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Characterizing the Outburst of the Supermassive Black Hole in M87
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 April 2020
Abstract
M87, in the Virgo cluster, allows us to study the interaction of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with its hot gaseous atmosphere. Deep Chandra observations reveal a nearly circular shock front with a Mach number of 1.2 and a radius of 13 kpc which is driven by a central cavity inflated by an SMBH outburst began 12 million years ago. An outburst with an energy of a ~5×57 ergs and a duration of ~2 Myrs provides a good match to all the constraints. For an outburst repetition rate of about 12 Myrs (the outburst age), the outburst energy is sufficient to balance the radiative cooling of the gas. The outburst duration in M87 argues for a “gentle” (long duration) outburst that does not generate strong shocks and where much of the outburst energy is deposited in the cavities that then transfer energy to the surrounding gas as they buoyantly rise.
- Type
- Contributed Papers
- Information
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 14 , Symposium S342: Perseus in Sicily: From Black Hole to Cluster Outskirts , May 2018 , pp. 112 - 117
- Copyright
- © International Astronomical Union 2020