Conduction and the Star-Formation Threshold in Brightest Cluster Galaxies Export

@article{citeulike:3378918, abstract = {Current models of galaxy evolution suggest that feedback from active galactic nuclei is needed to explain the high-luminosity cutoff in the galaxy luminosity function. Exactly how an AGN outflow couples with the ambient medium and suppresses star formation remains poorly understood. However, we have recently uncovered an important clue to how that coupling might work. Observations of H-alpha emission and blue light from the universe's most luminous galaxies, which occupy the centers of galaxy clusters, show that star formation happens only if the minimum specific entropy of the intracluster gas is less than 30 keV cm^2. Here we suggest that this threshold for star formation is set by the physics of electron thermal conduction, implying that conduction is critical for channeling AGN energy input toward incipient star-forming regions and limiting the progress of star formation.}, archivePrefix = {arXiv}, author = {Voit, G. M. and Cavagnolo, K. W. and Donahue, M. and Rafferty, D. A. and Mcnamara, B. R. and Nulsen, P. E. J.}, citeulike-article-id = {3378918}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0806.0384}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://arxiv.org/pdf/0806.0384}, day = {3}, eprint = {0806.0384}, keywords = {conduction, icm, radio, starformation}, month = {Jun}, posted-at = {2008-10-06 10:40:21}, priority = {2}, title = {Conduction and the Star-Formation Threshold in Brightest Cluster Galaxies}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/0806.0384}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:3378918 L3 - citeulike-article-id:3378918 N2 - Current models of galaxy evolution suggest that feedback from active galactic nuclei is needed to explain the high-luminosity cutoff in the galaxy luminosity function. Exactly how an AGN outflow couples with the ambient medium and suppresses star formation remains poorly understood. However, we have recently uncovered an important clue to how that coupling might work. Observations of H-alpha emission and blue light from the universe's most luminous galaxies, which occupy the centers of galaxy clusters, show that star formation happens only if the minimum specific entropy of the intracluster gas is less than 30 keV cm^2. Here we suggest that this threshold for star formation is set by the physics of electron thermal conduction, implying that conduction is critical for channeling AGN energy input toward incipient star-forming regions and limiting the progress of star formation. TI - Conduction and the Star-Formation Threshold in Brightest Cluster Galaxies KW - conduction KW - icm KW - radio KW - starformation AU - Voit, GM AU - Cavagnolo, KW AU - Donahue, M AU - Rafferty, DA AU - Mcnamara, BR AU - Nulsen, PEJ PY - 2008/Jun/03/ UR - http://arxiv.org/abs/0806.0384 ER -