NASA’s new X-ray technique reveals how supermassive black holes shape galaxy clusters

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is at the center of a new set of images created with a method called “X-arithmetic,” which researchers say helps show how supermassive black holes affect the hot gas inside galaxy clusters.

The technique separates lower-energy and higher-energy X-rays and compares them to sort the structures inside each cluster.

NASA explained that this allows scientists to “classify them into three distinct types,” which appear as bubbles, slow-moving gas, and wave-like features.

Five major galaxy clusters were processed with this method: MS 0735+7421, the Perseus Cluster, M87 in the Virgo Cluster, Abell 2052, and Cygnus A.

The new release includes a title quote from NASA researchers describing the work as a way to “study the nature of different features in the hot gas.”

The images present a clearer view of how black hole outflows reshape their surroundings over long periods.

The findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal, give context for how black hole feedback functions in both large galaxy clusters and smaller galaxy groups.

The study also notes key differences between the two environments, based only on the X-ray data.

How does the X-arithmetic technique work?

The X-arithmetic method works by dividing X-ray data into two energy ranges and then comparing them to identify the strength of various structures.

NASA states that this helps show “jet-blown bubbles,” “cooling or slow-moving gas,” and “sound waves or weak shock fronts.”

One researcher described the process as a way to “map the physics instead of the brightness,” which explains why familiar clusters show new patterns in the updated images.

Because galaxy clusters contain hot gas, dark matter, and many galaxies, the structures inside them tend to form through both gravity and black hole activity.

The technique makes it possible to see where gas is rising, cooling, or being pushed outward.

A NASA representative said the method “offers a powerful new way to map the physics of other galactic structures.”

The five clusters in the study show different internal shapes that match the known history of their central black holes. These shapes include rings, arcs, hooks, wings, and large cavities created by jets.

By comparing high-energy and low-energy X-rays, researchers can track how black hole activity has changed over time, based on where older and newer features appear.

Differences between clusters and galaxy groups 

The study also compares large galaxy clusters with smaller galaxy groups. NASA noted that the clusters “often have large regions of cooling or slow-moving gas near their centers,” while only some of them show visible shock fronts.

In contrast, the galaxy groups show “multiple shock fronts” and smaller cooling regions. One researcher described this difference by saying that the groups “are more easily disrupted,” which links to their weaker gravitational strength.

Galaxy groups tend to be smaller and less massive than full clusters, which means black hole outbursts can move their gas more easily. This effect is known as black hole feedback.

The new data suggests that this feedback may be stronger in groups because their gas structures shift more when the black hole releases energy.

Another NASA quote explains that black hole feedback “reshapes surrounding gas,” and the X-arithmetic method helps show where that has happened.

These differences help scientists track how structures form across a range of environments. By comparing groups and clusters, researchers can see how changes in mass, temperature, and gravity influence the results of black hole activity.

The study says this may help future work on how galaxies grow and how hot gas behaves.
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