The role of environment in low-level active galactic nucleus activity:
  no evidence for cluster enhancement
  We use the AMUSE-Virgo and AMUSE-Field surveys for nuclear X-ray emission in
early-type galaxies to conduct a controlled comparison of low-level
supermassive black hole activity within cluster and field spheroids. While both
the Virgo and the Field samples feature highly sub-Eddington X-ray luminosities
(log L_x/L_Edd between -8 and -4), we find that after accounting for the
influence of host galaxy stellar mass, the field early-type galaxies tend
toward marginally greater (0.38+/-0.14 dex) nuclear X-ray luminosities, at a
given black hole mass, than their cluster counterparts. This trend is
qualitatively consistent with the field black holes having access to a greater
reservoir of fuel, plausibly in the form of cold gas located near the nucleus.
We are able to rule out at high confidence the alternative of enhanced X-ray
activity within clusters. Presuming nuclear X-ray emission correlates with the
total energy and momentum output of these weakly accreting black holes, this
indicates that low-level active galactic nucleus feedback is not generally
stronger within typical cluster galaxies than in the field. These results
confirm that for most cluster early-type galaxies (i.e., excluding brightest
cluster galaxies) direct environmental effects, such as gas stripping, are more
relevant in quenching star formation.
