X-ray cavities in a sample of 83 SPT-selected clusters of galaxies:
  Tracing the evolution of AGN feedback in clusters of galaxies out to z=1.2
  X-ray cavities are key tracers of mechanical (or radio mode) heating arising
from the active galactic nuclei (AGN) in brightest cluster galaxies. We report
on a survey for X-ray cavities in 83 massive, high-redshift (0.4<z<1.2)
clusters of galaxies selected by their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signature in the
South Pole Telescope data. Based on Chandra X-ray images, we find a total of 6
clusters having symmetric pairs of surface brightness depressions consistent
with the picture of radio jets inflating X-ray cavities in the intracluster
medium. The majority of these detections are of relatively low significance and
require deeper follow-up data in order to be confirmed. Further, due to the
limitations of Chandra at high redshift, this search misses small (<10 kpc),
unresolved X-ray cavities at high (z>0.5) redshift. Despite these limitations,
our results suggest that the power generated by AGN feedback in brightest
cluster galaxies has remained unchanged for over half of the age of the
Universe (>7 Gyrs at z=0.8). On average, the detected X-ray cavities have
powers of 0.8-5*10^45 erg/s, enthalpies of 3-6*10^59 erg, and radii of 17 kpc.
Integrating over 7 Gyrs, we find that the supermassive black holes in the
brightest cluster galaxies may have accreted 10^8 to several 10^9M_sun of
material to power these outflows. This level of accretion indicates that
significant supermassive black hole growth may occur not only at early times,
in the quasar era, but at late times as well. We also find that X-ray cavities
at high-redshift may inject an excess heat of 0.1-1.0 keV per particle into the
hot intracluster medium above and beyond the energy needed to offset cooling.
This value is similar to the energy needed to preheat clusters, break
self-similarity, and explain the excess entropy in hot atmospheres.
