Hubble Space Telescope Observations within the Sphere of Influence of the Powerful Supermassive Black Hole in PKS 0745-191
Abstract We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations from the Hubble Space Telescope of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of PKS 0745-191, a brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) undergoing powerful radio-mode active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback ( P cav ~ 5 × 10 45 erg s −1 ). These high-resolution data offer the first spatially resolved map of gas dynamics within an SMBH's sphere of influence under such powerful feedback. Our results reveal the presence of highly chaotic, nondrotational ionized gas flows on subkiloparsec scales, in contrast to the more coherent flows observed on larger scales. While radio-mode feedback effectively thermalizes hot gas in galaxy clusters on kiloparsec scales, within the core, the hot gas flow may decouple, leading to a reduction in angular momentum and supplying ionized gas through cooling, which could enhance accretion onto the SMBH. This process could, in turn, lead to a self-regulating feedback loop. Compared to other BCGs with weaker radio-mode feedback, where rotation is more stable, intense feedback may lead to more chaotic flows, indicating a stronger coupling between jet activity and gas dynamics. Additionally, we observe a sharp increase in velocity dispersion near the nucleus, consistent with a very massive M BH ~ 1.5 × 10 10 M ⊙ SMBH. The density profile of the ionized gas is also notably flat, paralleling the profiles observed in X-ray gas around galaxies where the Bondi radius is resolved. These results provide valuable insights into the complex mechanisms driving galaxy evolution, highlighting the intricate relationship between SMBH fueling and AGN feedback within the host galaxy.
Authors
- Jonelle L. Walsh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1881-5908)
- S. W. Allen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0667-5941)
- A. Richard-Laferrière (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7597-270X)
- Priyamvada Natarajan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5554-8896)
- H. R. Russell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5208-649X)
- Marine Prunier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0932-2487)
- Benjamin Vigneron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2478-5119)
- Hyunseop Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3173-1098)
- Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7271-7340)
- Alastair C. Edge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3398-6916)
- Anja von der Linden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3881-7724)
- J. S. Sanders (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2189-4501)
- B. R. McNamara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2622-2627)
- Carter Rhea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2001-1076)
- M. McDonald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5226-8349)
- Marie-Joëlle Gingras
- James F. Steiner
- A. N. Chené
- Marie-Lou Gendron-Marsolais
- Andy Fabián
- Minghao 浩 Guo 明 (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3680-5420)
Institutions
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Durham University (GB)
- Princeton University (US)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Harvard University Press (US)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Québec (CA)
- NSF NOIRLab (US)
- Université Laval (CA)
- Stony Brook University (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Université de Montréal (CA)
- Texas A&M University (US)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Published
- 2025-02-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada7ed
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.15
Funders
- Canada Research Chairs
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies