2018MNRAS.481.1718W

Deep Chandra observations of the core of the Perseus cluster show a plethora of complex structures. It has been found that when the observed density fluctuations in the intracluster medium are converted into constraints on AGN-induced turbulence, the resulting turbulent heating rates are sufficient to balance cooling locally throughout the central 220 kpc. However, while the signatures of AGN feedback (inflated bubbles) dominate the central 60 kpc in X-ray images, beyond this radius the intracluster medium is increasingly shaped by the effects of gas sloshing, which can also produce subtle variations in X-ray surface brightness. We use mock Chandra observations of gas sloshing simulations to investigate what fraction of the observed density fluctuations in the core of the Perseus galaxy cluster may originate from sloshing rather than AGN-induced feedback. Outside 60 kpc, we find that the observed level of the density fluctuations is broadly consistent with being produced by sloshing alone. If this is the case, AGN-generated turbulence is likely to be insufficient in combating cooling outside 60 kpc.