The interaction between rising bubbles and cold fronts in cool-core clusters

Abstract

ABSTRACT We investigate whether the swirling cold front in the core of the Perseus cluster of galaxies has affected the outer buoyant bubbles that originated from jets from the active galactic nucleus in the central galaxy NGC 1275. The inner bubbles and the outer southern bubble lie along a north–south axis through the nucleus, whereas the outer northern bubble appears rotated about 45° from that axis. Detailed numerical simulations of the interaction indicate that the outer northern bubble may have been pushed clockwise accounting for its current location. Given the common occurrence of cold fronts in cool-core clusters, we raise the possibility that the lack of many clear outer bubbles in such environments may be due to their disruption by cold fronts.