central BCG. We show for the first time that the central entropy threshold for triggering star formation, which is universally seen in nearby systems, persists out to z ∼ 1, with only marginal (∼1 σ ) evidence for evolution in the threshold entropy value itself. In contrast, we do not find a similar high- z analog for an entropy threshold for feedback, but instead measure a strong evolution in the fraction of radio-loud BCGs in high-entropy cores, decreasing with increasing redshift. This could imply that the cooling-feedback loop was not as tight in the past, or that some other fuel source like mergers are fueling the radio sources more often with increasing redshift, making the radio luminosity an increasingly unreliable proxy for radio jet power. We also find that our SZ-based sample is missing a small (∼4%) population of the most luminous radio sources ( ν L ν > 10 42 erg s −1 ), likely due to radio contamination suppressing the SZ signal with which these clusters are detected.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2024-11-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8916
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.33

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The SPT-Chandra BCG Spectroscopic Survey. I. Evolution of the Entropy Threshold for ICM Cooling and AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters over the Last 10 Gyr

C. Romero, F. Ruppin, J. H. Croston, Gourav Khullar et al.
4 citations
The Astrophysical Journal
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
1.33
article

The SPT-Chandra BCG Spectroscopic Survey. I. Evolution of the Entropy Threshold for ICM Cooling and AGN Feedback in Galaxy Clusters over the Last 10 Gyr

C. Romero, F. Ruppin, J. H. Croston, Gourav Khullar, Allison Noble, Benjamin Floyd, B. A. Benson, L. E. Bleem, G. Mark Voit, Michael S. Calzadilla, Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo, Ralph Kraft, Alastair C. Edge, Taweewat Somboonpanyakul, B. R. McNamara, Megan Donahue, G. P. Garmire, Minh Huynh, M. McDonald
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in a sample of the 95 most massive galaxy clusters selected from the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) survey. Our sample spans a redshift range of 0.3 < z < 1.7, and is complete with optical spectroscopy from various ground-based observatories, as well as ground and space-based imaging from optical, X-ray, and radio wave bands. At z ∼ 0, previous studies have shown a strong correlation between the presence of a low-entropy cool core and the presence of both star formation and radio-loud active galactic nuclei in the central BCG. We show for the first time that the central entropy threshold for triggering star formation, which is universally seen in nearby systems, persists out to z ∼ 1, with only marginal (∼1 σ ) evidence for evolution in the threshold entropy value itself. In contrast, we do not find a similar high- z analog for an entropy threshold for feedback, but instead measure a strong evolution in the fraction of radio-loud BCGs in high-entropy cores, decreasing with increasing redshift. This could imply that the cooling-feedback loop was not as tight in the past, or that some other fuel source like mergers are fueling the radio sources more often with increasing redshift, making the radio luminosity an increasingly unreliable proxy for radio jet power. We also find that our SZ-based sample is missing a small (∼4%) population of the most luminous radio sources ( ν L ν > 10 42 erg s −1 ), likely due to radio contamination suppressing the SZ signal with which these clusters are detected.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 976(2)
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), Argonne National Laboratory (US), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (US), University of Waterloo (CA), Huntingdon College (US), Chulalongkorn University (TH), University of Pittsburgh (US), Perimeter Institute (CA), Durham University (GB), The Open University (GB), University of Chicago (US), Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US), Astronomy and Space (AU), Arizona State University (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Université de Montréal (CA), University of Missouri–Kansas City (US), Michigan State University (US)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, University of Chicago, Space Telescope Science Institute, Office of Science, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, NASA Headquarters, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
1.33
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.