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Title:
An Infrared Survey of Brightest Cluster Galaxies. II. Why are Some Brightest Cluster Galaxies Forming Stars?
Authors:
O'Dea, Christopher P.; Baum, Stefi A.; Privon, George; Noel-Storr, Jacob; Quillen, Alice C.; Zufelt, Nicholas; Park, Jaehong; Edge, Alastair; Russell, Helen; Fabian, Andrew C.; Donahue, Megan; Sarazin, Craig L.; McNamara, Brian; Bregman, Joel N.; Egami, Eiichi
Affiliation:
AA(Department of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603 , , , ), AB(Department of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603 , , , ), AC(Department of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603 , , , ), AD(Department of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603 , , , ), AE(Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627; , , ), AF(Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627; , , ), AG(Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627; , , ), AH(Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK; ), AI(Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK; , ), AJ(Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK; , ), AK(Physics and Astronomy Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-2320 ), AL(Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 ), AM(Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada; ), AN(Physics Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; ), AO(Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721; )
Publication:
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 681, Issue 2, pp. 1035-1045. (ApJ Homepage)
Publication Date:
07/2008
Origin:
UCP
ApJ Keywords:
Galaxies: Cooling Flows, Galaxies: Active, Galaxies: Clusters: General, Galaxies: Elliptical and Lenticular, cD, Infrared: Galaxies, Stars: Formation
DOI:
10.1086/588212
Bibliographic Code:
2008ApJ...681.1035O

Abstract

Quillen et al. presented an imaging survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope of 62 brightest cluster galaxies with optical line emission located in the cores of X-ray-luminous clusters. They found that at least half of these sources have signs of excess IR emission. Here we discuss the nature of the IR emission and its implications for cool core clusters. The strength of the mid-IR excess emission correlates with the luminosity of the optical emission lines. Excluding the four systems dominated by an AGN, the excess mid-IR emission in the remaining brightest cluster galaxies is likely related to star formation. The mass of molecular gas (estimated from CO observations) is correlated with the IR luminosity as found for normal star-forming galaxies. The gas depletion timescale is about 1 Gyr. The physical extent of the IR excess is consistent with that of the optical emission-line nebulae. This supports the hypothesis that star formation occurs in molecular gas associated with the emission-line nebulae and with evidence that the emission-line nebulae are mainly powered by ongoing star formation. We find a correlation between mass deposition rates (MX˙) estimated from the X-ray emission and the star formation rates estimated from the IR luminosity. The star formation rates are 1/10 to 1/100 of the mass deposition rates, suggesting that the reheating of the intracluster medium is generally very effective in reducing the amount of mass cooling from the hot phase but not eliminating it completely.
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